Evening star., 1920-01-06
NAVY HEADS PLAN
| TO PROBE RuMORS
Of PRISON SCANDAL
Secretary Believes Charges
of "Shocking Conditions
Unfounded.

L
H.. including immortality among the
prisoners. the embeZZlement of $4,000
from a prisoners fund by "truSty
and laXity on the part OF prison OF
fici Is headed by Commander Thomas
Mott Osborne, former warden of sing
Sing are to be thoroughly Investigate
ed by Assistant Secretary Roosevelt OF
the Navy Department
Mr. Roosevelt will leave Washing
ton Thursday for Portsmouth, Secre-
tary Daniels said today.
The shocking conditions" at the
naval prison were said to have been
disclosed by a recent investigation of
the institution by Department of JUS
tice agents.
Hints Origin Of RumOrs.
Secretary Daniels. in discussing the
reports with a representative of The
| Star today limited that the rumols of
mismanagem IT the prison could be
| traced to hard boiled Navy officers,
who have no time for humanity in
| prisons and modern prison reforms.
| Some time age. Admiral Clark. judge
| advocate general of the Navy. pre-
sented report to Secretary Dan
| iels of prison conditions generally
| throughout the Navy. Admiral Clark
said that less than one-half of l per
| cent of the Navy'S personnel were
| found guilty of prison offenses during
| the war.
| While Mr.. Daniels has had Admiral
| ClarkS report on his desk for several
weeks, he said today he has not had
| time to read it.
! The Portsmouth prison is the best
military prison in the world Mr.. Dan
| iels said. These charges grew out of
| Ieports that there had been some cases
! of immortality in the prison. But | want
to tell you that there were fewer cases
of immortality among the inmates of that
prison in recent times than in any other
prison.
Cooperate to Eliminate Practices.
THE Navy Department and Com
mander Osborne have worked in close
cooperation to reduce all immoral prac-
tees. Osborne has sent back to civil
life many reformed men who have been
given chance to be restored to their
places in society.
There are no grounds for criticism
iE connection with the administration of
the prison. On the contrary. there is
every ground for congratulations on the
important work done by Osborne and
the Mutual Welfare League"
The Mutual Welfare League is an or
ganization of prisoners at Portsmouth.
1t handles the cases of inmates who
commit minor infractions of prison law.
Charges have been made that "harde
criminals were described as narrating
their favorite method of conducting
successful criminal careers" whenever
the league held its sessions.
Mr.. Daniels said it would be "only
natural if some prisoners were corrupt.
but the spirit of the prison frowned
down on those individuals. The leagues
efforts brought forth a new spirit, so
that most of these men are now amen
able to the regulations. and jealous to
reinstate themselves in the opinion of
their fellow men,"
MY own intimate touch with the
rison administration and the judge ad-
vocate general is such that / am con-
vinced the administration of the prison
is in every way excellent" said Mr.
Daniels.
Criticises "Hard-Boiled, Element.
Criticising the so-called hard
boiled" element. Mr.. Daniels said:
There are men in and out of the
Navy who have no modern conception
of penology. They believe that over
the prison door should be the motto:
He who enters here leaves hope be-
hind. We place no motto above any
prison door. but the spirit of our
prisons plainly indicates that he who
enters here will find friends and will
have an opportunity to redeem himself
in the eyes of his fellow man
There are some hardboiled men
who believe that any institution such
as the Mutual Welfare League is
tommyrot, ani not correct prison
management. They would rather have
as many guards as there are prisoners
and hold down the men in terror.
We have adopted another system.
and osborne has carried it out in two
wayS-he has demonstrated the fact
that the ancient and harsh methods of
prison management are dead and
damned, and that the modern method
seeking to restore men is the policy of
the Navy"
IHo~
The $4,000 prisoners fund, which is
alleged to have been embezzled by
"trusty." consisted mainly of contri-
buttons to liberty loans. it was said.
Charges also are made that the gov
chase of supplies for the prison by
"collusion between a former yeoman
and a pay clerk"
Allegations are made, as a result of
the investigation by the Department Of
Justice. that young man who had
served three terms at Sing Sing, had
enlisted in the Navy and was employed
at the Portsmouth prison. This man,
it was said, has lately figured in a SEN
sational divorce suit brought by his
wife.
House Committee Calls for Report.
1t is said that the House committee
on naval affairs has decided to call for
a copy or the report of the Department
of Justice investigation, and also the
statement of the judge advocate general
to Secretary Daniels
Chairman Butler of the House naval
affairs committee and other members of
the committee were incensed when they
learned of the suppressed report When
Chairman Butler was told informally
regarding some of the matters covered
in the report he said: "Such conditions
are shameful and intolerable. l will
make it my business to have this re-
port presented to the House committee
and we will do our utmost, after care
1ul investigation, to see that any i'm
proper conditions are corrected Such
should be exposed"