Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-04-02
JAIL GRAFT KNOWN TO OFFICIALS,
COUNTY AND CITY, SA VS. WITNESS
JAIL FOULNESS
EXPOSED IN 1919
BY THE TIMES
Sheriff's Plea That He Did Not
Know Shown by Records
as False.
PRISONERS BEGGED HELP

Sheriff Robert F. Miller, as we'll as tho
general public Of indianapolis. was ad-
vised on Aug. %, 1919, of the iutolerable
food conditions that existed at the county
Jail. and the belated plea which MIR.
Miller and others are now making be
fore Judge Anderson and through the
columns of The indianapolis News that
mo one knew anything about them" are
as false as the samples of food shown
in federal court were foul.
The Indiana Daily Times not only
publicly and prominently called atten-
tion to the fact that prisoners were
starving ia the county Jail in August,
1919. but a representative of The Times
went personally to Mr. Miller and gave
him information that had come to this
newspaper directly from the Jail.
Mr.. Miller told the reporter who
called on him that the stories about
the food nt the Jail were all coming
from lot of soreheads."
He said he had Investigated and
the complaints were not worthy of
attention.
planatlon OF how he had been able
to get = tot of beans cheap for use
in feedirs tne prisoners.
Subsequent developments in federal
court have proved that Mr. Miller did
not right conditions to which his per
soual attention was directed by The
Times, and that such conditions as were
first exposed by this newspaper were al
lowed to continue until the federal court
began its investigation Of them
Mr.. Miller is now pleading that he
did not know Of them" James A Col
Inns. Judge Of the criminal court. whose
attention was called to the conditions at
the jail at the same time that Mr. Miller
was Informed OF them. now says that
the only information he had concerning
the jail was what was embodied In grand
Jury reports and these reports termed
the conditions excellent
GUILT COVERED
by NEWSPAPER.
The indianapolis News, sponsor for
Miller aud Collins. now ingeniously at
tempts 10 defend these two officials in
their official neglect and heartlessness
With the following statement:
Month after month these things went
on. and no one knew anything about
them. The grand jury Investigated every
six months, aud found nothing wrong
The sheriff says that he never suspected
anything"
But n these three agencies, the sheriff.
the Judge and the News had not been
so busy protecting the derelicts In the
county government they could. any one
Of them. have established. as did The
Times. In August. 1919 the truth con
tained ia ttis letter. which was published
IN fun Oh Apg. %. 1919:
Editor The Times We are again
calling to your attention the fact that
We are hungry.
Eve. the prisoners OF the Marion
county iail wish TO say frankly. We are
hungry
Gentlemen, we also wish 10 say we
think IT'S your duty as citizens Of this
county 10 intercede for us
We are not all murderers although
we are prisoners.
I'VE feel that we are still human.
TED WITH Sour
SCRAPED OFF FLOOR.
Consider. sir. that this is no joke.
rothing too evil can be said Of a prison
even when conducted on the very high
est scale
To-day the cooks while engaged in
setting cur table spilled our stew or
slumgullion on the floor In the main
corridor: the mesa spattered completely
over the stairs and on the floor, also
around cuspidors.
"The food was scraped up and then
set on our table for us to eat.
KINDLY have heart, editor. we are
forced to remain IN here because Of there
being no grand jury to try as and wa
are asking you as our only means o.
communicating with the people.
I'VE are human although charged
with more or less heInous crimes some
are innocent
I'VE wish to thank you for your sketch
in a back Sheet. but Il was SO really
insignificant 1t hardly received attention
at all.
"A negro was confined here with us
the other day for n period Of three days
without either food or drink; his breach
of rules we do not know.
I'VE also wish to say that this being
Sunday we receive only two meals and
since o'clock this morning have had
nothing and expect nothing to eat be
cause we refused to eat food wiped from
the floor
There was no effort made TO help us.
except to give us a solution of one part
syrup and three parts water.
I'VE think in view OF the circumstances
we should he allowed more and better
food than we receive.
Anyway three ounces of bread, three
ounces Of kidney beans and two ounces
of meat. is that a meal?
THE beans are cooked in the coarsest
way.
The syrup is diluted with water, the
coffee according to the advice of for
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