South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-04-03
CLAIM WHISKY
WAS SERVED In
COUNTY JAIL
Employe of Bastile Makes
Disclosures in Federal
Court.

INDIANAPOLIS. April 2.-Testi-
monv OF VIM. p. Wilson. employed
by Robert +. Miller, sheriff at the
Marion county jail the first six
months Of 1919. that he quit his
job because he didn't want to be
mixed up in that graft" that whis-
Ky was brought into the Jail for
prisoners: that Sheriff Miller knew
fully Of conditions at the institution,
and that various persons have re-
Deatedly tried since he left the Jail
TO hush him up" marked Fridays
investigation OF conditions at the
Jail in federal court
Wilson told Judge A. 3. Ander-
son he began work for Sheriff Miller
on January or 3, 1919, and quit
June 6. He said his salary was s18
a week. He devoted a considerable
part of his testimony 10 the activi-
ties Of Ed Morrow, now head jailer.
Morrow should and does know
everything that goes on IN the Jail,
ne said. The rake of" on pok er
games was split four ways. Wilson
said Part went to Morrow, part TO
Fred Wilson, a jail cmplOye, part 10
Red Killian. another Jail emplOye.
fled.
Delivering Wet Goods.
Wilson then told how whisky was
brought into the jail in gunny sacks.
through windows, in boxes Of fruit
and by outside TRUSTEES" state
prisoners who we're In for boot
Logging who were sent ont on err
rands. He said TRUSTEES sometimes
came back so drunk that they
would droD bottles OF whisky they
had with them on the Office floor.
Il tried 10 tell Miller" Wilson
testified. After 7 quit took him
over 10 the place where a negro
packed the whisky in apple boxes,
but Miller said nothing to me-" The
witness said after he had quit the
Jail he had q conference with Miller
and that the sheriff told h;m, ito 20
and keep still and no would take
care of me"
we were figuring on the cost of
feeding the prisoners one day" VII
son said, and we decided that the
food given each prisoner cost about
Il cents a day and that Miller made
a profit OF about $4,000 a month. "
Pay High Prices
one prisoner testified a haircut
cost 81 in the Jail and a shave 50
cents
Frederick Van Nuys, district at
torney. told the court he had in
stituted a search through the state
house for records 10 show that the
board OF state charities had made
every effort to do its duty in re
gard to the administration Of jails
and the care OF prisoners. lie said
he had in court a report made by
the board in 1918.
Does that report contain any
thing regarding the condition of tho
Marion county Jail?' asked Judge
Anderson.
Nothing at all. your honor" re-
piled Mr.. Van Nuys 1T is full or
statistics, however, concerning the
number of prisoners and the crimes
for which they have been sent 10
Jail"
Field Examiner.
Mr.. Van Nuys then read report
made by Mr.. Brown, field examiner
for the board. He then referred to
a report made by Mt Brown on
March i. 1920. In this report Mr..
Brown recited complaints made by
Ivan L. Hummel. a former prisoner,
concerning poor food and other
things at the Jail. Mr. Brown said
i'm the report he had been az the
jail between $50 a. m. and & y. m.
had visited everey department and
interviewed prisoners and officials
and had found conditions Satisf8c-
tory. with a few minor exceptions.
The court accepted the report
with amusement particularly when
il showed that one insane man in
tervIewed by Mr.. Brown spoke well
OF his treatment at the Jail
DO YOU know how old a man
this Brown is, and how innocent
asked the court Of the district at
torney. I'm comment on the details
of the reported satisfactory condi-
tons at the ia.l