Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-09-18
CALLS COUNTY
JAIL SCANDAL
BLOT ON STATE
CONTINUED From Page one.)


Of another and less enlightened age.
You have read and shuddered at the
story OF Jean val Jean when he was
goaded in the mines and galley ships
Of France.
"Your heart bled as. you read how he
was half starved and beaten until he
became a raying beast.
"You have read Of Sidney Carton as
be watched the merciless gulllotine clip
the heads of the political offenders OF
France, as he waited for his own blood
to miDgle with that OF the other mar
tyrs of an unenlightened civilization.
"You have read how the savages OF
America tortured some Of our early pio-
neers with fire, but here In Msrion
County, here In indianapolis, the capital
Of our State, in the year Of 1920. when
these horrors were. thought to be lost
In the dark pages Of the past, we as
community are chargeable with graver
offenses.
INSANE MEN
HELPLESS VICTIMS.
"The men who were tortured In the
prisons of the old world were sane men
Jean val Jean was a strong, robust man
Sidney Carton, the great character
Of Dickens, was a man of physical, men.
tai and moral courage.
death to him was clarifying because
of the great sacrifice which accompa-
MED It.
Here in Marion County men who were
entrusted to look after our unfortunates
tortured insane men, tortured them for
acts of insanity, tortured them for acts
which, If they had had the instincts 0i
brutes, should have excited their utmost
sympathy.
Because a poor. depraved maniac tried
to climb the jail bars these bruteA
burned the soles Of bis feet 50 that
he could not stand
THAT Is not all.
Another Insane man, a man weak in
mind and body. a man who should excite
the sympathy OF a dog, was stripped
Of his ragged clothing and thrown into
dark damp cell whore a hose was
turned on him. and then a kind Prov.
idence turned to pity by his aufrerings.
took the breath or life from his poor
mallgned body.
"Afl this happened in the Marion Coun-
" jail. Your officials. the men whom
you elected to perform your mora
duty, we're in charge OF it.
This is not frenzy incredible na Il
may seem in this enlightened age, It is
the terrible truth.
These facts. together with countless
others that besmirched the fair name Of
Indiana before the world. were exposed
By an investigation conducted by Judge
Anderson IN March OF 1920
These facts that Inundated the proud
people Of Indiana were exposed IN The
Federal Court six months after letter
signed by a nhmbsr Of JAN prisoners
setting cut their complaint as 10 the food
served them. aud declaring that they
were starving. bad bseu published and
brought to the attention Of the Re
publican county officials.
THE result OF this Investigation rocked
the mental equilibrium az the good peO-
pie OF Indiana.
1T was discovered that deputies IL
the JAN had permitted prisoners 20 PLAY
poker and had takeS a "rakeof'' Ia th'
game. that prisoners. for money. haG
been Permitted Go leave the tail; tina;
putrid meat spoiled liver-had been FED
the prisoners: that the bed clothing was
ioathsome. and horrors on horrors. thai
two insane people--tha wards Of God
were brutaily tortured.
Later Ia a report by the Marion
County grad jury upon conditions Of
the prisons, Il was state that the whole
atmosphere Is conducive 70 an aggrava'
ton rather than an amelioration OF their
mental htNtt.
SAYS OFFICIALS
DIsRECARDED LAWS.
What AZ the Constitution OF Indiana
does provide that the penal code shall
be founded on principles OF reformation
What II the Constitution DEGREES that
no prisoner shall be treated with UNI
necessary rigor?
What do these offieeholdeFs Of the
1920 civilization care for a Constitution
what do they care for the mandates
OF our forefathers who gave them the
fairest laud in ell the world? What dc
they care for our forefathers those
who gave their blood that they might
buIld2
The forefathers may decree. but
these hrutes 81 another day execute
the forefathers might propose, but these
gods Of a modern political machine dis
pose.
II charge the Republican machine In
Marion County with the responsibility
OF these ofyenses
Every ofice holder IN Marion County
was member Of that same political ma
chine
Every one Of them from Sheriff Hon.
est Bob Miller MP and down, have done
yeoman duty for that machine
Il charge that every member of that
machine had some notice OF the condi-
tions in the Marion County Jail six
months before they were exposed by
Judge Anderson
~ charge that the Republican judge