Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-24

wings and the entrances to these wings
are guarded by grated doors. The wing TO
the left of the rotunda is known as the
''west wing" and the one To the right
is known as the least wing" and each Is
four stories in height, probably fifty feet
wide and one hundred feet long. Each
flight has what is known as tier OF forty
cells, comprising twenty cells to the left
and twenty cells to the right. Each line
of twenty backs up against an observation
and ventilation corridor which has solid
steel doors at each end. Before each
line of twenty cells and extending the full
length of same is an exercise cage about
FIVE or six feet wide and probably eighty
feet long. This same style cage or exer-
else way is outside each line ot twenty
cells on both the left and right of each OF
the four floors, in both wings. The west
wing" is generally used for long term
prisoners and the least wing for short
term prisoners. From this octagon
shaped rotunda also extend passage ways
or tunnels to the various workshops, the
storerooms and mess halls. These en-
frances TO these various Railways have
steel doors but it is understood these were
not usually locked.
CONTROL OF DOORS.
Iemuel Price, on December %, was
located in cell number |. first floor right
side of the west wing. The cell doors,
which slide, and the exercise cage door,
which swings, are controlled by levers
located in q lever box outside the tier.
This lever box is of steel construction,
having not oniy a key lock but combina-
tion lock as wen. 1t was not the custom,
however, at the time to have the ever
box ocked. In the next cell to Iemue.
Price was his brother, John Price who was
convicted at the same time, but John was
not in his cell at the time of Lem s escape,
but was working in one of the shops. Lem
Price was not confined in his cell on the
afternoon of his escape, but was being
allowed to exercise in the cage outside.
He was fed at / o'clock on the afternoon OF
his escape. He escaped from that exercise
way, according TO the testimony, about D,
or ten minutes OF 5, passed around out
side the cage, going down the outside
corridor between cage and side OF wing
and hisd back of the blind end of the cell
in the west wing until the men who were
confined IN their cells we're marched down
to sunper. Whether that cage door was
opened by someone or whether It was
left open by the guard feeding him at A
o'clock is not known. The guard testltes
that he did not open the door when ne fed
him but passed the food through the bars.
According to the testimony received 1t
was customary for this guard TO give Price
a match each evening before taking the
other prisoners down to dinner, but on this
occasion the accustomed match was not
offered him, otherwise his absence would
have been noticed. The barred doors
from the rotunda to the wings were never
shut. Therefore. after the men went down
to supper and Price was free in the wing
it was an easy matter for Price TO get
into the center or rotunda. A guard was
at all times supposed TO be stationed IN
the rotunda.
LEM MAKES GETAWAY.
For few minutes this night the guard
who who in charge Of the rotunda was
away from the center, having followed
the inmates through the hallway to the
mess room. since there was a shortage OF
guards that night. At just this moment
Price IS supposed to have come out IN the
center and passed through the hallway
to the storeroom. In getting 70 the store
room Price had to pass the guard. mess
room and the guard kitchen. The Tact
that he was not noticed by the guard who
were at meal at the time not extra
ordinary. since waters, trustees, etc, are
continually passing through the hall by
the doorway and the clothes worn by
Price were practically identical with
tho worn by the walters and TRUSTEES
Upon reaching the storeroom he should
cred bag of flour weighing approximately
a hundred pounds, passed back through
the hallway, out into the center, across
the center TO the entrance yestIbule. The
guard supposed to be guarding the center
was still away from is allotted post and
the guard who is supposed to unlock the
fir OF the two exit gates hadn't gotten
kDack from mess Price rang the bell.
There were two men in the executive
Offices at the time, the wardens, Mr. Nros
and the clerk, Mr. Suddard. Upon hearing
the bell Mr. Suddard came out. Price
announced he was going to the bunk
house which meant to farm about
three miles distant. The clerk, MIR.
Suddard, opened the first exit door,
allowed Price to pass through, accom-
panied him a distance Of possibly thirty
feet to the final exit door, opened 1t for
him and allowed Price to pass out to free
dom. We cannot find where it was Gus
bag of -four three miles on his shoulder
The grand jury's report shows that the
clerk. who has since left the employ oi
the institution, testified before that body
that he knew Price well but failed t0
recognize him. The ease with which Price
made his escape was, in our opinion,
owing to the gross negligence. if not actual
collusi0n of the Warden or some of his
subordinates.
We would recommend that in the future
a prisoner who has been condemned tc
capital punishment shall be continually
guarded by special guards assigned fol
the purpose, from the day of sentence
until the sentence has been executed.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT LAX
2. The General Management of the
Institution under Warden Cross, which
was to include. particularly. food oi
prisoners, sanitary conditions and alleged
cruelty
The administration of the workhouse
under the regime Of Warden Cross was
very lax The great bulk of the time
especially during the latter part Of his
tenure, when he was at the institution ht
spent IN the executive offices and was
very seldom in the prison proper, at least
not as often as he should have been
Prisoners who might have had a just
complaint were unable, under the old
system. as administered BY Warden
Cross. to reach the Drouer authorities with
such complaint as it seems the Warden
was too fer fremoved TO admit Of sucl
a thing The guards seem to have been in
absolute control Of the institution and did
much as they pleased They were never
called in weekly or monthly conferences