Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-30
PRISON AIDES
UNDER CHARGES
Managers Ordered to Suspend
Alleged Offenders Liquor
Charge Made

TRENTON, Oct. 30.-In a CON-
munication carrying a series OF
charges involving the conduct and
discipline of certain deputies in the
state prison, who hold important
positions, the State Board of Institn-
tons and Agencies mas called upon
the board of managers of the prison
and Head Keeper Joseph S. Hoff, to
suspend the alleged offenders pend
ing completion of an investigation
which the state board is now MAX
ing. The letter which went to the
board of managers last week at
their meeting was made public by
the department of institutions,
through Commissioner Burdette G.
Lewis today.
The men whom the charges are
preferred against are Chief Deputy
Keeper James E. Kersey, Center
Keeper Joseph McChesney, men
who hold the highest positions at the
prison next to the principal keeper,
and the charges also include Keeper
Thomas Mahaney and Truck Driver
Clinton Eldridge.
made in the letter from E. p.
Earle, president of the board of IN
situations and agencies. to the
prison authorities, recites that he
tween l and 3 o'clock on the morn
ing of August "a. during the period
in that month of this year when the
prison population rioted for several
days, Kersey, .McChesney and Ma
haney caused Eldridge to take the
automobile provided for the use of
the prison officials to Paterson.
THAT this trip was undertaken
for no official purpose but on the
nnntra ry Ua orn infnrronI for fha
purpose of obtaining liquor from
parties in Paterson, known to Keep
ers Kersey and McChesney." reads
one of the accusations in the letter.
1.-THE testimony further shows
that these officers drove to various
places in Paterson during August
"a in the state automo bile and that
none of them returned to the prison
at Trenton until about Z P. NJ. Au-
gust "a and that the chief deputy
did not return to the prison that
night, although there was to be a
special meeting of the board Of
managers at the prison at 8 p. M.
that night to investigate the riot"
continues the Earle letter.
Further it was not known by
these officers whether it would be
possible to take the men out of
their cells for work in the shops
the mex day namely, Thursday.
The charge is further made that
the officials named were del elicit in
leaving the prison at midnight on
August rs, while the inmates were
still in a rio,ous condition, and di-
recting Eldridge to take them to
another keepers home where the
letter made public today alleges
they had several drinks of whiskey.
Information obtained at the pris-
on is to the effect hat the Board
of Managers has ordered Warden
lilo to make an investigation but
not to suspend any of the accused
men until alter the findings of that
probe have been turned over to the
Board of Managers. This would in
dieate clash of authority between
the State Board of Institutions n
the Prison Board of Ma lagers.
When Mr.. Hoff himself was asked
for a statement as to the charges
rejecting upon the discipline of tax
officers he was quoted as declaring
''the charges are not true
Fol some time there HIS been
conflict between prison officials and
the Department of institutions and
Agencies as to conduct of affairs at
the institut. on. The warden is an
officer under the constitution of
New Jersey n occupants of this
position have all along resented the
interference of the state department
in it's letter today the latter say
that under the act of 1918 creating
a department OF institutions all
fixed terms of officers and employees
IF the establishments were abol-
ished and that those holding the
positions and successors should
continue 10 hold nffian nn1u cIIhiarf
to the power and authority con
ferred by law upon the State Board
of Institutions, the Commissioner of
Institutions the Boards of Mana
gers and the provisions of he Civil
Service law. This tone of the letter
fails to make recognition of the
constitutional prerogatives of the
principal keeper.
Kersey, who has occupied a posi-
ton at the State Prison practically
second in importance to that of the
Warden for twenty years at least,
is numerically scored for his con-
duct in the letter made public to-
day. The hint is dropped incident
ally that a number of things con-
corning the management of the in
stitution have been withheld from
the board having charge of its affairs
and the principal keeper.
After going into details as to the
gravity of the bad example alleged
to have been set by Chief Deputy
Kersey in %absenting himself from the
prison at a serious time, the letter
continues: "We are told that the
management did not know where
these officers were until some time
Thursday morning. August "a, when
a certain person in the prison was
informed by telephone from Pater-
son that Kersey and McChesney were
i'm that city.
1--WE call your attention to other
serious shortcomings of Kersey. This
is not the first time he has miscon-
Quoted himself. This is not the first
escapade with the prison automo-
bile.
When Mr.. Kersey. the main center
of the attack on prison discipline
among officers, was asked for a
statement, he said he could not make
one until he knew the full nature of
the charges. He added hat he be-
lieved Warden Hoff was making an
investigation.