Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-11-03
DAILY KENNEBEc JOURNAL, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER g. 1925.

than he had. "Boston Shorty" he
said, was in trouble only once during
previous term, when the warden
was deputy. Dan F'allon, former
governor, had been in trouble several
times, but always was punished. He
was a leader, he said, and had done
good work among the men.
Referring to the religious issue that
has been injected into the investiga-
ton, Eaton said there were about As
active Catholics among the ESQ pris-
oners. He gave figures to show that
most of the favored jobs in the prison
We're held by Professionals. He said
there was no question but that food
had been given to Gladys Staples. a
woman prisoner, while she was in
solitary confinement, but said it was
entirely possible tor it to have been
given to her without anyone enter
ing the barred door Of her cell. After
the incident, he said, he had request
ed the governor and council to pro-
vide full time woman matron but
had been told there were no funds
available for the purpose. He said
he did not believe it possible that any
man prisoner could have entered her
cell.
Warden Eaton was the first wit
ness for his side OF the case, which
is answering the charges. Before he
took the stand Mr.. Pattangall and
Attorney Frederick w. Hinckley, an
anti-Klan leader, who was asked by
the governor to assist him in the in
vestigation and entered the case to-
day, engaged in verbal tilt as to
whether affidavits from prisoners
contradicting the charges would be
admitted as evidence or whether the
prisoners should be called to testify.
Decision by the council was reserved.
Mr.. Pattangall argued that the coun-
ell should hear statements from the
prisoners only insofar as they re-
lated to things those prisoners were
alleged to have told other witnesses
at the hearing, or else that part of
the other witnesses testimony should
be stricken from the record.
On cross examination by Attorney
Hinckley at the night session, War
den Eaton failed to change his story
to any extent. He said he had taken
Dan Fallon to Portland twice on
business after obtaining permission
to do so from the prison commits
sion. He did not, he told Attorney
ing such action.
The presence Of Archie L'Italian,
who started a life sentence for MUIR
der last July, on the prisons board
of governors was due, he explained,
to a prison regulation which requires
''lifer" on the board.
Questioned about taking provisions
from the prison stores for his per-
Sonal use, Warden Eaton said that
he first asked permission from the
commissioners and\ though they did
not authorize him to do so, he was
under the impression that they had
no objections.
The warden. when questioned
about his conversations with Mrs.
Clifford, wife of the prison chaplain,
said she had talked to him about the
moral practices among the prisoners
and the use of drugs, but he did not
believe her stories.
When the prison head left the
stand the hearing was adjourned I'M
til $50 p. M. tomorrow at Augusta,
when it was expected Deputy War
den Lawrence j. Colgan and Parole
Officer William Fish would be called
to testify.
Tonight's session drew a record
standing when the hearing opened.
Mrs. Percy j. Clifford. wife of the
chaplain, and matron at the prison,
was the first witness today. She de-
scribed conditions among the nine
women prisoners here, declaring that
narcotics had been Struggled in to
the girls, that they had told her that
they. had been visited by men pris-
eners and guards while they were
in solitary confinement. and that they
had mixed a concoction of cherry
juice, vinegar, sugar and headache
pills. which one of the girls told her
had quite a kick in it,
Mrs. Clifford said she herself had
visited the solitary confinement cell
after Gladys Staples. one Of the
girls, had been imprisoned there,
and found. as the girl had told her,
large piece Of meat. pound of
butter and a chocolate bar. The
fare for prisoners in solitary is bread
and water.
Mrs. Clifford said three of the
girls had told her of visits by men
and that two of them had come back
to the women's department of the
prison with mems handkerchiefs.
She said that after questioning the
girls had admitted that Dan Fallon
and bugler, called "Dutchy," were
among those who had visited them.
The matron said she had reported
these conditions to Deputy Lawrence
j. Colgan and that he apparently had
sympathized with her, but said lit
tie had been done about it. She said
she also had reported the matter
to Warden Eaton and told him she
thought there should be an investi-
cation. She said the warden told
her that they would beat you any
how"
Under DISCRIMINATION, Mrs.
Clifford said she did not consider
Gladys Staples reliable and would
not believe statements made by her
until she investigated them. She
said she had only her word that she
had been visited by men prisoners
while in solitary confinement.
She described discipline among
women prisoners as lax and said
they often talked back and forth to
the men while they were being led
through the prison yard and that
they made signs sometimes to indi-
cate that they were going to be sent
to solitary confinement.
Under cross-examination, Mrs.
Clifford was questioned regarding a
charge three girl prisoners had made
that her husband had made improper
remarks to them. The matron said
when she first took her position in the
institution she noticed the character
Of the girls and warned her husband
about them. He insisted that he new
err had been with any of the women
MI "a oil