Evening star., 1926-05-11
OCCOQUAN AFFAIRS
AGAIN UNDER FIRE
Barnard GriIIed by Gibson
SubCommittee-USe of
ManaCIeS CenSured.

AS an aftermath of the surprise
visit TO the District workhouse at
OCcoquan last Saturday by the Gibson
subcommittee of the House District
committee, NJ. NJ. Barnard. superin-
tendent of the District penal institu
tions. was called as first witness last
night when hearings were resumed in
the general investigation of the ad
ministration of the municipal govern
ment.
The nanacling Of runaway prison
ers at Occoquan was censured by the
subcommittee, while Capt. Barnard
out of his wide experience in handling
unruly prisoners, asked for advice
regarding a better and more effective
measure of control. This, with the
close questioning of Engineer Com
missioner Bell regarding street laying
and resurfacing contracts, were the
principal features of last nights
hearing.
Barnard Has Long Service.
Capt. Barnard is superintendent Of
the three District penal Institutions
the workhouse at Occoquan, the re-
formatory at Lorton. and the Jail. He
has been superintendent for two and
a half years and for nine and half
years has been connected with these
institutions.
At the outset of his questioning,
Representative Blanton sought to
make the superintendent admit that
he IS under the jurisdiction of Con-
greSs, in contradiction to statements
made during an alteration at Occo-
guam in which Capt. Barnard resented
Mr.. Blanton's suggestion that he
ought to be careful and guarded in
his remarks because that institution
was being investigated by a COM
mittee from Congress.
Mr.. BlantOn questioned Capt. Bar
nard insistently about Mrs. Herndon,
who is in charge of the woman prison
ers at Occoquan. Capt. Barnard said
she was very efficient and one of the
best at her job that he had ever seen.
Mr.. Blanton then asked about two
sons-in-law Of Capt. Barnard who are
employed, one in charge of the chicken
farm and the other in charge of the
garage, insisting that if they are
worth the money they are paid, Capt.
Barnard should have tried to get more
than 800 a month salary for Mrs.
Herndon.
Capt. Barnard said that the Jobs
were not comparable. and corrected
q statement that appeared in last Sun
days Star that he had found Jobs
for his two sOns-in-law by stating that
they had their positions under former
superintendent. Mr.. Blanton volun-
tarilv stated that he believed both
of these sons-in-law are good men in
their positions and worth every cent
they receive.
Condemns 'Inhuman Practice"
Chairman Gibson said that speak
ing for a majority of the committee
we are convinced that it is an inhu
man practice to keep any prisoner
manacled with a steel cuff and chain
riveted on, and we don't know of any
other institution that handles them
in that way
Mr.. Blanton stated there are lust
three things he is not satisfied with in
the conduct of OccOquan. One of these
is that the manac1es are put on pris-
oners and they are not given suffi-
cient straw and blankets in the pun
ishment cells; the second is that Mrs
HerndOn gets only $1,000 a year, and
the third that prisoners who work
hard are not given sufficient food
He also commented that, I'VE don't
like the way you treat Congressmen:
otherwise we do like the way that
you run the institution" Capt. Bar
nard answered, Come again the same
way and I'll treat you the same"
Mr.. Blanton partially excused the
superintendent s resentment when he
found Mr.. Blanton examining the
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