Evening star., 1946-04-08

Crl1VnlCSlSt has to have q little
common sense
Driscoll Called to Stand.
A. j. Driscoll, member OF the
Welfare Board and chairman of its
Institutions Committee, which man.
ages penal institutions, was the next
witness. At the outset OF his testi-
mony, he said:
Il want to disclaim any response
billty as far as m concerned for
the escape of those two prisoners
last week We were short of staff
ana had to go to the Police Depart
ment and ask to have some men sent
over
The two policemen sent over did
not perform the duties outlined to
them by the superintendent of
police. AS the committee knows. one
fellow took a nap in the middle of
the night
How about the November Jail
break?" MI. Hebert interposed. The
Metropolitan police were not there
then?"
No, they were not MI Dris-
coll admitted. He added: mo mat
ter how strong Jail you have,
whether it's of the Alcatraz type or
the kind of building you have in
the District, l always did say that
it depends on who you've got guard
ing 1t. When five men could walk
out enc Saturday afternoon last
November it called attention to this
situation We did make an investi-
CATION. Two guards were sus-
pended"
No Bars Over Ventilator.
Did YOU know Mr.. Hebert asked
that there were no bars over the
ventllator through which Medley
and Mcfarland escaped?7
Il didn't know there was yen-
tilator there. MI Drlscoii replied
Mr.. Driscoll agreed with MY He
bert that the guards on duty in the
death house should not have had a
KEY to the little compartment be-
yond the cells through which the
two men fled
Nh. DriScoll said the board had
asked an appropriation for wall
around the District jail hut had
never received it.
"It'S the first jail I ever saw with
out towers MI. Hebegt commented
Il think the trouble is right in
SIDE the building" Mr. DriScoll SAID
MI. Driscoll said he thought it
Was very fortunate that the two
policemen on guard last week were
rot armed. or 1T is hard to tell
what the consequences might have
been
Says Guards "Overpowered" Selves.
When Mr.. Hebert said something
about the guards being overpoWered,
MI. DriScoll retored, Il think those
guards oVerpoWered themselves.
Mr.. Simpson interjected that the
subcommittee had been told by
Jail Supt Claude O. Botkin at
visit to the jail Friday that the
prisoners were supposed TO be locked
IN their cells after pm.
i want the record to show MI.
Simpson added that they we're
nv al ttiNiI itIiS. DlIt HfIt IOd III
ne around the corridors ana play
lng cards with Ihelr guards"
MI. Driscoll blamed the Gill trial
TO an extent Tor conditions at the
jail. He said the officials there were
afraid to take reSponSibihty-they
were afraid of their Jobs
Mr.. Driscoll also charged that MI
Gill had been interfering for a long
time in the administration of the
Jail and issuing orders over the head
of the superintendent.
Wasn't that his duty?' Mr
Hebert asked
Saws Huff Drew Up Rules.
NO. 1t was the duty of the Wei
fare Board Mr. Driscoll replied
Pressed for a further explanation
ne admitted that the board itself
did not make all the rules. but saiG
Mr.. Huff usually drew them up and
the board approved them.
Mr.. Driscoll also said MI. Gill had
encouraged some of the prisoners
to come direct to him instead OF 10
their jailers'
Mr.. Harris tangled with Mr.. Dris-
coll over the need for Jail improve
ments
Asserting that other District in
stitutions are far more in need of
improvement than is the Jail. Mr.
Driscoll said it would be better to
improve the Districts chlldrens
institutions than to spend lot OF
money al the Jail"
Asked if he Gid not realize the
importance Of keeping men like
Medley and Mcfarland in captivity.
Mr DrlScoll said guards are sup
nOSpd to 6O that nv Ea,,re ~,