Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-03-14
botkin Believes
Gill and Board
Would Disagree
Declares Restoration
To Duty Would Make
Work IntoIerubIe

Work IntoIerubIe
Strife between the Board of Pub
lie Welfare and Howard B. Gill
suspended superintendent of pena
institutions, would make conditions
at the District Jail "intolerable'
were Mr.. Gill restored to duty under
the present setup, Claude o. Bot
kin, resident superintendent Of tn,
Jail testified today.
Now acting penal superintendent
Mr.. Botkin, said he would reques
transfer to the Bureau of Prisons 1
MIR. Gill returned under the pres.
ent impossible conditions" He tole
board of inquiry hearing the cas-,
for removal of Mr.. Gill that HI
meant mo personal reference" X
Mr.. Gill.
The opposition of the Welfare
Board to some of Mr.. ellis plans
for the institution was most dis.
couraging to man of his drive anc
energy" he said. Observing thai
Mr.. Botkin was placed in different
position when called to testify
Walter M. Bastian, chairman of the
inquiry board, advised him to speak
plainly, whether blame fell on the
Welfare Board or on Mr.. Gill.
Easy to Deal With.
There never was a man easier
to deal with" than Mr.. Gill prio,
to a staff meeting on December S
Mr.. Botkin said. Five prisoners hac
escaped from the Jail on November
"a, land every ones nerves were or
edge" he recalled.
Mr.. Botkin quoted Mr.. Gill al
telling his staff:
IT can't work with that - -
Penal Committee tof the Welfare
Board. What do they know about
penology?"
Mr.. Botkin said he personally was
criticized by Mr.. Gill in front of his
subordinates for not replacing fiber
wastebaskets with metal baskets.
He used some good salty curse
words and said that when he made
a suggestion he expected it to be
carried out. Then he stamped on 9
basket and smashed it," Mr.. Botkin
said.
Thought Baskets Dangerous.
The witness explained that Mr.
Gill thought the fiber baskets were
dangerous in the hands of prisoners
and said he had tried without sue
cess to get metal baskets.
The resident superintendent felt
Mr.. Gill went over his head by
bringing Arthur H. Farley, deputy
superintendent of Lorton Reforma-
tory, to the jail following the es-
cape, he told the Inquiry Board.
The matter was Strengthened out. !"
after Mr.. Botkin protested to Mr..
Gill against having an official at
the jail not subject to his orders,
the witness reported.
Under cross-examination by De-
Tense Attorney John j. Wilson, Mr..
Botkin said that neither the Welfare
Board nor Ray L. Huff, welfare di-
rector, ever told him to stay away
from meetings of the committee
appointed by Mr.. Gill to investigate
the pail break. One of Is charges
filed against Mr. Gill by the Welfare
Board accuses him of attending
meetings of the Investigating Com
mittee against orders of the insti-
tution's committee. Mr.. Botkin said
that he attended the meetings when
Mr.. Gill was unable to be present.
Cold Work With Board.
Questioned by Francis w. Hill, a
member of the inquiry board, Mr.
Botkin said he believed he per-
sonally could work with the Welfare
Board under present conditions.
Mr.. Botkin testified earlier that
he worked in perfect harmony
with Mr.. Gill. A difference of
opinion between the two men, how
ever, was brought out by Mr.. Hill.
Mr.. Botkin was questioned by
Chester H. Gray, assistant corpora
ton counsel, representing the We'll
fare Board, on charges Mr.. Gill
failed to discipline juveniles and
abandoned use of control cells with
out substituting effective control
measures.
Mr.. Gill believed that placing
juveniles in cell blocks violated the
law that they must be segregated
from adults, Mr.. Botkin said. The
suspended penal superintendent also
advised against placing juveniles in
basement control cells, he added.
Gill Took Them Out.
On his own initiative, Mr.. Botkin
put juveniles in the control cells
when they got completely out of
control" on November 80, he re-
ported. Mr.. Gill did not object that
night but took them out the next
day, the witness said.
WAS that contrary to your judg-
ment?" Mr.. Hill asked.
Il would not exactly say it that
way" Mr.. Botkin replied, II would
have kept them in longer"
A week later, after Mr.. Gill had
been suspended by the Welfare
Board, two of the boys placed in
tEs basement control cells escaped
from the Jail, Mr.. Botkin said. He
agreed with Mr.. Wilson that the
juveniles would have been taken out
Of the control cells by that time.
Il just want to get them out on
schedule for escape purposes" Mr..
Wilson interjected.
Gill Suggested Abandonment.
The basement control cells were
abandoned at the suggestion of Mr..
Gill, Mr.. Botkin said. Not all the
prisoners reacted in the same way
when placed in infirmary isolation
cells, substituted for the basement
cells, but in the majority OF cases
the isolation cells were Every effec-
tive" according to Mr.. Botkin.
The most important thing, he ex-
planned, in disciplining prisoners, is
to act quickly when they violate
rules and to separate inmates the
moment they get into a fight.
Mr.. Botkin said that Mr.. Gill gave
him verbal suggestions" rather than
written orders. When Mr.. Gill later
was criticized for giving verbal
orders, he explained to Mr.. Botkin
that he made suggestions in the
manner Of naval officer who is
confident that they will be carried
ft1t the Witness testified TT uoe O Z