The State Prison

I ïo the Tnspr-ctor of M;cliisnn Stite Piisoii : GüSTLBMEN : I licicby siibn.it my nnniuil report of the r Qcipts, expeuditaras-and general transaéUnns of the tinaón, fnnu December 1, 18(3, to Nov. i SJih, 18(3-4, inclusive : I No. of c:nvii ts in Prison, Kov(30tb, I Stï3 833 do do do I9(ii Mi Decrcae 41 Avrf:t? daily mimbpr ijnr!ny 1S63 3flQ ', do do 1804 819 I Decreane }jy 1 Wlinlenmnbrr in Prisnn, Nov. 30:li. 1S03 3X do reenved liiuing tl.e year 1 .' Eaeuped convictsrelakt-n & Wlmle nunbrr in prj n iluriiiK thü year 43S Whole No. diïictujrpi tl [y aspiranten ol sent. !03 do tje Uovciuor 3ti do dlBd , 5. do escaped 2 146 Lfaviiiï In prixjn, Nov.30th, 1BM 232 It niay be peen lïum llie foregoing l'nat our mimbers continue to fiecioase ïu 18Ü0 w bad 621, tiow ouly 292, a diniinutioii of 320. The firstyeav of the war we decreased &ö, Ühi seeoml jef 121, the third 11, and the present year 41, and frouTthe above I tbiok it quite doubtful wbetb?r we símil lessen our nuiuber8 very Dintcriallv the coming year Tiie whotenuinbcr oftlnys s)ent nPrisun from DfC let 1S63, 10 and inclmlil)L Nov. 30th. ISfi. was 116,812 No. of'a prodm-fivi! lpborou contract71 225 do do for State 17 318 do lost bj sicknosM 253l do lost bv ic.'id aud norm 3.6iO do kt liysoliiary ',M2 , dn lost liy luinpers 2,9iS do lost tySnnd:(y I6,5SS 11C.&12 Two iiundred and tliirty convicta are at present cmployed upon contract. Wiihiiijrton. Cooley &. Co., fanni:ig mplemonts 100 15. A. Webster, uagona CIÍ Henry Gilbert, eablnet ware 46 V alter Fisli , boots aud sboes 8 230 Tiic ainonnt of money recoived f om all anurces during the year, has lieou $4S,'51 S3 Total nniount expended 47,333 28 lialance oayli on hand í 1,'I9 55 The earnings of the Prison the past }'ear liRve been as follows: Am'c chafif-'d comrftetors for convict labor $262 39 Ain"tcbarelU. S.forcupiinrt U. S.convicts 1,526 50 Ani'f reccived lor propt'rty eold 31 I 38 A11A roceivcd for visitois 1,051 25 30,309 52 EorVftsof prïson for the year 1S63 $35..r,7-l 86 Kar'ngsofprisonfortheycnr 1S04 30,309 52 Lesa amount earned tliis yenr t5,"üó 14 We have endeavored to keep our exense8 as low as possiblo the yast year, jy using the stiictest economy, ao ccoaomy thHt, undor other circuinstaüces, I miglit not be warraated in curniug out. 3ut in tilia 'ime of expensive war, wbeu be State as well as tlve nalioo i burloned so severely, it seeras very proper ,hat all eivil inBtitntkms in our country ti carried B vrith rigoious frugality.During the war the price of convict abor bas not advaucod at all, the contracta having been let for fiva yearsjust nbout tbe time of the breaking out. of ha rebeüion, while all our supplies, f cepi flonr and Leef, have nerefiatd nearly 'our fold. These facts, in Lfief, are sufïeïent to account fer the ejpeüditures jeing somewbat laiger than the earniogs. The coming year will be stiil moie exlonsive, and wül probably tax the tieas urv at least twenty tljousand dollftra. - Tuis state of affairs will continue till contracts are re let or tbe price of sup jlies are decreased. The saleries of all! the officers of the Prifon, (oxcept Ageut, Chaplain and Physician, were increased by the Legisalure. last year, one üundred dollars, to continue only for ene year. It is with tnuch diffieulty that we are able to securo and keep good aud cap;ible men for offices, even at the present saleries, and should the Legislature, at the coming session, not continue at kast the present )ay, it might result in groat harm to the nstitulion. The State, like individuáis, will al ways find it fur its interest to emplov jood, able and competent men, and ol couise a good salery will secure such h class; while a mercenary pohey will likewije obtain a worthlessclaps of help. It is quite natural, in this money masing world, first to inquire if these convicks cannot be made lo support themelves? f tbe Prison camiot be ruada to )ay? I auswer, yes! but whether that ould be best is quite anotlur thiog. - 'bis should nol ba considered the priraay or only object. These men are sent ïeie not only for punishmcnt and Ihe getier protection of society but for re'urin. Placo over these convicta for jeepers. men of unestiinable character, weak men, cheap men, five liundred dolars a year men, and the chances are hat not only very little reformalion will e the result, but that insubordiiiiiuon nd frequent escapes wiil follow, and bociety will oose its protectiou. For safety and refonnation, convicts hould be provided with comfortable lolbing and pleanty of substancial food - should be surronnded with oflicers of good moral character and abiliiy, and hould be taught by jjracept and examle that the ways of the upriglit andjust ro "wajs of plcasanlness, and hII bis jiiths are peace," while ha is learning .hat the "was of the transgressor are ad." It is gratifying to be able to date that lie last year has been characlerized on ,he part of tbe convicts as one of quiet ud willing BubordinaiioD. In fact. durng tbe t yeara that I have been agent we have had do combinod insubordinaion, and but few individual cases, and lose arUing from thct heutad pussioa of be moment. Oí Ibe one hundred and three convicts bat have been discharged the past year, ninety-ono Iikvc conducted themsclves with suoh propriety rs to secure the wbolc of thcir "good time," as it is calied bere, - a dinainutiun of five daya per month from their term of sen torce, for good behavior. The whip, as a uieans of pumsbmeutj is seidom resorted to in this prison, Only five cases during the year; and I sometimes wish that therc was a legiflativo enactnient ngainst its use at all; but again I reason that at times we are siimülated .soinetbiug liko our military au tharities, where it beeomes oecessarj to abolish the haheas corpus and a civil trial, tbe rosort to the more speedy meth od of a druin-head cutirt martial, i. e. the trial of tho lash. 8till t should only ba lesoited to in the most.) ttreme casef. On tho moriiing of lIh l th of Nov., a flre tiroke out in the tiip-hamtiier h'op of Witliington, Cooly c Co., deslroying tl e shop, mnchiuery, rijine, fn',, with h Ks lo the Siate of abauí three thousan l . uIIhis, and to the eoiitrectora esliitinicd at HveuU limiisanii üollar.s. This firc, uwether wiihlliconc that ftccurjed lineo year ugo, ilesirnyed property to tin; value of tifiy tliousmd dollars. In view i uf tbo lnrgü uuiouni of piopeity coi suini.l luri-, oqd the [isunliar liabüit.y to fite, I wouiü ncoinmend (.hut tle Siata (tiaktí au appr piintion ot three tbousand dollars, wiili which, anj a liko amnttnt doUftiftd by the cou tractors, to ju ohaso u elcaui etigine. In all cases of fire thes ihe engiuC9 of tho city reach us as soon as pOMii.l, but al night ibey are seldom able to reach lifeic williin an hour after the alarm. - With a stcam firo engino hcre, ready at all times i ten minutos it could ba thiowing a tireiess stroatn of wator (bat Wnuld stibdue vlmostany fiie, aud might save ten timos its value upon oue cccaeion. The shops dosiroyed have already been rcbuilt, and are more seo'jre fiotn tire tbau belbrc. The eontr eters vvill pFob'ibly iiave thinr machinery running ftgKÏD by. thö uiiddle.of the uionlh, so thl tiio Stato 11 not 1' ose more llian abnut one nioiith's labor of the convicta ou this contract - lliat alone, bowever, will amuuut to uently Oitie thousand dol lars. Last year we made a contract with C. I). Davis to furnish the piison with the beef rations for the yar closÏDg November 30tb, 1864, at Sl-2 cents per pouncl. Ae has fiirmshed 136,370 pounds, which he claims lias cost him 6 cents a pound, atnounting to , $8,182,56 And rac'd from U8 at 3 1 2 ets, 3,482,22 Making; a loss io him of $3,750,34 I have no doubt that this is nearly correct, and it does not seem to me just or reasonable that the State should profit by tlii"man's misfortune, pnd insist upon hls luosing so iarge au aniouot, Mr. DhvIp, boing a man of xuite Iiinited means, feels this Ipss severely, and I subniit !o your consideratien the propriety of ) our leoommending 8Uh relief by tha Legislaturo aa at least will repay him the original cost of the beef, if not for his time, trouble, labor aud expense. Foi' the cominf year we hmx let the beef contract at 6 1 2 cents por pound, and it is quite doulitful w bet her the ccatmetor can save hitnself evea at that price. Mr. E. B. Fuller, also, conti-actor to (urnish flour for us the past year, at 3 4 cents per pcund, upon which be claims to have lost upon fint cost abeut fifteon hjndred dollars. During this war pricea havo bem so variable that it ia aicjost inpcssible for any one to arrive at any definite conclusión at what prices will rule for a year to come. Il !-eems to me no more th.an right that the people of this State ehould take into diie considoration the linies we live in, and do by others as we wouid be done by. These men have faithfully fulfilled tlieir contiacts, well ko b-w ing that thoy Y?ere loosiüg from fiva to ten dollars per day, aad yet trus'.ing to the magnanimity of the State for a just aud equiiuble relief. Theie Las been about the usual am't of sickticss in the prison during the year, which bas received the carful ar.d faithful attentiun of Dr. Carhart. For further particulars eoncerning the sanitary condition of the eonvicts you are referred ta the report of the pnyaioian. Rev. David Winton, who luis been Ghaplain for the past three years, rebigned his position to take effect tee first day of December. He bas been a very acceptable officer, and we regret much that his heajth and otber circhmsiances compel him to sever his connection with this instittition, where he has so long . bored as a faithful minister for the presene aod future welfare of this c ass of unfortunatee. Mis. Fay, the Matron of the Female Prison, whose task and duties are, perhaps, more difficult than hny other officer of the pnson, bas diseharged those duties in a manner with much credit to himself as well as to the institution. To the officers and all others connected with tho prisoD, I extend my heartfelt thanke, for the friendly relations that have existed between us for the past year, and with many of theni for ter years. When I carne bere, now nearly ten years ago, I knew but little of piison affairs, but I resolved to discharge my duty faithfully and fearlessly to all con cerued, whether bond or free, with whom I was conueeted in official capacity. How well I have diseharged that duty, others may be the judge. When I leave this responeible situation, I trust to be sueceedud by one more competent than myself, and hope he may secure as many friends. Very rcspectfullv submitted,