{ title: 'The corrector. (Auburn, N.Y.) 1839-18??, May 01, 1839, Page 3, Image 3', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn89071059/1839-05-01/ed-1/seq-3/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn89071059/1839-05-01/ed-1/seq-3.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn89071059/1839-05-01/ed-1/seq-3/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn89071059/1839-05-01/ed-1/seq-3/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
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the number nf H ospital cases 13 far be low Ihe usual average, fhere is not, with the exception o f a case o f sore eyes, or lery slight indisposition, one person un der treatment whose disease has been contracted since bis admission into the prison* T h f C o r o n e r s I n q u e s t .— W e have, been informed that a panel o f Jurymen, already made Vo order, was plared in the MfKds o f the Coroner for-hlm to summon, and that among the number were many of the discharged officers '»f the prison, some o f whom were wholly unfit for any similar (•fficeA T h e source from which this char- aciW R ic attempt originated will be suffi ciently obvious without further specifica tion. T h e procedure, however, was re sisted and, fortunately, with success. Hut it was not found practicable,, so incessant and deafening was t he clamor, and such was the omnipotence o f the tnobocrnj|ic spirit which bore sway at the time, to pro cure any thing like an impartial investiga tion. Indeed, it is not too much to .<}ay that a set of men, wholly impartial and unprejudiced could not have1 been found in Auburn at the time. T h e question about to be brought before the jury was, if not wholly political, one out o f which a cer tain party were *0 make much capital.— Yet, of the eighteen men who composed the jury s i x t e e n were thorough-paced 44 w higs !” T h e question war likewise, one whereby personal m alice was, in a certain event to be gratified. Y et the person whose character was m ost at slake, had not one personal fijend am ong the number I Independently o f political prej udiccs, to operate unfavorably, there were personal feelings to gratify, nor were the jury free from bolb these influences - F.»r*Jw« itJ«>oajiSJt«^cbar{Lc<er/zo t-a- just severity the conduct o f any one of the respectable men who belonged to that body. But the injured have rights to be redressedJpri he finding o f the jury, we venture to say, was wholly unwarran'a- ble ; neither was it borne out by the tes timony variant and peculiar as it was. — That it was strenuously resisted by som e of the jury we have reason to know, and for their s a k e s. if for no other reason, w e ^ could have wished su c c e s s f u lly/^ T h a t they allowed them selves! finally to be in- i fronted by the accused. W e are aware that technically there was nothing in the nature of an accusation. Y et, was it not apparent to the jury that the peculiar character of ihe testim o n y thus drawn out by a com m ittee, rendered it doubly important that they should all b e present! Surely, they must, them selves, answer affirmatively. W e might com m ent on many oiher points equally objectionable, but it is unpleusant. F o r our own part, we have no hesitation in saying, whatever others may say, or pretend to think, that Capt. Lvnds has been the victim o f the foulest persecution, and that such will e- ventually be the verdict o f an intelligent and candid community. (t5=- W e commend to the readers atten tion the two articles from the Journal o f Comm erce on our fourth page. From the eviderire before the writer, colored, distor ted and imperfect as it was, we consider the article ot the 30lh ult, as eminently just. Indeed, we could have wished but few things added. T h e .death o f Yon Eck was it is true, “ the immediate cause*’ o f the 44 excitem ent,” but this is far from a perfect view o f the cose. T h e public should know what was the prim a r y , the precontrolling cause. T h e depth of Yon E c k , but afforded an opportunity for de signing men to foment pnjudices previ- ously raised against the management o f the prison, but with the reasons for thus inflaming the public mind, already shame fully misled, and altemp'ing to blast the reputations o f high minded and honorable men, the wiiier cannot, of course, be sup posed to be acquainted. W e think, too, that after he. shall have read the statement o f Dr. Briggs, and reflected more closely upon the pu g n a c ity which, unfortunately, is top characteristic, o f the medical p r o f e s sion, he will be satisfied that there is little reason to invoke that 44 charitable con struction” to which he alludes. There was no error in the doctor’s treatment which ordinary skill or care could have a voided. fluenced against their we have no doubt thi } elter judgments they sincerely The times now are favorable to a calm er reflection. W h y then, w e ask in all candor, was it found necessary to select sixteen o f the eighteen from the political enem ies, and not one personal friend of the individual w h ose character the insti gators o f this business had for a long time been seeking, by the most nefarious means, to b last! W a s the circumstance purely accidental ? O f the Coroner, we know nothing and charge nothing. At all e v e n ts, com m o n justice would have allowed an equal number from both par ties. A g a in: W hy was an attempt made, m violation o f one o f the plainest legal principles, to hold the investigation in se- secret? And, after being diiverr from this attempt, why did the jury, from an ig norance perfectly inexcusable, to say the least of it, depute a committee to take the testimony o f an important witness ? It has been provided, and for reasons per- foctlyobvious, that w itn°sses shall be con- The report o f the Legislative Committee upon the Auburn Prison in -183S. W e lay before the public, so far as our columns will admit, a brief synopsis o f so much o f ibis report as it is proper should be more generally known. It appears, 1st, That the expenses, ordinary and extraordinary, of the Prison for the then current year were reporled by the Inspec tors to be §81,600 00 T o provide for these expen ses the board estimated the earnings and profits for the same period at 50,000 00 Ifl relation to these debts, for a detailed statement o f which the curious reader is referred’ to the report, the present agent' jusiiy observes in his late rppoit, W hen the agency o f the prison.eame into my bands, on the 1st of May last, the avatUble funds were wholly exhausted^and in that, a»‘d one or two o f the succeeding months, it was difficult, with the greatest oxertions, to raise sufficient money to meet the immediate and pressing wants o f the prison ; vrhiie at the same timte the account books .--bowed a list o f debtors, who had received credit for a longer or shorter peri od for convict labor, & c. amounting to more than §20,000 ; the greater propor tion of which remains unpaid, although every effort h a s been made to collect the whole o f it. Some o f the largest amounts, as you ere aware, have been collaterally secured, in bvtch a way as to warrant the belief flat they will be ultimately paid, though a> a protracted period. * S o m e oth ers have been put in suit, and judgments will soon be obtained ; while others have become barred by the statute oflimitations. Some of the debtors are dead, some insol vent, some run uieay, &c. &c. presenting, altogether, it is believed, such a list o f ac counts as no other public institution in this country confurnish. Continued effort will be made to collect all these accounts, while there is*'any hope o f success, but it is greatly to ye feared that nearly one-half o f ihe a m o u n ll/'llf oalhj be lost to the Slgte.” 2nd. T * a t the law requires ihe con tracts for convict labor to be in writing, 44 but the comm.ttee find that a part of them are not in writing, and that the writ ten contracts are not all carried into exe cution according to the w riting, either as it respects the number o f convicts employ ed or the price of the labor, and som e are extended beyond the expiration o f the con tracts, without writing W e ii£end, before we have done with this subject, to show up the particular ad vantages^ which were found in this manner iff letting contracts, _ . 3 d . 5t. S . require the a g e n i of each'prison W make an annual invento ry, exhibiting among other things a com plele detail o f the transactions o f ihe p rison fo r the year. In examining the report of the Auburn prison, the committee find no account o f the debts due at ihe prison, which at the end of the [then] last fiscal year amounted to §33.522 59, nor any in timation showing that such indebtedness to the prison had been increased during the last year; whereas the committee find by the report o f the Inspectors, that the a mount of the income of the prison for the last year was. For labor of convicts employed on con tract, §43,082 76 do Job work, 6,490 09 Incidental profits, 2,674 78 § 5 2 ,2 4 7 63 illegal 5,000 00 Leaving a balance of 31,600 00 to be supplied by appropriation o f the L e g islature. 44 T a k i n g n o n o t i c e (we quote from tho report) o f the balance remaining on hand at the commencement o f the [then] fiscal year 4,225 74 nor o f the sum received from the [then] present fiscal year, nor o f the sum due to thepris- on on contracts, nolesand ac counts which ought to be col lected (\many o f which they might have said o u g h t n o t TO HAVE BEEN CONTRACTED] and as much thereof as m-iv be necessary to be applied to the currcn: expenses o f tho prison, amounting to And that the amount received from all sources during the year was only 46,469 65 Showing the amount o f in creased indebtedness, to the prison during the last year, § 5 ,7 7 7 98 this practice prevailed, more especially for a short lime past, that it appears by an5 e x amination o f the prison bank account, that on the 30lh of Septi last, wb.eft tbelnspec- tors reported a balance on hand o f §'4,225 74 ’ there was actually in bank, to the credit o f the prison, only 2 8 3 84 eaving the sum of §3,941 90 less in the bank where the agent keeps bis account than there should have been.” It is painful to recur lb these transac tion®, but the diabolical attempt to blast the reputation o f an honest and capable officer requires that we should show to the public the motives which may be supposed to operate upon selfish and discomfitted in dividuals. W e again refer the reader to the report, the correctness o f which, in this particular, can be substantiated by the clearest proof, for particulars. It presents a mine o f the most beautiful and interest ing facts! Reader, exam ine dispassion ately and critically, then ponder. {Jfy- W e have not done with this subject- H E A L T H OF CONVICTS. By the boobs o f the Hame-Shop in the' Prison, it appears that the number of;1dst days, from sickness and inability to labor,, for the last four years, was as follow#: From M ’ch 1835 to M ’cfc ’36, 663 days. 44 44 44 ’3 6 44 ’37, 432 ; « .« 11 > 3 7 .( > 3 S h 5 Q 1 44 44 44 - ’38 44 ’39, 1 8 1 U In addition to this it must be observed that the number o f men (generally about 45 or 48) was less in the years ’37 and ’38 than’usual. Allowing for the same num ber o f men, and it would have been 913 days during that year! W e are assured that tWs is but a fair specimen 01 the oth er shops, as there certainly can be no rea, son why it should not be. W e hope to further infotinattoti upon the sub ject, and if we do and it should prove dif ferent from what we anticipate, it shall be made known- T h e above contrast will surprise Ihe reader, and it will naturally be asked whence the remarkable difference proceeds. It is to be attributed to 1st, T b e superior quality o f the rations. 2d, The manner o f feeding. Both o f these subjects require full illus tration separately. W e Will only remark, at present, that the abovo statement can be attested by the most irrefutable proof. On looking over former reports of ihe same prison, for five years prior to 1837 the Committee have in tbe sam e manner learned, that since 1S3L, the amount of indebtedness to the prison has increaser more than '§15,000.” After tbe reader shall have made him self acquainted with these debts (and “such a list!’’) he will be at no loss to discover why the duties o f the inspectors were thus compromised. Tbe motives which led to Ihe disregard of law will be apparent to the dullest apprehension. 4th. That the funds o f the prison were l o a n e d from time to time to the 44 I n s p e c t o r s , officers, and other individuals w i t h - 32,317 7 8 ” , o u t a u t h o r i t y o f l a w !” 44 So far had 23,092 04 T h e L i b e l l e r s .— Public decency has for som e months past been outraged by the circulation of certain obscene and li bellous pamphlets styled “ T h e Chroni cles.” T h e s e publications were on T u esday last laid before 'M r. Justice Cook for public investigation, and the facts in relation to their authorship, the placejwhere printed, and tbe p ersonschief- ly concerned in their circulation, .were with som e difficulty ferreted out. A s the whole matter will undergo a judicial in vestigation at tt.e approaching circuit, it is perhaps improper at the present time to say any thing that will'appear like pre judging the case. Suffice it to say that the disclosures, already made, are such as to leave little doubt in this community as to the motives o f those concerned, and indeed o f all the particulars connect ed with the disgraceful business from its com m encement to the present time, and will when the fitting period arrives, be fully laid before the public. P . S. Since writing tbe above w e % __ have learnt that Frederick I . Clute, Wife
