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THE PRISON NEWS
PUBLISHED MONTHLY, BY PRISON DIVISION OF THE STATE HIGHWAY AND
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- MISSION
VOL. VII
THE STATE S PRISON, RALEIGH. N. C. AUGUST
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No. 8
N. C. STATE PRISON
IN LEADING ROLE
MEET THE NEW STATE HIGHWAY
AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION
CHAS. J. JEFFRESS
LAID TO REST
Lowest Per Capita Cost For
Penitentiary In Many Years
Record Shows
A Brief Sketch Of Members Of Commission. The Chairman
And The Executive Director, Indicating Their Leadership,
Promises Real Value
Father Of E. B. Jeffress, Chair-
Man Of State Highway And
Public Works Commission
One hundred thousand dollars of
its quarterly allotments was turned
back to the State at the end of the
fiscal year 1932-33 by State’s Prison
as a result of operating on the lowest
per capita costs known in many years.
Of the $853,700 appropriated only 61
per cent was used, however there had
been from time to time curtailments
in the appropriations that reduced
the amount available to $620,000.
One of the most noticeable things
about the operative costs is the low
per capita cost of maintaining prison¬
ers during the year 1932-33 which was
$134 plus administrative costs of $5.-
24, making a total of $139.24 per
prisoner. Total expenditures for the
period 1932-33 were $421,609. None
the less paramount in the reduction
of overhead during the biennium
which ended June 30 was the low
operative cost of 62
Уг
per cent of
legislative appropriation allotted the
prison that left a credit of $618,832
on the happy side of the ledger.
For the preparation of food during
the last fiscal year the stewards were
paid salaries of $13,274 while there
were being served 3,062,715 meals at
(Continued on Page Three)
TWO NEW CAMPS
ADDED TO SYSTEM
One At Tarboro And Another
At Sanford; Both Modern
In Construction
Two new prison camps are now in
operation, one at Tarboro, under the
direction and management of Capt.
P. E. Mallison, and one at Sanford,
under the control and oversight of
Capt. J. T. Gunter.
Both Capt. Mallison and Capt. Gun¬
ter are men of experience in the
handling of prisoners, having a clear
understanding with respect to the
human side of their respective jobs,
yet strict and rigid in the administra¬
tion of their duties.
Thirty men have been shipped to
Tarboro already and soon others will
go until the camp will contain around
one hundred and fifty men. In this
camp will be stored all the physically
unfit men, who are not able to work
on account of physical deficiencies.
Casually speaking this camp will be
the storage warehouse for the crip¬
ples, the maimed, the blind and the
disease wrecked human beings of the
inmate family.
The Sanford camp now numbers
seventy men and as soon as practical
this number will be increased to
around a hundred men. The men of
this camp will be able-bodied and fit
for service.
Both camps are of modern construc¬
tion in every way and the men will
be taken care of in the best way that
the situation will permit.
The Board of Directors of the State
Highway and Public Works Commis¬
sion held its first meeting on July 10.
Governor J.
С.
B. Ehringhaus was
present, seeking to acquaint the mem¬
bers with his ideas in respect to
the great task the board must ncces
sarily grapple with and encouraging
them in every way possible. Accord¬
ing to advanced information Mr.
George Ross Pou was appointed
Executive Director. The only other
appointment made at this time was
the selection of Mr. H. H. Honeycutt
as temporary warden of the State
Prison. Because of the necessity of
hearing a great number of delegations
from all over the state with regard
to road propositions the board made
little headway with other matters for
several days. However, the board
found time to visit the State Prison to
get first hand information concerning
the prison’s needs.
When the meeting was called to
order by Chairman E. B. Jeffress on
July 10, all members of the board
were present as follows; James A.
Hardison, Wadesboro; Luther II.
Hodges, Leaksville; Frank W. Miller,
Waynesville; Ross M. Sigmon, Salis¬
bury; Chas. Whedbee, Hertford; W. C.
Woodard, Rocky Mount. Governor
Ehringhaus and George Ross Pou,
Executive Director were also present.
Governor Ehringhaus was first
recognized and in his forceful, char¬
acteristic and frank manner endeav¬
ored to inform the board of his ideas
concerning the huge task of carrying
on the united work of the Highway
and Prison with the sole idea of help¬
ing find the best possible ways and
means of handling the problems with
the greatest economy.
Ahead of the meeting it was known
that Governor Ehringhaus favored the
selection of George Ross Pou, formei
Superintendent of the State’s Prison
as the appointee for the place of Ex¬
ecutive Director and it was with
unanimous opinion that the hoard
voted Mr. Pou, Executive Director.
Mr. Pou's appointment is heralded ;
with a great deal of satisfaction
throughout the state due as the
Raleigh Times puts it, “Pou has been
made Executive Director of the State
Highway and Public Works Commis¬
sion, in which post he is expected to
have executive control over both the
highway and prison divisions, es¬
pecially with regard to costs and all
financial matters. The ability to re¬
duce operating costs of the State
Prison in the face of a steadily in¬
creasing population is regarded as the
principal factor in the selection of
Pou to be chief assistant to Chairman
E. B. Jeffress of the new Highway
and Public Works Commission.”
Another very vital matter acted
upon in the early stages of the meet¬
ing was the appointment of Mr. H.
H. Honeycutt, former warden of the
State’s Prison as temporary warden
under the new hook-up. While it is
not known who will be selected per¬
manently U> this important position
yet in this temporary selection it is
generally believed a wise appointment
has been made due to Mr. Honeycutt’s
long experience, thoughtful methods
and Bureau of Identification know¬
ledge.
The board meeting had hardly
gotten under a full head of steam be¬
fore it was confronted with the hear¬
ing of various delegations from almost
every neck of the woods in the grand
old state, practically all of which
were appearing in the interest of some
road project needed in their territory.
The delegations led by influencial
men from the various communities
were heard with the utmost courtesy
and eagerness in order that when the
time came for definite action relative
to road improvement or building all
possible information might be before
them. It has been reported that some
of the finest oratory heard in many
moons amplified the spirit of each
delegation that came before the board.
In spite of the extremely busy daily
sessions the members of the board
found time to visit the State's Prison
in order that first-hand data might be
obtained with respect to the urgent
needs of the prison. All members of
the board were on this tour with the
exception of Mr. Jeffress who was
called away in the interest of other
important matters. Mr. Pou, the new
Executive Director, escorted the mem¬
bers over the prison and at the same
time pointed out the urgent needs.
When they visited the Prison Print
shop, one of the directors remarked
that the Prison Print shop was one
of the cleanest shops he had seen any¬
where. The dangerous fire hazard
overhanging the entire prison was
readily seen and from the remarks
made they were of the opinion that
something must be done immediately
to lift the terrible consequences that
would certainly follow a bad fire at
the prison.
In our last issue we did not know
much about the workings of the new
Highway and Public Works Commis¬
sion and at this writing, nearly a
month hence, we know not very much
more. We have learned in the mean¬
time some interesting facts about the
men who make up the new commission
of each of the members, the chairman
and the executive director.
Edwin Bedford Jeffress
Edwin Bedford Jeffress, of Greens¬
boro, 46 years old, was born at Can¬
ton, N. C., May 29, 1887. He is the
son of the late Charles James and
Maria Love (Osborne) Jeffress. Mr.
Jeffress graduated from the Asheville
(Continued on Page Three)
< harles J. Jeffress, 73 year old for¬
mer railroad man, farmer and mer¬
chant died at his home in Fletcher on
Tuesday, July 18th after an extended
illness. At his bedside were mem¬
bers of his family, including E. B.
Jeffress, chairman of the State High¬
way & Public Works Commission.
h unoral services for Mr. Jeffress
were held at the home and burial was
at Locust Field cemetery, at Canton
on Wednesday. The services were
conducted by the Rev. R. F. Cambell,
pastor of the First Presbyterian
church of Asheville. An escort of
rural, county and state patrolmen ac¬
companied the body from Fletcher to
Canton.
Neighbors of Mr. Jeffress acted as
pallbearers and were; Mayo Carland,
Oron Lancaster, Frank Burgin, Floyd
Osborne, Frank Cant ley and Rome
Ingram.
(Continued on Page Three)
WARDEN PROMOTES
MEN TO “A” GRADE
Ten Promoted From “B” To “A”
tirade. While Only Two Were
Demoted To “C”
In the customary manner Warden
H. H. Honeycutt had a little personal
chat with the boys, one by one, re¬
cently on the corridor and advanced
ten of the “B” Grade inmates to “A”
Grade. During the month of July
two demoted themselves to lowly “C”
Grade.
When a man enters the prison and
becomes a number he is started out
in “B” Grade, from which he may by
good behavior and conduct climb to
“A" Grade after 60 days time or he
may demote himself to “C” Grade by
means of any infraction of the rules.
Consequently when 'a fellow is able
to get his “A” Grade clothes he is
about as happy as a man can be with¬
in prison walls for it is this that
makes an inmate feel that he is mak¬
ing some headway in the right
direction.
FLOWERS ARE BEAUTIFUL
IN FRONT YARD NOW
The circular flower-bed in front of
the administration building has never
been more attractive and inviting
j than it is just now with its brilliant
display of giant zinnias. In fact it
is surrounded and along the walks be¬
sides by other beautiful beds of
various flowers that do not blush un¬
seen for their exquisite loveliness can
not be missed by any one who passes
by.
Thanks must be given to Miss
Josephine Rand, whose careful
planning and selection has made these
beds a beautiful sight.
