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Show SI Appointed fo Investigate Lansing Penitentiary Make Public Their Report. Topeka, Jan. S. The committee appointed ap-pointed by Governor Hoch to Investigate Investi-gate the charges of cruelty, made by Miss Kate Barnard, of Oklahoma, toward to-ward the penitentiary convicts at Lansing, mde public their roport today. to-day. The committee finds little substance sub-stance to the charges made by Miss Barnard, and the report practically exonerates Warden Haskell. It recommends recom-mends that as soon as possible, tho Oklahoma prisoners be removed from the Kansas penitentiary, that better hospital facilities be furnished, and that the system of contract labor be abolished and that eight hours constitute consti-tute a day's labor; that only one prisoner pris-oner be allowed in a cell, and that at least as much be 6pent for educational purposes as for tobacco. The committee alfo recommends that the mining of coal be continued, depending upon the number of available avail-able men, and finally that the entire administration be removed from political politi-cal Influence and the term of the warden war-den be during good behavior. Miss Barnard made sweeping charges today. She alleged that whilo Oklahoma does not care to investigate, the business management of the prison, pris-on, she is ready and willing, If the Kansas committee wishes it, to prove to them that there is graft and corruption corrup-tion in the contract shops and in the management of the prison. Atked if it were a fact t hat her private pri-vate secretary was an ex-convict, the witness replied: "That's an imposition and an insult. What do you take me for? The gentleman gen-tleman has a better reputation, and more culture, no doubt, than you yourself your-self " Miss Barnard read a lengthy statement state-ment which she had prepared in which she reiterated her charges against the prison. She charges, among other things, that gambling was permitted In the administration building by the warden when the prison was quarantined quaran-tined from the smallpox. On the matter of punishment, she said. "I hereby dare the warden and deputy dep-uty warden, who have testified that the- punishment is not cruel or painful, to lie down here on the floor in the "Alaska zone" position on their stomachs stom-achs for an hour. Affidavits presented today by Miss Barnard, one from C, N. TerriiJ, In "which he testified that pome prisoners bad been scalded to death and beaten to death while ho was in the Kansas state prison. |