512 



MAINE. 



eficial. The number in the school December 

 5, 1877, was 33 ; December 4, 1878, 31 ; aver- 

 age number for the year, 81. Number received 

 by commitment during the year, 11 ; returned 

 from homes, 5 ; returned from Maine Hospi- 

 tal, 1 ; married. 2 ; dismissed as unsuitable, 1. 

 The whole number committed to the school 

 from the commencement, January 1, 1875, is 82. 

 Of these 33 are now in comfortable homes, of 

 whom 4 have been adopted into excellent fam- 

 ilies, and 4 are at work for wages. Of the 82 

 girls committed to the school, 3 only have been 

 dismissed as incorrigible and 7 or 8 only have 

 a decidedly bad record. All the rest, so far as 

 the officers of the school can judge, are in a 

 fair way to become useful members of society. 



The number in the State Reform School at 

 the close of the year was 141, of whom 32 were 

 received during the year and 24 discharged. 

 There are provided, for three classes of boys, 

 three schools, three workshops, three play- 

 yards, and so on through all the departments ; 

 each class is kept entirely separate from the 

 other classes. The inmates of the correctional 

 department have no intercourse with the others. 



The earnings of the State Prison in 1878 

 were $15,712.24, and the expenses $32,211.89, 

 leaving a balance of $16,499.65 against the 

 prison. The number of convicts on December 

 1, 1877, was males 203, females 4; total, 207 ; 

 average for the year, 188. The number on De- 

 cember 30, 1878, was males 215, females 6; 

 total, 221 ; average for the year, 211 ; average 

 increase over previous year, 23. The number 

 of commitments to the prison was two less 

 than in 1877. Crimes committed in 1878 : lar- 

 ceny, 30; breaking and entering, 12; rape, 5; 

 adultery, 4; murder, 3; counterfeiting, 3; in- 

 cest, 2 ; manslaughter, 2 ; assault and battery, 

 2 ; forgery, 1 ; burglary, 1 ; receiving stolen 

 goods, 1 ; robbery, 1 ; arson, 1 ; abortion, 1 ; 

 polygamy, 1 ; assault to rob, 1 ; attempt to com- 

 mit arson, 1 ; total, 72. In fifteen and a half 

 years, the earnings exceeded the expenses for 

 eight and a half years by $34,854.98 in the ag- 

 gregate, but during the remaining seven years 

 there has been an aggregate deficit of $54,- 

 439.57, showing an average annual deficit of 

 $1,263.52 ; and as the average number of con- 

 victs for the whole time has been 150, the 

 amount divided would show an average of 

 $8.42 as the net cost to the State of each con- 

 vict for his transportation to prison, support 

 while there, and outfit when discharged there- 

 from. The number of prisoners in county jails 

 is 13 less than last year, being but 232 in all, 

 and making an aggregate of 453 persons now 

 confined in the State Prison and the thirteen 

 county jails. During the three years since the 

 abolition of the death penalty, there have been 

 five convictions in cases heretofore capital. 

 During the three years 1873-75, just prior to 

 the abolition of the death penalty, there were 

 four convictions. In 1867, under the death 

 penalty, there were six capital trials and three 

 convictions and death sentences. Thus it ap- 



pears that nothing satisfactory can be argued 

 either way from these statistics. One hundred i 

 and nine sentences to county jails have been \ 

 imposed during the year. The sum of $57,- | 

 472.60 has been paid for the support of prison- | 

 ers in county jails. 



At the commencement of the year there 

 were 416 patients in the Insane Hospital 216 

 males and 200 females ; admitted during the 

 year, 188 105 males and 83 females; making 

 a total under treatment of 604 321 males and 

 283 females. There have been discharged dur- 

 ing the year 186 105 males and 81 females; ! 

 leaving in the hospital at the close 418 patients, i 

 The condition of those discharged was as fol- 

 lows : recovered, 56 29 males and 27 females ; 

 improved, 45 24 males and 21 females ; un- 

 improved, 37 21 males and 16 females; died, 

 32 males and 16 females. One patient com- 

 mitted by order of court proved not insane, 

 and was removed for trial. Of the 56 dis- 

 charged recovered, 33 were on the first admis- 

 sion, 15 on the second, 6 on the third, 1 on the 

 fourth, and 1 on the fifth. The causes of death 

 were as follows: general paralysis, 14; con- 

 sumption 11; chronic insanity, 8; exhaustive 

 mania, 6 ; paralysis, 2 ; marasmus, 2 ; heart 

 . disease, 1 ; epilepsy, 1 ; old age, 1 ; dropsy, 1 ; 

 apoplexy, 1; suicide, 1. The number of deaths 

 varies but little from that of previous years. 

 Nearly one third of all who have died had that 

 fatal disease, general paralysis, a bram and ner- 

 vous disease which is alarmingly on the in- 

 crease. Consumption is the next prolific cause. 

 The hospital has been in operation since Octo- 

 ber, 1840, since which time 5,160 patients have 

 enjoyed its benefits and 4,742 have been dis- 

 charged. Of these, 2,035 recovered, 912 im- 

 proved, 798 were unimproved, and 997 have 

 died. 



The crops in the State were fair. Corn was 

 an average one of thirty bushels to the acre. 

 "Wheat also was about an average crop, which 

 is fifteen bushels to the acre. That sown on 

 naturally dry land showed the effects of the 

 drought in a short head and small sunken ker- 

 nel. The potato crop was a failure. The 

 Erevious year potatoes were abundant and sold 

 :>r 40 cents per bushel. The farmers became 

 discouraged and planted less than usual in 1878; 

 but the main cause of the reduction of the crop 

 was the dry weather. May and June were 

 wet ; July was intensely hot, with hardly a drop 

 of rain; August came without rain; by this 

 time the usually hardy potato vine was yellow, 

 parched, and withered. Instead of finding as 

 usual a dozen large tubers in a hill, the farmer 

 found a few small scabby specimens. To cap 

 the climax came the potato rot, destroying in 

 many fields one sixth of the crop. The average 

 yield was forty bushels, the largest crops being 

 raised on moist land. Farmers who were for- 

 tunate in raising a good crop of potatoes held 

 them at 90 cts. and $l.per bushel. The apple 

 crop was enormous. Cider apples were abun- 

 dant at 12 cts. per bushel, and cider at 10 cts. 



