New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-24
PRECIOUS and inhuman; and that the board

fully confirmed.
The testimony taken is not voiuminous.
Two cOnvcts say they were beaten. MIR.
Burch, q member Of the board Of control,
says some laws are obeyed and some not:
| the duties of inspector lhisj are indefinite.
| and that there is no Sunday labor, "only
euch as hauling goods This suggests the
old buccaneer days. when the apprentice.
pleadingly. said. ''S!x days shalt thou labor
! and do all thy work. saith the Lord" And
his fierce master. answering with blow.
exclaimed. "And I say to you. six days
shalt thou Kill cattle and fay them, and the
seventh thou shalt carry their hides 80 the
| beach,
| Mr. jaime. speaks according to his letter;
| Mr.. Wharton has only hearsay evidence;
! Mr.. Hayden supports MIR. James. and MIR.
| Warden speaks of leyee contracts. and pun
ishment that made the man "a mass OF
| Jelly, and bled very freely; 1t took ak the
skin off that portion of his body"
! The House repor. goes deeper. Its prin-
cipsi object is to show that the lease has
been forfeited. In that view we concur.
but we have no space to discuss the legal
| grounds. or to analyzs the testimony rela
| tive to fraud and bribery. 1t is the duty
of the Legislature to take such action as
will determine the lease. or cause the At
torney General. who ought perhaps TO have
| taken the inistive in this matter. TO proceed
| against it.
The committee got to the ground thirteen
DAYS after that of the Senate. but got their
report in sooner. Nineteen more convicts
were back within the walls. and no women
were picking cotton. which accounts for the
increase in population. They found there
one child. nine years old. sentenced for
| murder. The Senate committee found
another of twelve, but they were there
earlier. Three wretches. one of them Jacob
Morningstar, whose terrible beating was
told by Convict. had become insane; and in
tie hospital. which the Senate committee
| says ais not fit for the purpose was man
named Robert Small. who was $50 weakened
from the effects of a dysentery that he was
unable to work, for which he was cruelty
whipped" and .'is now a living skeleton.
and even vet bears marks Of cruel and in.
human treatment" Colonel James says,
when the committee asked if he knew any
thing about him. Il do not know what par
ticular man you refer to-
Charles Stewart, superintendent OF the
coal yard, says convicts are ''whlpped and
numerically punished for the most trivial
offense, hit by their guards with sticks
| punched with guns. and abused and cursed
In a conflict between convicts and guards
| one citizen was killed.
Matthew Lange. of the former board. who
now supplies meat. and to whom the com
pany owe $4,000. confesses he has supplied
inferior meat. and says escaped convcts are
, hunted and trailed with dogs. 1t is true
Colonel James and Captain Hayden say the
dogs wouldn't hurt the convicts on any &C
count: they only bark at them till the hun
} tiers come mp: are "only common, ordinary
} dogs" "a boy could keep them oil with a
, small stick" which shows how easy con
, viets are managed. Tho dogs are not blood
l hounds. OH. no! only common. ordinary
dogs that the 'local authorities use in
trailing robbers and murderers.'
, Mr.. D. +. Kenner. president Of the com
pany. says he is not responsible. and did
not know Of anything wrong. Colone! James
. and Captain Hayden are also ignorant.
Mr.. Henry Shorten. mayor OF Baton
Rouge. says:
John Alien and two other discharged
f .onyicts came to him and said they had
, been discharged without a cent to leave the
. city with, and must rob or steal to get II
as no one would give them work. Captain
l Y la,,S of fhn ord n Dnt
, them money from the clerk. who told him
, '.there is no money to give the convicts. but
| if they Will call in a week or SO they may
get the money" Captain Lane paid theil
7 ierriags across the river out OF his OWL
pocket.
Convict's last point is thus more than .us
!, tanned. but mark the sequel told in tie
: words of Mayor Shorten:
The next morning peddier was found
3 murdered in front of the Patrick planta
ton. opposite Baton Rouge. vigilance
. committee was Immediately organized, the
| three conyicts we're captured by them a.
the murderers of the peddler: they con
| fessed their guilt; two were immediately
. hung near the courthouse Of West Bator
| Rouge, and the third is said to have beer
| subsequently killed by the vigilance com
{ | mttee.
To dispute the conclusions that a perusa
Of this report will enforce. Mr.. BenhAm. il
the form Of minority report, offers al
! essay to "show the animus of the com
! mittee," which contains no evidence. but &
history of his efforts TO impede their action
| some sarcastic comments on the committee
and a persistent recurrence TO the clerk il
an ironica! and rather unkind manner. He
did not go to the Penitentiary. at least MOI
Z. with the committee. but he heard the test;
! timony read that they obtained. He thought
the management ought to shave a ghost of q
i chance and caused Messrs. James. Kennel
and Hayden to be summoned. He wanted
: the Attorney General, and the committee
did not. We think the committee right
1t is the Attorney Generals business to &C,
and not 10 testify. His opinion at this
stage is not wanted. If. when the Legis
ia,ure gets through. legal proceedings are
in his opinion. uncalled for. he will express
. that opinion te the Governor. We have
? however. that faith in Colonel Field which
induces II. to believe his action will be very
,, different. Mr.. Benham and both commit
tees absolve Messrs. Kenner. James and
Hayden from knowledge and responsibility
for all thing, charged. except outside work
We are willing to accept their verdict
; and Cheerfuiy do the same. But. I'M
like Mr.. Benham. we can see no silver
lining in the black sky Of the Peniten
. tary management. Suppose Mr.. James
} Is q kind-heav.ed. good man: Mr.. Kenner an
l II