The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1875-11-19
THE CoNVICTS.

Marietta and North Georgia Railroad.
A few days ago we visited the
convict camp, above town, and saw
those fellows who wear Zebra CO.'S
tunes and work on the Marietta and
North Georgia Railroad. The Sup
erintendent Mr.. Walker, has charge
of the camp, while guards keep
watch over those restricted of liber-
ty. The stockade is bailt of plank
and covered with the same, tightly
enclosed, fully capable of resisting
wintry blasts. The interior has
hunks erected one above the other,
on both sides of the building, a
space some four feet intervening in
the center. a heavy chain is
stretched across the building, to
which the feet of each convict is Sc
curely fastened. A guard is sta
toned at the entrance, armed with
a double barrel shot gun, having
commanding view of the interior.
Outside Of the stockade we saw
several TRUSTEES, pri, LEGGED to vans
der around unguarded some in
their shantes longing, others smok-
ing pipes and waiting on others. -
We saw two women-one white and
one colored who do the cooking.
The colored woman was caressing
child, while near her head hung a
banjo. The child and banjo, we
presume, furnish the music for the
crowd, who sit "enchaincd" under
the melody of sounds. One Of the
negro convicts is a preacher, who on
Sundays "preach to the souls in
prison." and warns them to "hee the
wrath to come" but evidently they
do not "Aec," neither do they cry
''who shall deliver me from the body
of this DEATH" but they wait the ex-
pirati0n of their sentences to give
them a happy deliverance from tenn
poral bondage. Their intimate as
ISOLATION with all kinds of criminals
have hardened their consciences.-
There is nothing to refine or reform.
Their conversation is interspersed
with obscenity aud EN- phatic pro.
family. We looked in upon them in
the stockade, beard the clauking of
their chains, ribald jests, laughter,
and curses, all of them unconscious,
apparently, that he "angel of death"
was lowering over them, although in
plain view to their Indifferent eyes,
lay the body of an old negro man,
struggling in the last throes of
death The ga8ping and short
breathing, accompanied by the death
rattle, caused no hush of silence
among the motley crew. The kind
and humane Superintendent fire.
quentiy had the physician with the
dying negro, but it was pronounced
a hopeless case-hemorrhage from
consumption did its work, and the
old negro paid the debt" and shut
fled off the shackIes of mortality.
The conyicts in their work are
cheerful and industrious, and give
satisfaction in grading. a portion
of them are making brick to build
the machine shops, while others are
finishing the grade to Marietta,
We have high hopes that the road
will be built. Gen. Phillips is Ieav~
ing no stone unturned that will in
any way advance the speedy com
pletion of the road He has shown
so far an energy and determination
truly creditable, for we dare say but
few men would have had the courage |
to keep pushing under SO many dis
couraging circumstances as confront,
ed him at the outset and during the
interval since. With such little cap
itaI, it is astonishing that he has ac>
complished so much. and we do trust
our people will sustain him in the
completion of this great enterprise