Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-03-24
Cruelties Practiced In the Texas PeuI.
tentiary-COnVlets suffoeated and
then Restored BY Red Embers.
Death at the WheelbarroH-Agony ON
the HOrse-StrangaIatIOn In the
stOeks-Hen shot to Death,
Etc, Rtc., Etc.


Ny name Is Samuel Wright. I am
native OF Calhoun county, Georgia. an,
! have been et Huntsville, Texas tw,
years and three months. ] was EN-
ployed there by Messrs. Ward, Dewe,
& Co., lessees OF The State penitentisry
as guard. left their employment
: voluntarily, for the reason that failed
= 10 receive cash for my services, being
required to accept as such articles man.
. ufaetured at the penitcnt.afy.
- The bust guarding / did was on tbe
Iexas Pacific railway from Hearn tc
: sherman, where Messrs. Ward, Dewey
3 q 20. had employed as laborers on the
road from three to Ave hundred con.
, vlcts. A man named Bleakley, whose
; Initials do not remember, employed as
foreman, appeared to be the terror OF
all convicts, they dresding the very
mentlon OF his name. 1t was his GUS
tom 70 put stelWart negro at the lead
OF what is called "run," 4. e., num-
: Der OF wheelers who ran their barrows
I up gsngway from thirty to sixty Ieet
long and very steep, to the railway
grade. he was not expected to fill his
barrow, but the rest were, and the man
VINO JAILED to be ready to start with a
barrow full with him, was taken out of
the gang and put on what is called the
"horse."
A horse is post, about six feet high,
driven into the ground, with a round
pin, about the size Of broom-handls.
driven through the center, and extend
Ing outward. long enough for a man
straddiihg 1t to be supported. The con.
wet was placed across this, each foot
was tightly secured by the ankle to the
earth, the leg being stretched to the ut
most, and his hands were securely
bound behind the post. In this position
the convict was in front of the post and
his hands behind it. / know that this
had the effect Of making the men i'm
potent, and | base my information on
the statement of no less than fifty con-
viets. After being removed from the
/" horse" the convict was usually fiogged
by the sergeant of the guard. L have
known six hundred lashes to have been
administered at one time by Sergeants
entity and Smith, Another mode OF
punishment Is the "stocks." By this
| apparatus a convict is lifted entirely off
his feet, his arms held as in the usual
instrument, with receptacle just above
for his neck. Ordinarily, prisoner can
hold by his wrists two minutes, but he
was repeatedly kept there five, and 1
nave seen them taken out in q perfectly
senseless condition.
About the middle of September, 1874,
guard known as "Bud" Robinson, reg
ularly employed at night with Corporal
SHAW and Sergeant Chitty, came into |
an old sugarhouse on the Lake Jackson |
plantation, in Brszoria county, where |
the convicts sleep.
John Harris, negro convict, asked |
their permission to 60 to the dispensary |
to'procure something to put In an aching |
tooth. Bud Robinson directed him to 90 |
to his bunk with the rest of the men and |
come down afterward. He obeyed, and |
when the men were in their beds he |
stood up. When questioned why he did |
SO, he replied, 81 must go to the dispen-
sary."
He was first put in the stocks, and |
while in there was beaten in the head |
with clubs until covered with blood, |
Then he was taken out in an insensible |
condition, and when he partially recov-
cred, Bud Robinson snapped a pistol in
his face. Sergeant Chitty, standing by,
did not attempt to interfere. The snap
ping Of capped or loaded pistols in the
faces OF convicts is an everyday occur
renee. John Harris finally recovered
and stood up, when Robinson, Chitty
and Shaw commenced throwing
burning embers from the fire into
his face. The sufferer begged pit
eously TO them to desist, but the
sport (?) continued until twelve o'clock
at night, when they whipped him,
striking him between five hundred and
six hundred lashes. The prisoner then
went into the hospital, and was sick
nearly two months. / was witness to
this cruelty. While l was on guard at
the railroad have seen as many as sew.
enty-five convicts employed in wheeling
dirt drop down in the "runs,n either
sick or dead. Eight or ten of them died
instantly. This was in the months of
July and August, 1873 They were ina
medistely covered up with barrows OF
dirt. Those not dead, but simply rem
dered senseless by the heat, were deluged
with three or four buckets of water, and
again forced into the line. Scenes Of
continue up to the present time, or did
when l left in November, 1874. Last
winter there were three or four men
working on the Rusk tramway, under
the Foreman Bleakley, who walked
away from under the shotguns of the
guard, and when commanded to return,
replied, mo; We had rather die than
live" A negro called "Water Witchn
was instantly killed, and two white
men were badly wounded. The 9th.
er negro Of the party was also killed,
but / cannot remember his name.
They were compelled to attend divine
service every Sunday morning, but in
marching back to their cells, the slight
est act was punished. From one to six
are put in the stocks every Sunday.
Their food has consisted of corn-bread
and boiled beef, from the time l was
am aalr lA I
Last winter, on the Columbia tap road
running from Houston to Columbia,
seven men who worked there from Oc-
tober until March were barefOoted, and
most OF the time up to their knees in
water, the prairie being extremely wet.
When the governor or any committee
appointed by the legislature visited the
penitentiaTy, as was also the case when
"Briek" Pomeroy visited them, 8 grand
dinner is given, and these officials are
assured that these are the rations fur
nished three times day. / have heard
the employees Of Messrs. Ward, Dewey &
Co., and Colonel Ward himself say to
visitors that the "stOcks" are their only
mode Of punishment, and that is con-
fined to extreme cases. Until the COM
pletion OF the new building for the re-
ception Of female convicts, favored pris-
OhCtS Ol tNS OpHOSlbt sex were 8uulILeu
TO their apartments at night. The only
passage from the weaving-room, where
women and men are promiscuously en-
ployed, was past the mems sinks, where
a number were congregsted at all hours
of the day, and where the most obscene
language could constantly be heard.
Two of these women, to my certain
knowledge, became pregnant, ana their
infants died from exposure. l heard OF
other cases, but only mention those
which came under my immediate OBJ.
servation. Outdoor work commenced
before daylight, fsnd continued until af-
ter dark, or as late as it was safe to trust
the prisoners in the darkness. On most
Of the railroads and farms prisoners work
half day, and sometimes through the /
whole of Sunday. AL Of the foregoing
statement is made from my personal
knowledge and observation. / could
tell from hearsay 8 good deal more, but,
being under oath, cOnfine my assertions
strictly to what / myself know. When
/ notified Sergeant Chitty Of my inten-
ton 70 leave, he gave me time-check.
l took 1t 10 Houston, aud was obliged 10
take II out in clothing. / disposed OF
this for money enough to pay my pass