New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-04
GEORGIA'S CHAIN GANG.
A BRUTAL PENITEyTIARY SYSTEM.

CONVICT LABOR ~ ITS WORST FORM-THE JUIuS-
DICTION AND METHODS OF LrssEEs-A STORY
OF FRIGHTrUL SUFFERING AND MORTALITY
TIE BURDENS or THE SYSTEM CHIEFLY on 1uE
NEGROES.
IFRou Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE.
ATLANTA, Ca, March 28.-The penitentiary sys-
TEN of this State. within the last decade has de-
yeloped into one of the most hlgraut and inhu-
man institutions that ever existed within the con-
fines of civilization. In many instances legal pun
ishment has been supplanted by wantOn brutality;
and short term of years in the chain-gang has
often been equivalent to a sentence OF death.
OF tue two classes of convicts, black and white.
the burden of this system Of oppression falls upon
the black race, because in the chain-gangs tho ne
groes are in large majority; for civilization has
not yet eradIcated from the the immoral and
criminal tendencies that were fosterel in them by
a condition of servitude and ignorance. As cItI-
zens of tho United States they amen
able to the laws, and it is not the
purpose Of this letter to excite sympathy for those,
though poor and ignorant, who are legally made to
explate their crimes. But so violent has been the
abuse of the criminal laws that many even OF the
more intelligent negroes Of this State stoutly
maintain belief that the judicial officers
and the lesseos of conyicts are in league
for the uDjust conviction of stout, able
bodied negroes, in order that capital may
be realized from their labor on the lessces planta
tons. SO tenacious the negroes of this belief,
and great is their horror of the mortality OF the
chain-gang. that in the late political campaigns the
most effective dodge Of the candidates for securing
the negro vote was the promise TO use
their official Influence when elected. to
remedy or abolish the evils of the system The
negrO's life az a slave seems a paradise to him in
comparison with short term of years in the cham
Il. L. I.,ftl
system Will be necessary to understanding of de-
tailed instances OF its abuse.
During the past ten years the convicts, instead Of
being retained under the direct supervision of the
State are leased to companies, who employ them at
varied work in different parts of the STATE. The
law requires that the State shall retain supervision
over their moral and physical needs, and provides
for the appointment of physician and
minister to care for them but the convict camps
soon became 50 numerous and so widely
scattered to render the services OF
these officers Intellectual and their appointment was
discontinued. Hsuccforth for physical and moral
ministrati0n they were dependent upon the hu-
mainly of The lcssees The law also required that
an officer the principal keeper, should visit the
camps and make monthly inspection; but the
number and the distances between them became so
greattnat q months steady travelling would enable
this officer to spend only two hours in each camp.
The convcts have thus passed from the direct jurs-
dictIon of the State into the hands of individuals,
whose only interest in them is that OF capital; and,
what Is worse both for the people and the conycts,
INTO the hands of men who have been obliged to pay
no penalty either for cruelty TO- or the escape o.
conyicts.
This cxplation Of crime under individuals instead
Of under the state - evidence that the conyicts
have been subjected to uniform treatment neither
in Kindness nor IN cruelty. The treatment of
convict has been dependent in all respects
upon the humanity OF the lessee ana II
is mere justice TO Fay Ihas ~ ,d I d,T
a regard for the State has been manifested by
strict measures to prevent escapes. But Inc idct
that the execution OF The criminal aw5 mas laIlen
to those v p our I'm the highest bids at the auction
OF tie convict leases has been productive Of two
great evils. the affects society he "ner Affects
The lives Of The conycts themselves lsNali speak
OF them i'm their order.
Excepting two camps, the average OF escapes from
the penlttntgry, including those hllI'd III tue at
cmpt to escape, has been, for The conylcs average
term OF l. yeats, from 20 20 10 per cent lie
State Couyictg, according 10 the .NoNthp"r
r.port numh,r .939 almost one-haif OF TINS num-
Der have escaped since The ten-y,3I tease system
began, and are now roaming at large ne law law
provides penalty OF 800 l2i eY.Iy neg g, ,d
Escape unless the convict 10 rccaptured ahd re-
turned TO work within sixty DAYS Yet not one
dollar has been recovered 90 the State Tor all these
ESCAPES. H. the results of these escapes society ana
the state are the sufferers; but IN the causes OF
them the brUut OF the burden often ialiS upon me
conyicts. The LEX q sufficient guards, WHich
Is d violation oi the laws Of the State, proves
a temptation TO the prisoners 10 attempt cs-
cape. III many cases they have been shot down IN
the attempt One notable and recent instance Is
that of an escaping prisoner VINO was iIdcheu ~
bioodhcunds. lie wa1ed ont into LAKE to escape
thcm HIS pursutrs called 70 HIM from the banks TO
come ont aud because he feared Ia walk INTO the
mouths OF the boodthIr,ty dogs that stood OayinG
ON the shore he was shot down IN the water.
The tsost drporibe feature OF this system Is TIE
frEhtiul mortality ~ the convict cahps' III , tIc
Richmond County camp last summer; the hoIlai'S
was 40 per cent tor four months, or I'D per cent
month. The circumstances are these: Aoouu thG
middle of July tnlriy-turoo cOnEiGta were caiTi'u
fn MINER tieorgla 10 thus camp. On the lth OF Au-
gust the first death was reported, ana TWO mounts
and eleven DAYS aiterward ien men mao dleh' us
fearful mortality was ascrlbcd to the climate pu
was the fact that these deaths were que 10 haluIdl
causes an excuse for Ing lie breach when dealh
had made IN tins lI,e Paad VIII tiSnt oiTs
were no .ess fatal to them. Fitty-two fresh
men were then pushed to the front, and on the ISL
~ D,,embrr ten more men the Richmond County
camp mad been laid IN cOnylcts graves ana tne
end was not yet come In another camp Oh tle
same lessee, az Oldtown, the mortality averaged
IN plr cent twcnty-O men died III that camp III
tyytnty-tvo months. An Official report states
that more men have died IN the camps OF
tLis one lessee in year than have died III the MARY
land Pententiary, among the same NUMBER oI
narson. ia tfteeu wears. Whether these cOnvlcts
were starved or whipped to death tlleIe Is no
voice 10 say, but that cruelty was prime factor
ia their deaths no one VINO reflects upon ls
mortality can doubt.
lin othfr camps the dcath-rate, though lower than
Al the Richmond County camp, has been appalling:
The treatment OF prisoners in many camps ~ one oi
the blao kest stains that ever dlsSraCed CIVILIZATION
In some of the camps men and women nave
been found chained together III the same sleep
inc hunks. Many of the female convlcts were
rcported last November 10 be FAR advanced IN preH-
nancy Iwenty-hye bastard children, born III
bondage are to-day IN the Pcnlteniary. the pater,
uity of three OF whom at least has been ascrlbed
to one OF tie lcssees.
The fact that this system has now been III effect
ten wears will excite sympathy for the many acts OF
cruelty done in that period, the record OF when
lies buried ia the cOnvicts' graves. On