St. Landry democrat., 1880-10-02
The CONVictS.
paper.

The COnVicts.
Last Wednesday we visited the sew
eral convict camps, on the railroad, i'll
this neighborhood. At these camps,
one at Woodwortll's springs, one at the
Uric place, between here and Wash
ington, one back of the Estiette place
south of town, and one at Bayou Bour
beux, there are between $50 and 400
conyicts. Out of the hundred and fifty
men at the two camps towards Wash
ington, we found two sick men; at the
camp south of town were five or six
but only one seriously so. The other
camp at Bayou Bourbeux, we did not
visit. We found the health of the con-
victs much better than we expected .
after so much rainy weather. !
The convicts who labor on the rail- /
road, have nothing else to do. Their
cooking and washing is done by others. /
In the commissary department at these
camps, we saw al abundance of flour, |
rice, grits, beans, peas, bacon, fresh beef,
molasses, sugar, coffee, and tea. Bakers,
skilled in the business, bake the bread,
in huge stoves, constructed for the pur-
pose. The convicts have three meals,
the supper being a light one, generally
bread, molasses and tea at the other
two meals they have as much meat as
they can eat, the ration of fresh beef
being one and a half pounds. The album
dance of supplies we saw at camp, and
the health and appearance of the con-
victs, convinced us that they were we'll
fed-mucl better fed than Confederate
soldiers.
Those who are not fit for hard labor
or out-d work at all, are left at the
penitentiary. The different squads we
visited, worked steadily, but they were
not driven. We never heard harsh,
sharp, or loud word spoken to any of
them. In fact, the overseer OF the
gang seemed to be simply all observer,
whose business was to look at them and
do nothing more. The weaker men are
selected for the lighter work; and we
were assured that convicts when they
first arrive, are not subjected to hard
labor at once, but gradually Injured to
it. They begin work early, just after
sunrise now, and knock off early-that
is, in time to reach camp, rest. eat sup.
per, and be counted into the prison
house by daylight.
From our own observation, we are
bound to conclude that they are we'll
clothed, well fed, and we'll sheltered
while in camp; and we saw large box
Of oil cloth coats 1T one Of the camps,
intended for the convicts while exposed
to rain. Their work is not harder than
similar work done by hired laborers,
but it is steadier; for they cannot stop
at will to take spree, spend their
money, or idle. The only hardships
they have, not borne by any other class
Of hard laborers, are the restraint of
their liberty and working involuntarily;
but as they were convicted and sen
fenced for this very purpose, it is not q
matter for complaint.
We were assured that they were never
punished through wantonness or cruelty,
nor unnecessarily but only VIII en- nee
essary to enforce discipline and subor-
dination. If a convict accepts the sit
uation and does his duty, he receives
the same even handed justice and kind
ness that fall to the others but defying
the rules and regulations of the prison,
disobedience, forcible resistance, at
tempts to kill, etc., are punished prompt
Nv and sufficiently to check them at once,
Very few but desperadoes ever require
| this punishment, and not all OF them.
| Some Of the best cenvicts were sentenced
for murder.
Some Of these convicts are now sery-
ing their fifth, and even sixth term in
the penitentiary. We can not say what
4 this shows: the force Of habit, that they
have fallen in love with the penitentialy
and commit crimes purposely to get
back there; or that Imprisonment at
hard labor, is failure in regard to re-
forming the criminal; or that crime is
innate with them, that they are born
that way, the desire, the tendency in
them to commit crime is as natural as
it is for smoke to go up or water to run
down. At any rate, full blown crimi-
nal is never, or seldom, reformed; and
only death, or perpetual imprisonment,
4 l-.~ 4: Al "a raar