St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-07-29
Convict Life.-A Very Dark
Picture.


opinions of many people that if there
is any humanity left in this land 1t is
time some of it was shown in our pris-
ons and reformatory institutions, where
the will of the keeper or overseer Is
supreme law, even to taking the life
of those under his charge. Let us hope
there is not another state so bad in this
respect as Georgia still we fear there
may he.
The committee spent 10 days in Wis
it ing nine stations OF camps where
1903 convicts were employed by men
and companies who had contracted for
their labor. The penalty for sin i'll
Georgia is slavery under far worse con
ditions than existed for the cOlOred
people In all the camps separate
quarters are provided for males and
females, a doctor visits the place twice
a week usually, all are required to
wash and change their clothing on
Sunday, when the law requires re-
ligious service. AT night the prison
ers sleep in hunks provided with i'll
kept straw mattresses and blankets,
and are fastened to a main chain which
allows space of three feet to each
man. The food seems to average
pretty well, the hours of work run
| from 10 to IL hours, and hospital is
usually furnished. The abuses of the
system are many, especially i'll the
matter of punishment. At the Dough-
erty county camp 1870 prisoners are en-
ployed at farming. They are not al
| lowed to wash their face and hands
every day, complain of being obliged
to work when physically unable, and
'the committee found convict sick,
locked within the main building, with
out a nurse, and in need of medical at
tention and again, sick convict, i'll
the main building, without nurse and
in need of medical attention" COlOred
whipping bosses are employed, and
1.-The mode of punishment is whipping
on the naked person with leather
strap, and the cOnvicts complain at
times it is severely and cruelty intiict-
ed. and that the women are whipped
on their naked persons i'll the presence
of the men," The WaycrOss and Jack
sOnville camp employs - cOnvicts at
railroad building, and two men were
at work 20 miles from camp who
should have been in the hospital.
1--WE find considerable complaint that
punishment is severely inflicted with a
leather strap by the whipping boss.
The committee saw on the bodies OF
some of the prisoners unmistakable
evidence in support of this" The
Richmond county camp keeps ~ men
making brick, and the committee
says =
We inspected the cOnvicts while at
work, and found one of them, in the
opinion of the committee, too unwell to
work, and at the request of the com
mittee he was taken from the chain and
put in the building. We noticed sew
eral of the prisoners whose lower limbs
were in IA swollen condition, caused, III
our opinion, by working in mud and
{ water and sleeping in wet clothing. A
female convict gave premature birth to
child on the morning of the day we
were at the camp, brought on she said
by OverwOrk. She was six months ad-
: vanced with child, and had been il con
Wet for some three years. 1t is due
+ the lessees i'll charge to state that they
: informed the committee that the wO-
| man was one of '.Howard's convicts.
. and that she was pregnant when she
! came to their camp. Corporal punish
+ ment is inflicted with Il leather straI
for violation of regulations, and com
t plant was made that at times it i.
| severely inflicted. And 1t is alleged
o. that the women are taken down anC
1 whipped on the naked person in the
. presence of the men.
At CedartOwn the 56 cOnvicts in the
employ of the Cherokee iron and rail
road company do not enjoy life. The
committee says =
e The mode punishment is whipping
E.: on the naked person with a leather
D strap, and complaint is made that it i:
often severely inflicted. On inspection
: of the bodies of two prisoners the com
B. mittee saw evidences strongly i'll sup
port of the truth of this complaint
We deem it our duty to make specia
mention of one of these. The prisoner
attempted to escape, and concealed
| himself in pile of brush and logs
. He was pursued and found in his hid
n ing place. His pursuers cruelty Sc
1 fire to the brush for the purpose o
: forcing him ont, which resulted in Sc
t we're bnrns on his legs and body. Aftel
: that he was severely and brutalll
e whipped by the whipping boss, and il
e this deplorable condition he was re
i quired to work daily. The other MAJ
70 had been severely and cruelty whipped
70 by one of the guards with the buckle
end of his pistol belt 1t is due tn
Il managers of the camp to say that the.
ii informed the committee that for thi
II act the guard had been discharged.
t The legislative committee plainl,
4 Al
It Georgia penal system, but conten
e themselves with reporting bill to pro
h vide for the better inspection. manage
5 ment and control of the cOnvicts
IL They do, however, put on record thi
II sound opinion -
:. As the system exists, in the judy
II ment of the committee, there is moth
" ing in it that tends to the reformation
If of the criminal. 1t impinges with
II crushing force upon the great work q
Y the moral regeneration of the prison
Il ers. The old felOn. who has led lit
II of sin and degeneracy, continues in tn
practice of his immOralities. TIL
y youthful convict is chained by his sid
e day after day, and night after night
:" and is compelled to serve out his sen
" tence under the pale of this evil intiu
lie ence. He naturally contracts tn
l. habits and vices of his companion, anC
= at the end of his time, instead of bein
d reformed man. he is turned loose o
I. the country and society trained i
g habits and practices that are destruC
- tive to everything which may he cal
+ ed good.
}" Life Saving Service.