St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-09-14
The Georgia Chain-Gang.
Atlanta Correspondence New York Tribune.

ATLANTA Correspondence New York Tribune.l
No words can portray the miseries of
the chain-gang, which a few moments
ago came clanking past my door. Two
white men acted as guards. They
guided thirty swarthy negroes and two
white men to their work of grading a
neighboring street. AS they passed,
one poor fellow, more daring than the
rest, family called to me and begged a
piece of tobacco. | went out and gave
him all had. He took it humbly and
the guard said "Here, you
if you speak to another white man III
give you -" The procession moved
on. Soon heard cry of pain above
the clatter of shOvels and the dull thud
of picks. Curiosity led me to step to
my side gate to see the cause. One of
the cart boys had run over shackled
prisoner; he was on the ground writh-
ing in pain, for the cart was loaded
with dirt. The guard walked up to
the fallen man and drawing from the
waistband of his trousers n heavy
leather strap two feet long, the end of
Il stout harness trace, said, "There,
take that for your blindness !" and at
once struck dozen heavy blows across
the convict's body. The latter seemed
unmindful of the beating, and could
not rise, but only groaned. Then the
guard grew white with rage; the con
vict lay with his face in the dirt.
"Here, you dirty scOundrel, if you
don't get up from there I'll kill you! !"
and with that his foot was struck with
il thud into the c0nvict's side. Still he
did not move, and two men with legs
chained together had to drag him to
one side, where he was stretched out
almost dead. Directly he revived, and
the guard called to him, ''IIere, -
YOU, come to work ~ The prisoner
tried to rise and fell back exhausted.
The guard, still uttering the foulest
oaths, walked up to the PROSTATE
man, took him by the collar, and
said: "You amt hurt; get up from
here at once ~ The convict slowly
obeyed, and could scarcely walk.
He was using Il pick, and it would not
enter the ground an inch from his eff
forts. This convict was a white man.
But the negroes fare even worse.
The other day had long talk with
one of the guards. | asked him if he
didn't show the white men in the gang
! II lliIit phIlIdlltl. w tll, ht Sdli'
"vou know how that is, but don't give
it away of course the niggers are Il
hard set, and won't behave" And no
wonder. The life of il slave during the
worst days of slavery was Il paradise
compared to this present chaingang
system From this guard | learned
that there were negroes in his gang
who had no earthly business there /;
some were sent up for drunkenness,
some for petty thieving, others for al
most nothing - merely quarreling,
where not blow had been struck.
'There is an old negro over there"
said the guard to me, "who ought to
be at home"
"What has he done p
ale owns Il little house on the other
side of the town and rented it to Il negro
woman. The woman was charged with
keeping Il house of ill-repute, and this
man was sentenced to sixty days in the
chain gang for renting it to her"
as this true ?"
81 swear it ~
And yet Atlanta is noted for her
wealth of such houses, owned by some
of her most noted citizens, "gentlemen'
of the old school, who are never ar
rested for renting poroperty for such
places.
1t is not an everyday occurrence
that cOnvicts are shot down, but it has
occurred very often. 1t matters not il
the prisoner has only stolen Il loaf oI
: bread; an attempt to escape means
sure death from the muZzle of the
, guards shotgun. The press of Georgi;
is remss in giving this matter atten-
b.. ton, and not few leading journals
t have defended the miserable system
could string out IA list of atrocities
, many of which | have witnessed, thai
b. would shame man already bankrupt
in tender feelings. A man requires 10y
e the military law of this country al
= average of twenty eight inches for ;
step. To-day | saw convict stumble
e and roll over on the ground when ;
I guard hurried him in his march t,
= work. What was the matter? | look
: ed and saw his chain was not eighteeI
Il inches long, with the ends locked tt
t his ankles. Yesterday in this sam,
gang "A big, well-prOpOrtioned mulattO
: strong and athletic, raised his hands
= dropped his pick and fell unconsciOu
c on the ground. He had heart disease
i and was dragged out to one side, wher
y he lay painting in the broiling sun, witt
e not a hand to relieve his suffering an,
y no effort on the part of his guard t.
IL give him even cup of water. 81
j that man sick p / asked the guard
: ''No, - him, he is only playing pos
Z sum-" | went up to him and drew
II cart over him to give him shade. Hi
e pulse was drawn ont to a thread, an
> his heart palpitated with the vehe
II mence of a pounding machine. Hi
e respiration was over thirty. He di
lie not breathe, but only gasped.
I, On the other side of the town som
% days ago saw another large gang {
N these miserable creatures. To the leg
, of burly negro was chained a sma
n emaciated white boy, as pale as
ii ghost. The boy had stolen bread an
NJ the negro had pilfered meat. Not Ion
he ago the son of well-known cOnfed,
Il rate general killed Il poor negro b
+ heating him to death with club {
l. strap on North Georgia railroa
re chain-gang This fact is known an
I'll talked about over Georgia. Perhal
E the only argument the men who are
- the ring advance in favor of the sy
T. TEN is that the death rate is less he
IL than in any other state. | will not Sd
IL that good quarters are not prOvide
IL They have enough to eat good cloth,
s. and living death.