Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-12-08
Convict labor.
rosIma,tor, Forl worth, Tex.

The Galveston Record IL publishing
a series Of letters written by convict
In the Huntsville penitentiary. His
experiences are heartrending, and If
truly recorded are enough to bring the
fires Of Sodom and Gomorrah down
upon the Ubiquitous system which
places an unfortunate man at the
mercy Of heartless, conscienceless
brute. Within the walls Of the prisons
and Immediately under the eye of the
superintendent there ia little cause for
complaint. OF course men are abused
and mistreated occasionally through
errors Of judgment and sometimes
possibly through too loose a hold on
an officers temper, but taken all In
all the prisons are tolerable. 1t is on
the big cane farms, cotton farms and
Job or contract works that the unfOr-
tunatts suffer most. They are worked
beyond endurance, in many instances
by men who have no other thought
than to get all they can out of them.
The Westminster has no interest or
property in them, as was the case when
slavery was in vogue; his interest ia
in the amount Of work performed, aud
as soon IA u convict Is 'stove upn he ia
sent back to the walls for the state to take
care Of, if the wreck lives long enough
TO reach there. The convicts are al
the absolute mercy of men who for
twenty-five dollars "a month will take
a shotgun and herd their lellow-man,
and that gives room for the vllest
atrocities. Gases without number hay,
been reported automatically, wher,
suffering has been endured by thes,
outside convicts OF such a character
that Il would be an act of heavenly
mercy IN anyone who would end thei
misery by cutting their Threats with al
augur, Il nothing else could be fount
10 perform the operation. We hav'
inspectors, lormalities and clsbOTat
reports every now and then, painting
In glowing periods the haven of res
and the luxurious repose to be foun'
in convict camp, but the author
I usually record the wlning and dining
they themselves receive on these Wis
its, without knowing or caring hoy
the convic,s fare. This matter SHOULD
loo corrected by the legislature. Ther
IA no law under heaven 70
working convict outside G
the penitentiary walls, any NOR
than there would be in keeping hin
In one Of the first hotels Of the state
The sentence of the law which a cor
= Wet receives Is confinement in IN
penitentiaryp for stated period, an
the inordinate and unholy greed fc
gain which prompts men To speculat
on the defenseless and unfortunat
fate of fellow-being should not |
permitted TO bespatter the fair fame
Texas with the foul spectacies Of cru,
T, aud disgusting brutality. Murdcrin
men by abuse, oyerwork aud tortul
Is no leas a murder than that I,
: which the worst convict Ia incarco
ated, and when we consider that man
= are doomed for trivial oifenses, or, vel
=, often, on account Of trivial defense
! the case becomes aggravated. If car
and cotton cannot be raised withol
torture, or railroads cannot be co
s. structod without crime being cor
Z mitted, humanity says let ua do wit
j out them. No wonder jurles are slo
If about convlcting culprits when tn,
. must know that sending man 10 Il
/ penitentiary for stealing gingerscal
!. or an old pair OF pants means sendIi
W him TO slow and certain death.