The Brookhaven leader., 1884-02-07
ssan'. EnnEmaniay 10 Man.
Correspondence vicksburg Herald.I

Correspondence vicksburg Herald.l
Since Mr.. Miller's resolution to that
effect was introduced on Friday of last
week, the special committee appointed by
the Speaker to investigate the condition
and treatment of convicts under the pres
ent leasing system has been busily ut work,
examining witnesses and sending for per-
sons and papers throughout the state. The
developments so far are anything but savo-
ry, To cite You an instance: Last Octo-
Der number of conviCts, twenty-scven, II
remember correctly, were leased to work
on the plantation of Col Nugent, in Boil
var county About the first of January
twenty were sent back to the Pcnltcntiary,
and are now there, or were there last week
when the committee visited there, in the
hospital. Seventeen ot these were unable
to nut their feet on the floor in conse.
qucnce of being severely frOstbitten. The
toes of some of them, have been told, are
rotting off. and amputation will lave to
be resOrted to in n number of Instances.
An inspection OF the peRitentlary showed
that the prisoners at work there are COM
fortahlv clad and have clean warm quar-
tiers Some of them complained of not get
ting all the bread they wanted, but had
abundance of sweet potatoes and mea5. l
asked Col. Wilson, chairman of the COM
mittee, how the Conyicts hired by railroad
contractors were faring. He shook his
head and sid that he had not gone fully
INTO the testimony in that class of eases
Vet, but had summoned a number of wit
nesses IN various parts of the state.
"Iiow do they house these convicts in
the railroad campsi"
I'VE only examined one contractor. In
his camp the couvicts were driven at night
into a stockade made of rejected cross-tIes
L ~. 4 3 7
poles and brush, on which loose boards
and brush were laid
"What kind Of beds did they sleep on9"
Not word was said by the witness
about beds or bed clothes. If he did /
never heard it
~ suppose they were penncd like hogs.
Did they have any boards between them
and the bare earth while they were taking
sleep to refresh them for another days
toili"
II never heard any mention of such a
thing
could relate other examples of the
same character, but these will do for 4
starter. | have, as much as, necessary at
tentiOn to Il multitude of other subjects
would allow, been watching the progress
of .the damaging evidence developed by
this special investigating committee. No
! later than yesterday a prominent member
of the lower House who had found out that
had been keeping track of things came to
! my room and said:
| ''For Gods sake don't publish these
things in your paper. 1t is calculated to
break up the Democratic party III the
/ State"
! | told him: "Not so bad as that. But
if the Democratic party of the State can
afford to keep covered up scenes of neglect,
starvation aud slow death, such as am
! told by urimpeachable men have been
! going on under the leasing convict system
III this State, chen as an honest and hu-
name member of that party must disclam
| any completely i'll such concealment OF in-
/ humanity. Offences against the simplest
ard plainest demands of mans nature have
! been untartncd and they appeal for beng
/ righted to a law that is higher than mere
political tealty, to the law of common hui
/ manltY.'
Mr.. Houston, of Monroe, one Of the most
/ intelligent members of the House who is
on the committee, told me: 1--WE are de
! termined to so to the bottom Of this thing
and unearth everything that is rotten in
it. let the blame fall where il may T..
! Marshall Miller, is entitled to the credit of
/ starting this needed legislative inyestiga-
! ton The Herald first started the bail a
rolling in its exposure last year OF the bru-
taltics practjsed in Jobea' Camp, neal
4 Big Black,
Three members of the Legislature were
talking about this matter a few minutes
ago. One of them said: Il saw sample
of the mortality among conyicts last Sum
mcr on the Mississippi Valley Railroad.
/ There We're 800 of them Dysentery was
committing fearful ravages among them.
saw seven die i'll one dag with this dis
cage