Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-01

MI. Ladd has shown them to several intel
Aeent gentlemen, and they agree to this
OPInioh. lie mas the bones. and believe thev
viii stand an scientific test, and prove at
last 70 be human bones. There is no skull or
spinal bones. Those found seem 10 be leg or
arm bones. and must have ba1on~ed To a gen
tleman who resided in Barlow county a good
While ago. Mr.. Ladd mDutes their age al
auQ0 years, but says that 10 is impossible to
ascertain 10 accurately. The most beautiful
thluE- taken from this deep tomb is a BIRDS
ne-t Iull OF eggs. The nest and the e2gs are
perfectly preserved. and present a remarka-
Die specimen OF petrifaction. WOrkmep. who
are well acquainted with the formation Of the
lime rock whence they were taken, say thev
are conhde2t that there are other similar
reles deeper down. They are constantly
huolns .Eall and ,ndIstinct fossils, but the
recent find was the richest and most inter-
esting yet made.
Steve Holcomb, from 1877 to 1879. the best
hhoWn sporting man IN Atlanta. IS now
preaching at Louisville. HOcOmb would risk
fortune on the turn Of q card at any time
and was one Of the Iuckiest men in the gamb-
ing fraternity. II ls related on good author
NY that HOlcOmb and LaRue one night while
playing Do heaVy at an Atlanta faro bank
found themselves at midnight 81 900 out This
ohiy nerVed them 10 Diav The b0ldcr. Iuck
81 hrat turned lu their favor and at daybreak
theF walked Gus cool $4,000 ahead Of the
game. stories are told Of HOlcOmb raking
7sEeIal thousand IN night at poker in
atldhta ana other Georgia cities. From
Atianta ne went 10 Augusta, but did not re-
main there long before ne returned 10
i.oul-Fiile- his native city. He continued his
ol9 ways there until about two years ago.
when nc was converted. IL is said that since
he prOiessed religion HOlcOmb has been an ex-
empiary man. Last fail he met one Of his old
Atlanta friends IN Louisville and told him he
had quit the Wild life he used to lead forever
and meant 70 try 70 do some GOOD in The world
during the rest OF his life. Not long ago UOI-
comb began TO talk in religious meetings He
expressed himself so well and interested his
hearers 80 thoroughly that ne was Induced to
undertake regular evangelical work He is
now preaching IN Louisville, and. IL is said
ms sermons are attended with remarkable
success, whenever he breaches, even in the
streets. he has great crowds TO hear him. and
a large number Of ''hard cases. have pro-
ieased a change Of heart under his ministry.
lie draws some Of his most telling illustrations
from his own experience HOIcOmbe is now
aDout 40 years old, short, thick set man,
Win an open, pleasant face and a very agree
able address.
The forthcoming report Of Cant. John W
Nelms, principal keeper Of the penitentiarv.
mas been prepared and is almost ready for the
public. Capt. Nelms makes one especially
important recommendation, namely, Oh Il the
otdte esldDlsh house OF correction for the
boys who are now sent 10 the chain-gang. II
ls not generally known, but IL Is a fact never
theless, that there are bows in the peniteu-
uary only II years Old. There is one at the
Ola Town camp, who. when he was carried
there IN irons by a penitentiary guard, went
az half price on the railroads. There are in
tie georgia penltentlary l31 boys between the
ages Oi il and IL years, and some Of the most
hclnOus crimes known TO the prison records
are charged To them-arsOn. burglaries. rape.
attempts at rape, indeed they 20 through the
entire calendar. There is one boy Of IL
wears old who Is In for murder
The report Of the principal keeper shows that
there are l.5bS cOnvicts on the prison rolls
OI that number there are ne white males and
LIZ black males, and 80 cOlOred females.
Ihere are no white women in the Georgia
Penite9tiary- There have been received
since Oct. 20, 1852, al cOnyicts. There were
l,zl3 on the rolls at that time, making a grant
total OF l,gsi. Since that time there have
oeen 44' discharged. 81 pardOned, 90 deaths
and 81 escapes, making total Of SIS out from
an causes. This leaves 1871, but there have
been three discharges since the report was
made up. Ihls report of the principal keeper
i hldue every two years, and in the two years
Wnich II covers there have been 81 pardOns,
only OF which are chargeabe to Gov Me
DANIEL. The other 30 were pardoned by
Gov. stephens, Gov. Colquitt and Gov. BOyn-
ton The death rate on the whole number
OF cOnvicts for the two years is 3
per cent, or ~ per cent. per annum.
The death rate in 1882 was So IO0of per cent
The largest mortality has been at a camp
thal heretofore has been quite healthy,
that Of b. T.. Lockett & Co. at Bolton
In finishing up his report, Capt. Nelms pro-
poses TO notice the great help that has been
given ON the line Of reformation by the
Noman's Christian Temperance Union. He
Is negotiating, by Instructions from the Gov
ernOr, with "A Bible house, through Mrs. L. Z.
harper, OF the union, for bibles and hymn
books for each of the cOnYcts. The old laN
uhucf Which they were governed before the
war allowed each a Bible and a hymn book.
which, upon their discharge, they were al
lowed TO take with them. Upon calling the
Governors attention to that fact he ordered
Capt. Nelms at once to open negotiations and
see what prices the bOOEs could be obtained
at. He Will know in a few days. Mrs. Har-
per has asked the privilege OF distributing them
among the cOnyIcts. and il viii be accorded
her. The following statement shows how the
crimes are divided in the pententiary: Muir
der, l1b; attempts 10 murder, lj9: man
slaughter, 80; voluntary manslaughter, II;
Involuntary manslaughter, g.; stabbing, /;
burglary in the night time, IS; burglary in
the day time, Il; burglary. 354; simple lar
ceny. l02; larceny, ~; larceny from the
house, 26; larceny after trust 26; arson, 2S;
rape, 50: attempt to rape, %; attempt at
arson, s; horse stealing, 30; cattle stealing,
26: burglary and larceny, 8; burglary and es-
cape. Z; beastlallty, 5; bigamy, 6; forgery. Al;
robbery. IS; felony, Z; riot. II perjury, 3; aid
ing escape, 3; murder and burglary. :; at
tempt 10 murder and escape. .; forgery aud
larceny, ; attempt to murdyr and burglary,
!; house stealing and burglery, /; arson and
burglary, hog stealing, /; shooting at an
other. 3. iufEuticide, 1; incest, l; stealing
goods, !. Capt Nelms IS getting up a table
showing the number OF cOny lets sent to the
penitentiary from each county. SiNty-siX per
cent. of those now in can read and write.
There are l25 more cOnviCts in the peniten-
tiary now than there were two years ago.
This rs regarded ~ showing an increase IN
crime, although it might lie accounted for on
the idea Of more stringent enforcement Of the
Ia