Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-23
THE C0UNTY'S BAD JAILS.
PRISONS THAT HAVE BEEN
OFFICIALLY CONDEMNED.

Where the First Jail was LOcated-The
/ First Complaint a. to Its Unsafe Con
ditlOn Made I'm 1773-Keepers, CarPen-
ters, sheriTs, and Grand Jurtes that
Have Protested Against Bad Jails and
Workhouses.
/ There are probably few institutions in
/ the country that have been the subject OF
more protest than the Chatham county
jail. Away back in l773-mOre than
century ag0-there began to be complaints
made Of its condition. AtidaYits setting
forth its unhtness were made, and memo
rails for new iails we're entered, and new
jails were built, but they all seemed to
get In a condition that required vigorous
and repeated protests on the part Of the
authorities TO correct.
The Jail, or the guard house, as 1t WAS
termed on the map of Savannah, March
%, 1881, was. located on the north side of
Bay street, near Abercorn. No further
! light is thrown upon its location until
/ 1861, when, by an act Of the General As
sembly OF the Province of Georgia, 1t was
declared that the lot on which the Ludden
Il Bates music house now stands, on
! Congress then Duke) street, ''whereon
/ prison formerly stood, should be and con-
/ tinue for the use Of a public jail or
/ prison and for the use Of the keeper of the
same"
! Where the jail was removed from this
! lot does not appear, but map compiled
/ by Mossman HOuslOun, which is without
/ date, but was evidently executed prior to
1916, locates the "new gaOl and work.
( house" on the land now bounded by Har-
/ ris street on the north, Charlton on the
south, DraytOn on the west. and A bercorn
/ on the east. Here 1t remained until 1913,
or thereabouts, when the present struc-
/ ture was completed.
The first documents on record relative
| to the unsOund condition of the old prison
house were recently found in the office
/ or the Secretary OF State by Mr.. Isaac
/ Beckett, and consist of affidaYits,
I protest and a memorial The protest was
entered by David Tubear, the keeper, be-
/ fore Thomas Shruder, IA Notary Public,
and is dated June %, 1913. Among the
/ grounds Of complaint enumerated are the
| following: 1.-The gaOl is inconvenient
and unfit and unsafe in every respect for
/ the security OF prisoners. 1t is
too small for the number of debtors
and criminals generally confined therein,
\ by which means the misery of the
unfortunate is greatly increased, their
/ health often impaired, and lives frequent
/ lv endangered. 1t Is also, from its total
decay and weakness, rendered INSULT
/ cient to hold any hardy or desperate
/ prisoner resolute enough to attempt AN
escape, TO the manifest injury of the in.
/ habitants of this province I'm general
| He enters his solemn protest ''agalnst
| the ruinOus, rotten condition OF said goal,
as well as against danger, insuffciency
! and insecurity thereof, for all escapes and
/ other accidents and damages whatever,
already suffered or sustained, and which
may be suffered and sustained by reason
] ~ Inc 3,fc -,
aforesaid
The protest is based upon the sworn
statements of Peter Tondee, Joseph Dun
lap and John McCluer, carpenters, who
make oath that "they made survey of
the goal; that they found the diameter of
the enclosure within the fence surround
ing the same to be thirty-hve feet; that
the fence was about eight feet high; that
many of the planks belonging to
the same were wanting, and that the
posts were almost or quite rotten; that
the gaol was OF octagonal form about six
teen feet In height from the surface of the
earth and about twenty-five feet In diam
ameter, that the corner posts were totally
decayed and that they firmly believed the
whole building would Immediately fall
were il not Slightly supported by some
props that We're, as these depOnents
were informed, from time to time oc-
casionally placed there for that purpose"
Next comes memorial from Lewis
| Johnston, the Provost Marshal, to His
Excellency, Sir James Wright, Bart,
| Captain General and COmmander-in-C Chief
of His Majesty's province of Georgia"
urgently inviting his attention to tue pro-
test and athdavts, and stating that the
| General Assembly of the province had
hitherto been advised of its condition, and
earnestly recommended to take
the matter under their consideration,
but the only action taken by them
was to vote the sum Of ten pounds 500
for defraying the expense of a watch on
the prison. He states that the guard is
not a sufficient remedy for the evil COM
planned Of, as appears by the jail having
been, since they were appointed there,
broken open and the guard Knocked down
and seized on before any alarm could be
given, at which time many criminals, and
others confined there. made their escape.
What action WAS taken Ivy the Governor
upon this petition does not appear, but
that it was not favorable to the safety
and security Of the unhappy people con-
lLed there is indicated by proceedings
almost Identical with those recited,
which was instituted on the 2Sd day of
December, 1898, when Thomas
Norton, Sheriff of the county,
entered protest before Sheftall Sheftall.
a notary public, against the s'ruinous,
rotten, and deoayed condition of the gaol
aud w0rk-house Of the county, in Savan-
nah" He states that 1.-THE building ia so
decayed that il is not ut 10 contine pris-
oneT in, and that the said buildings can
not be repaired" lie warns the public
by this protest that he cannot
"be responsible for escapes and break
ings out OF any person or persons that
now are or may hereafter be committed or
confined in the aforementioned goal or
wOrkhOuse."
This protest is made in compunction
with Thomas Palmer and William Lew
den, house carpenters, who make oatn 70
the wretched condition OF the building.
and its insuiileiency 10 answer the pur-
pose for which il was used.
St. John the Baptist Society,
On Tuesday evening the St. John the