News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-08-26
A GEORGIA PRISON CAMP.
A PECULI'R INSTITUTION IN SOME
OF THE SOUTHERN STATES,

A PECULI'R INSTITUTION IN SOME
OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.
The Prisoner Looked Upon from n Finan-
| ciai Point of view Only.
Few people have an idea of the real
nature OF the Georgia prison camps where
several hundred prisoners were recently
in state of mutiny for alleged mistreat
ment. The following description from
the pen of gentleman who has visited
them, and who has made study of the
prison system of this country, will be of in
| terest: On the northwest corner of Geor-
gia lies the county of Dade. This is
known to the neighboring regions as the
free State of Dade, owing not only to the
| wild and mountainous character of the
region, whose few and scattered inhabi-
tants are in keeping with their sur
roundings, but becgss fa5 ;lrifng tfife war
from the State of Georgia and tneCon-
federacy, and managed to secure free,
dom which they virtually maintain to-
day. Through this county extends the
southern prolongation of the Alleghary
coal fields, the workable beds of which
AFe. near the summit of the high and
almost inaccessible mountains. In this
wild region are situated the camps where
the convicts are employed in mining and
coking the coal.
These prison camps are peculiar in
themselves, there being nothing like
them in civilized countries, excepting
Siberia, save IN one or two of the neigh
boring States. They are the worst form
of the Southern prison system, which is
undoubtedly the most inhuman and bar
barous in America. This system is a
result of the impoverishment of the
Southern States and the inability of the
newly freed and degraded negroes to
accustom themselves to the blessings of
freedom; is distinguished from the other
three systems of the United States chiefly
in this, that the entire personal control
Of the prisoner is relinquished to the
contractor, who, in consideration of so
much a year for the entire convict body,
takes them, feeds, clothes, guards and
maintains them, and in return makes all
he can make out of them. The only
real responsibility to the State is to pay
the amount annually agreed upon In
ne other prison system in the United
States is the States control over the
food, clothing, medical attention, and
discipline of the prisoner so completely
relinquished. No prisoner is ever turned
over for days labor to the contractor
except with the sanction of the States
immediate agents, who at all times have
his bodily care in their hands. Such is
the theory of the Southern lease system
of convict labor. It is readily seen that
the margin for abuse is enormous; but
what are the facts? Without exaggera-
ton, these abuses ere the most outrage
Gus that ever blackened peoples his
tory. The lessees, usually men of great
influence in political life, have within
their hands, with no real responsibility,
the entire control of the life and death
of any wretch whatever who may be
contided to their keeping.
The prisoner is looked upon and
treated merely as a source of money
making, and he is worked to his utmost,
upon the cheapest and most unsanitarv
food, scantily and improperly clothed
and housed, chained fifty in a gang, in
the most unhygienic manner, mentally
and physically, that can be imagined.
The death rate seldom is less tn n ten
per cent. of the population, and it often
exceeds twenty. The deaths are usually
from chronic dysentery, the result of
improper food; typhoid fever, the result
of improper sanitation; consumption
and other pulmonary complaints, the
result of improper raiment, shelter and
ventilation.
The Dade County mines practically
consist of three prison camps, two upon
the mountain top, at Castle Rock and
Cole City respectively, and one in the
valley These camps consist of huge
stockade of logs stood side by side
around a square, in which are numerous
log houses wherein the prisoners sleep
Station d around the clearing are little
boxes, in each of which stands brutal
guard with heavily loaded shotgun,
who too often murders some vile wretch
while seeking the freedom of the woods
50 temptingly near him.
The convicts are mostly ignorant ne
groes and low whites. Upon their en-
trance to the camp each one is given a
striped suit and a shackle is riveted
around his ankle. Attached to this is IA
trace chain, in the end of which is
small ring. This chain is never removed
until his death, unless by accident he
survives his term of sentence. He gets
his foOd-corn bread and bacon-in
pail, and is put to work in damp mines
or at the doors of the hot coke ovens.
At night log chain is run through the
ring on the end OF the one attached to
his ankle touathar with fiftv others and
its end locked on the outside of the
building. These fifty wretches chained
in bunk are allowed to indulge in every
evil that such association can bring. No
schools or attempts at reform are ever
made. The hours when idle are spent
in their hunks gambling, blaspheming
and indulging in every license that the
length of ther chain will permit. A
fire would cremate the whole lot in few
minutes, for there would be no escape.
The hospital is a miserable place, that
would make well man sick to gaze
upon, and usually kills the sick who
enter Not comfort or convenience,
and the ghastly crowd of consumptives
and typhOids are enough to turn heart
of stone to see them there, where in
the healthiest mountain atmosphere of
the world there is no shadow of excuse
for their existence except the vilest un-
hygienic and unsanitary conditions.
1t Is a glorious sign of the times to
see that the people are not altogether
indifferent to this state of affairs, and
the lease system is fast becoming an
issue in Georgia politics. - Washington
Star