National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-10-16
LIFE IN CONVICT CAMPS.
How They Arc Managed and How Thoy
IIyp.


louisville Commercially
The correspondent Of the Commercial
started out yesterday to visit the convict
and other labor camps on the line OF the
new Maysvile and Big Sandy railroad. 1t
was S O'Clock when Camp Jordan was
reached, where the convlcts employed by
S. ID. Gooch Is Co. are under the personal
supervision Of Capt. Gooch. This gentle
man lives in Louisa county, Va, where he
owns an excellent farm aud is very wealthy.
He has the contract for the grading Of the
Maysyille aud Big Sandy road from Ash
land, KY, to Cincinnati upon which about
$50 convlcts are employed, and about like
number Of ftee laborers. AT this camp there
are ii5 convicts, four-flfths OF whom are
negroes. Two long shed.like houses, separ-
ated Ivy wooden partition and door,
constitute the dining room and sleeping
apartments Of the criminal labor.
eIs, who have been gathered
state. Only flve-yoar convicts and under
are allowed to be worked outside the walls
Of the penltentiary. IL is indeed cheap
labor, the COnvicts costing the company
about 80 cents a day. This is the largest
comp along the line. Dr. j. +. Tate, OF
Stanton, Va, has charge Of the medical
department Of the various camps, and Is
Kept very busy. There is grcal for doc.
tor do In these camps, for besides sickness,
some Of the convicts are continually getting
injured. w. A. Lee, also of Virginia, Is
warden Of this camp, and all punishment IS
inflicted by him, under the direction Of
the state inspector, II. G. Everett, who
is required by law to keep close watch
on the contractors and see that no cruel
or unjust punishment Is given for In.
ulordination or attempted escape. The
prison rules constitute logging as the
only punishment, and never more than
ten or twelve lashes with the raw hide Is
given the poor culprit. Mr.. Hogc, nephew
of Capt. Gooch, is the bookkeeper at this
camp. There are about fifteen "trusties"-
prisoners that are trusted out OF sight OF
the guaids-at this camp, and they seldom
ever try to escape The "trusties' gener-
ally constitute convlcts whose term OF i'm.
prisomneut has about expired. At $3.50
tie entire force started out TO work. They
are strung along the linein squads OF ten
for three miles up the river, each "squadn
being accompanied by guard and "boss,"
who remain with them all day. Two sets
Of guards are required, twelve hour watches
each. The cOnvicts do not return for din
ner, but 1t is sent out in cart which de-
liyers the food all along the line. The prls.
oners are provided with good, substantial
fare, which consists Of meat three times a
day, coffee for breakfast aud supper, potl-
tees and cabbage for dinner and supper.
There Is some complaining among the
ConviCts that the food Is not al
ways the best, but they agree that
1t is far superior to that furnished
inside the penitentlary At Frankfort. The
guard. with his doube-barrel breech-load-
ing thotgun, marches to and fro all day.
The guards are peid $50 month and board,
while the "bosses" receive $40 month and
board. Most persons no doubt think that
the convic;s are worked very hard, but they
are lot, hardly doing as much work as free
laborers. At 5:l5 p. m. the men arr drawn
up in double file and marched slowly toward
the camp while the guard is following be-
hind, thinking only OF 'how he could spoil"
one Of those "ugly crittersn II they would
attempt to escape. Working at this camp is
distinguished colored citizen, named w.
L. Lucas, who is not convict, but was once
representative In the Virginia leglsla-
ture from Louisa county. He Is an educated
man, and at one time was In good shape
financially. He is now free lGborer ON the
road, getting $50 a month.
At a short distance is the free-labor camp
OF Mason, Rosser & Dlckey. At this camp
there are about 200 laborers, all negroes
who have been imported from Virginia and
the coal mines Of Tennessee. The men re-
ceive $l.25 Ter day. The owners of the
camp run store In connection with 1t, and
as the men have their own cook and board
themselves, they are compelled to patronize
the store. They sell potatoes at $1.2O per
bushel, thread fifteen cents spool, and
everything else in proportion, which is sim
ply robbing the men. The negroes at this
camp spend their leisure hours in gambling
at poker, euchre, or "craps.' They are q
set OF most miserable wretches on Sundays,
lying around in the grass and weeds, sleep
ing and gambling. The weather now is
good, and they are making nue progress, but
when cold weather comes work will go slow.
They have several very deep fills to make,
which will absorb much time. Next Is the
convict camp Of Mason, Mundy 6 Co, at
Dover, seven miles above Augusta. Capt.
James A. Mundy, who has the control of
tbs camp, is native born Kentuckian.
lie is great ProhihitonIst, and will not
employ drinking man. There are about
sixty Uonvicts at this camp, aud they are
divided into squads Of ten each. The
cCny!cts here are worked ten hours day.
Whenever over than that they are paid at
the rate Of 10 cents per hour. lie often has
them 10 work over time In order that they
may get some spending money. The con-
yicts at this camp are also about three
fourtls negroes, mostly sent up for stealing.
This camp is not as large as the others, but
is equally as lively. Capt Mundy has ex-
pCrierced no trouble with his cOuvicts since
tie one was shot aud killed by guard
some two months ago.