The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-02


him a great deal of trouble and his desire
was to cease troubling about it. but story
! OF horror vas brought 20 him in which has
brother was the victim. and with a friend
he visited the camp to see If 1t was true. lie
/ found his brother in d most pitiable condi-
ton, the result Of beating by
| Brady and as he told of his
wrongs he broke down several times. He
! examined his brothers person and found 1t
lacer1ted from the knee joints to the waist
| He talked to Schuman about the matter
! and Schuman asked him not TO prosecute
the case, a. it would bring the camp INTO
bad light, and as Schuman was in posi-
| ton 10 be kind or cruel to his brother, and
witEnl had been courteous to HIM, he thought
| he would let the matter rest with the
! County Commissioners, feeling that they
! would do their duty in the matter. l after
ward had a warrant issued for Brady.
WROTE TO GOV. GORDON.
! The Commis,io toner's did not appear inter
ested in the matter, and ] wrote to Gov.
| Gordon about it, and he replied that il
they took no action, he would. Before
| wrote had heard that Col. Casey knew of
| the whipping, and that IL was whispered
about the camp that it must be hushed up.
! However, the investigation was ordered,
and he had taken the greatest interest in 1t,
not only because his brother had been suf-
ferer, but as a citizen.
AN nIPRoMTU WITNESS
Before conclhding what he had TO say Mr..
Collins mentioned that he had heard an ex-
guard say that Brady was not so much to
blame in the matter as the County Commits
sioners and gave the name of j. J.. Wilson.
Wilson was sitting in the room and put
on the stand instanter. He said that his in
ference had always been that tho more
work the captain of the chain-gang got out
of the convicts the better they stood with
the Commissioners He said, however, that
he had never heard anything about Com
missioner Casey desiring men whipped and
whipped hard. Never knew Commissioner
Casey to order man whipped or saw him
present at a whipping.
At this point tho chair remarked that
enough evidence had been adduced, in his
opinion, to fix the fact that there had been
great crueltes by Brady, and wanted to
close
Commissioner Dorsett wanted to hear
everything. He didn't want anybody's
mouth closed If anybody had anything
against the County Commissioners to come
forward.
SACK AGAIN ON THE STAND.
This brought TO his feet Henry Sack, who
had been voluminous in evidence the day be-
fore Sack then told about being present
when Brady whipped O'Neil, what brutal
instrument, as large as a mans thumb, the
switch was, how 1t went into the mans ten
der flesh, the brave sufferers cleuched teeth
that kept back any cry of pain from his
tortures, how he fell to his knees beneath
the whipping, and concluded the narrowing
recital by saying that this was the reason
he bad gone 10 the Commissioners about
the case.
HOW CHATHAM COUNTY TREATS TRAMPS.
Richard O'Neil, the man whose sufferings
n col p al l,trG a,l-
was the next witness. As he approached
the stand his gait was hating, and the
clang Of the shackles about his feet told
plainly the cause. He started his story by
saying that he had been sentenced for
vagrancy TO the chain-gang for three
months on Dec. 10. He was crippled in
hand and foot and sick with pleurisy. On
Dec. %, three days afterward, he told
Brady, guard That he was too sick to
work and could not go out. He was ordered
to be whipped and made TO 60
who gave that orderfn he was asked.
"Mr. Sack; he was captain of the gang at
this time replied the witness.
This created something of a sensation,
but its effect was entirely lost upon Sack.
| The witness then gave an account of the
whipping that had been so graphically de-
! scrIbed by Sack with Sacks name left out.
THE SECOND BEATING.
|
was sick in the camp, caused by his foot
| being swollen from working in the mud
| and water DR.. Chisholm came to the
camp that day and got after him
| for not washing himself. He told
the doctor that the janitor would
not bring him any water. That night
| Brady came in and asked prisoner named
| Charles Houston. who's this that has been
comp aining3n He was told that it was
! O'Neil and Collins. He called for his buggy
! whip and proceeded to beat Collins. When
he had finished with Collins, he said
"ONeil, get ready. I'm going to wear the
rest OF this out on you" He pulled O'Neil
out of his bunk and commenced TO beat him
TIN THE DEVIL AND YOU'RE IN HE'LL"
After he had given O'Neh about fifty
blows he said; This whip amt hurting
the man at all; bring me IA board" He was
! brought a barrel Stave with one end whit
tied down to give a hand hold, and the wit
ness clothing was removed. He was then
| held down by the prisoners and beaten with
| the stave. O'Nell asked Brady if he was a
man ordevil Brady said:
Pm devil, and you're in hell. You was
never in hell before. was youtn
Wtness-If | wasn't there | was next
door to it.
o'NEII'S oFFENsE.
The witness said that he came from Viii
mington, Del, and was on his way to
| Florida. When he got TO Charleston his
| money gave out and he beat his way on a
| freight train to Savannah He remained
in the city about two hours and thought he
would try to catch a ride on tram to Jack
sonville rs he had done from Charleston. He
was starting for the outskirts OF the town to
catch ''green line sleeper as 1t is known
in tramp parlance, when he was directed
| by a colored man through the yard of the
| Savannah, Florida and Western depot as
| the nearest way out. He was arrested
while walking through the yard. The next
morning he was carried before the Mayor
who sent him to the City Court, and Judge
Harden sentenced him to three months on
the chain-gang.
LOST HIS FINGERS IN THE soUDAN.
He held up to the court his right hand
IL was but a stump, there being only the
thumb and half of the foretinger. He OK
planned that he lost his hand in the Soudan
in 1888 He was there as guest of his
| cousin, who was a captain in
the Royal Artillery. Before he
lost his hand he was bOlermaker and did
very well at his trade He is an Irishman
by birth, and has Travelled extensively.
O'Neil related his story clearly and evil
IDENTIFY spoke the truth in all he said. Col
Inns and O'Neil were sent to the sick ward
in the county jail.
This closed the investigation. true bill
will be found against Brady and no doubt
| the County Commissioners will offer a re-