Wisconsin Afro-American., 1892-10-22
How Correspondent of the Chicago
Inter Ocean Describes Convict
Life i'm Virginia.


Il was sent to Smiths farm on April &C.,
1890, to serve term of six months and
pay $50 fine. was kept there eight
cen months. l was several times
whipped and beaten, once with stick
that caused this mark on the back of
my head turning her back to me and
pointing to long scar). was also tied
up by my thumbs, with my feet clear of
the ground, excepting the ends of my
toes. was whipped in an unmerciful
manner by a colored man who almost
beat me to death with leather strap,
such as they use on the convict farms"
What caused your lameness?" asked.
"They hurt me internally, so the doc
tor says, when they tied me up by my
thumbs" was the reply. 81 have not
been able to do any work since came
home. have been confined to my bed
most of the time since I returned and
my mother has paid the doctor who has
been attending me more than $40"
"Whose baby is that?'
'Mine."
"Where did you get it ?" was asked.
The girl turned and started to leave
the room, but her mother called to her
and said: ''Tell the whole story, you
have told this much, tell the balance.
After a few moments hesitancy Mollie
said 81 brought it from Smith farm"
FOR FEAR OF STARVATION.
On further questions being asked she
admitted that to save herself from starv
alton she submitted to intimacy with
the cook. She was only II years old.
Another instance of the horrors which
there are too many to enumerate, that
occur from the system of leasing out
convicts was brought to my attention
recently. Residing at the corner of
Pearl and Madison streets found Bet
tie King, colored girl aged IS years,
and to my question, "Will you give me
a statement of your life on the convict
farm ?' she replied:
"Yes, sir, 1 was there when Mollie
Laurence lost her first baby from being
tied up by her thumbs"
''How came you to be sent to the
farm ~
WORKED A 'YEAG TO PAY SIS FINE.
81 was tried in Judge Lowenberg's
court for vagrancy aud fined S.. l did
not have the money to pay it and was
sent to the farm. When 1 got there
they told me owed So. rs and I remained
there one year to work it out. -
"Were you ever whipped p
"Once only, but 1 was tied up by
nv thumbs clear of the ground ten
times"
" How did you fare in the way of
food %
"I had to sleep with men at night to
get something to eat, and they called
us awful names.
The girl then told me to call at No.
3O4 Mulberry street for Louis Powell,
colored boy and ex-convict. When L
reached the house the boys mother
called him and to the question, " Were
you ever at Smiths convict farm ?" he
replied: " Yes, I was there two
months.
"Tell me how they treated you, and
what did you see there's?
TORN BY THE DOGS.
81 am 13 years old. 1 was fined $11
for fighting, and as my mother was not
able to pay the fine was sent to the
farm. 1 was whipped several times
over the head and body with plow
line and leather strap. had to get up
at four o'clock every morning and go to
work. They did not treat me as badly
as they did the others, though, proba-
bly because I was so little. One man
ran away, and after they brought him
back they set the blood hounds on him.
The dogs tore his flesh and injured him
terribly"
Katie Smith, wife of Willie Smith, col
ored residing at No. 5lO5 Veto Street, was
the next person called on. She stated:
WHIPPED WITH TRACE CHAIN.
81 was fined $23. so in Judge Murch's
court for fighting, and not being able
to pay the fine 1 was sent to Smiths
convict farm. / arrived there May 18th,
1891, and was released Jan. 20, 1892.
was once brutally whipped with a trace
chain. I was tied up by my thumbs
one time twenty minutes. At another
time was tied up for an hour, my feet
clear off the ground. They fed us on
corn bread, salt meat, and black molas-
ses. They are not as bad to the women
as they are to the men. 1 have seen
men get up off the ground after being
whipped and put on their shirts, and
before they could button them up in
front they would be so saturated with
blood as to look like red hannels. =
Exchange.