The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-30
SCENES ON A PLANTATION
GEORGIA's FEMALE PRISONERS
LABORING IN THE FIELDS.
They Work as Male Convicts Do
Curious Trait of Southern CiviIiza-
tiOn-White md BLACK Women in
the Gangs-The Worst Form of
slavery. -

the Gangs-The Worst Form of
Slavery.
--A9s
Three of the five female convicts who
escaped from Maddoxs camp in Gilbert
county ten days ago are still at large.
Two of them were caught in South
Carolina and locked up over night in a
lettering sort of a oaboose. The next
morning the building was found broken
all to pieces. One of the women who had
. been locked up was the Lea girl from
Rome. She is only seventeen years old
and is comedy yellow girl.
Capt. Maddox the lessee, wrote to Col
Jones, the keeper Of the penitentiary. yes
terday that he hopes to capture all the
women. He is sure that they have not
got far out of the neighborhood. and be
ieves that they are being secreted. He
has always recaptured all who have es-
capped until these last three broke away.
Maddox's plantation is one of the most
beautiful in the state. 1t comprises 5000
acres. lying along the Savannah river in
Ebert county. About half of the place
Is under cultivation.
Capt. Maddox has been working con-
victs only eighteen months. He made
, arrangements with the other lessees to
take all the female convicts off their
hands. He has to pay the states lease
price, which is $3.50 a year, and he
pays the other lessees a bonus No male
convicts are worked by Capt. Maddox.
women bring just as much as men-one
of the few instances in which female
labor brings as much as male for the
same kind Of work. These women get to
be as expert as men, too They ploW
hoe and dig and make a good days work
at anything they are put at. Capt. Mad
doX plants cotton, wheat, corn, oats and
grass. He has fine grist mill on the
river and makes a great deal of flour.
The women go to work at sunrise and
go back to their quarters at sunset Each
woman has her mule and they take great
pride in their mules. Free labor attends
TO the stock and the women have nothing
to do with feeding them. In the morning
early the mules are brought out and the
women lead them up to rock or log and
jump on their backs and ride to the field
The women are not shackIed nor are
they fastened to chain as the men are
at other camps. There is a guard for
every ten women. A gang of women will
start off Flowing and a guard will follow
Another gang goes behind hoeing and
there will be guard with these women.
me guards carry pistols in their belts,
but do not carry guns, as do the guards
who follow male convicts. Capt Maddox
has given the women little more liberty
than some of them appreciated and five
have disappeared within the last month";
but two are back in the stockade. When
the work Is near the quarters the con-
victs are taken there for dinner, nut
when they are a mile or more away din
ner is carried to them
On returning from work at sunset the
Of ri oil
day, go to supper. Each one has her seat
at a table and the meal is before the
plate awaiting her. After supper the
conVictS go to the building where they
sleep. They have an abundance of water
and access to 1t. Each prisoner has a
cot and change of dress beside it, The
favorite headgear is a soft, round hat
much like a mans
This year Capt. Maddox has averaged
about siXty-three female cOnvicts at his
camp. OF these only two were white
women and they are the only white
women who have been in the peniten-
tiary for a long time. These two are
Pearl Pendergast and Alice White, both
Of Savannah. They were sent up for en-
| ticing white girl from home for inn
moral purposes. The Pendergast
woman was a noted character in Yama-
craw. She was lewd but had good traits
On one occasion when there was a riot
started by the negroes she gave assis-
lance to the policeman. She has been
on her good behavior since she was sent
to the penitentiary.
Some time ago she professed religion at
| one of the meetings held at the camp
| She was baptized by a white preacher
and entered on the membership of
white baptist church. She is employed at
| sewing and never has to leave the quart
ers. She helps make the clothing for the
prisoners and keeps their limited and UNI
| fashionable wardrobe in repair Pearl
| says that she is happy and she does not
| have hard time of it at all She has
grown fat and is in better health than
when she was a free woman. Alice White
was not so much disposed TO be orderly
and she was put to work in the field as a
| punishment. She watched her chance
and got away, but was captured and
| taken back.
Many of the negro women are as
strong as men. They can dig well or
| quarry rocks and handle a 1atboat skill
| fully. Last spring a canal had to be re-
paired and the women did the work all
right. That knowledge of the fatboats
| is useful in escaping. The women strike
! for the river and there throw the dogs
off their trail. They go up or down the
river on a boat and the dogs can not
| tell which course they have taken.
Speaking of escape, tough negro
| woman from Rome broke away one
| day when she was about to be
whipped ana ran unQer mouse. she
| disappeared very suddenly and the
guards knew that she could not be far
away They searched closely for her
and she, seeing that she would be caught,
called to a woman who was washing
near to tell her what she must do. She
| was advised to run and jump in the
well.
The fugitive slipped out and unob-
| served ran TO the well and jumped down.
| Directly the dogs were put on the trail
| and they went straight to the well and
would not leave. A man was sent down.
/ The woman was nearly covered
with water. She would not give
| She was strong and whipped the
guard and almost drowned him. He cried
! for help and another man was sent down.
men had all they could do to keep her
from drowning them. Finally they got a
/ rope around her body and she was hauled
| up with the water draining from her
clothes in streams. Capt. Maddox pays
| as much for an escape as the other les
sees pay for a man-S200 If they are not
| captured in sixty days
| Sunday is rest day. The women get
| breakfast and this time of the year go
down to the canal for a dip. They have
| preaching later, but do not have to go.
| However, they like to attend service,
but they are not so demonstrative about
| their religion as the men are Male con-
victs are often very religious and
/ many a convict Is a "zorter." The
| women do not say so much about re-
lie-ion. Most of the women are in for
| had crimes and have long terms They