The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-30
THE COUYTYS COyVICTS.
How They Live and What They Are
DOING For The Tax PAYERS.

the Camp and On the County Works,
The Number OF Convicts In Camp
and What They Cost-Maj. Bland
ford Calls Them All John.
Few people are aware Of the conditions
and circumstances surrounding the
county convict labor, and Of the magni-
tude and importance Of the work they are
doing on the county lands under the able
direction of the engineer, Maj. r. A.
Blandford and yet it is a question to
which every citizen should give some at
tention. for under a democratic admins
tration the individual is to a certain ex-
tent responsible for the management and
government Of what directly concerns the
well-being of the community.
Convict labor has been employed in this
county since the establishment of
the present convict system, and the
management and control of such labor is
pre-eminently a question of public policy.
The magnitude and Importance of the
public works constructed by this labor
and the fact that it is cheap and that
some disposition has to be made of the
criminals turned out Of our courts almost
daily, have long since made side issue OF
the inefficiency of convict labor.
It is not intended here, however, to dis
cuss the convict lease system, or the diff
ference between free and paid labor as to
efficiency, but to give an idea Of the con
ditiOns and circumstances surrounding
convict life in the Chatham county camp;
Uoshow how they are cared for, how they
live and what they cost the county; and
last, but first in Importance, the enor-
nous and extended works upon which
fbau AFRO ayoY1f0vpd for fine pOuutN
AROUND HEADQUARTERS.
Camp No. !, as it is called, is located
about six miles southeast of the city,
about half mile east of the Waters road.
This camp is in charge Of Capt. Row
land Hughes, who has under him in all
los conVicts, OF these twenty-siX are
women, two being white; nineteen are
boys, all colored; and siXty-three are
men, nine of whom are white and fifty
four negroes.
The camp is surrounded by a high white
fence and in the center IS the barracks,
long, sOlidly constructed frame building
In which the men and boys sleep at night.
Down the center runs a long chain which
extends between the doors at each end,
and to this each of the cOnvicts is chained
after they all turn in. Around the bar
racks are the hospital, the womens' quar-
tiers, the guards quarters, the kitchen and
the mess hall.
This camp is an old one and the build
ings are in a very dilapidated condition.
The numerous complaints as to its unsan-
itary and unclean condition led the board
of commissioners to appropriate s., 900
for the constru elton of a new camp in
this vicinity, and this is to be located
upon what is now the county farm,
about a mile distant from the present
site of the camp. Under the direction of
Htarar lion neags an of WHn.
convict camp committee of the commits
sioners, the camp has been put IN as
clearly and sanitary condition as the di-
lapidated and aged conditions will allow,
and since he took hold of the matter the
camp presents a comparatively neat APP
pearance.
The convict camps are Commissioner
Charlton's hobby. He is always looking
60 some measure that will improve their
condition, and is working now for the ear
ly commencement on the construction of
the new camp.
HOW THE CoNvICTs LIVE.
To some criminals, convict life is lux
ury. The camp has number of habitues,
men who commit crimes seemingly for no
other purpose than TO go out there to live
Not that freedom is less desirable to them
than Imprisonment, for they leave read
lily when discharged, but they seem to
La We propensity 70 Ct4LuG anu bu6y con-
slider returning TO the gang with as
little anxiety as they do going
TO picnic or a Yamcraw ball. Some of
them are often discharged one week and
go back regularly the next.
One of the well-known habitues of
camp No. ! is Capt. Peck, half witted
old negro, who goes In again for vagrancy
almost as quickly as he is discharged.
In fact he has made the camp his perma-
TiQnnf FpCinanpa PQplF ig q nafiya {
Iican, and was one of the cargo
brought over on the schooner Wan
derer in 1851 Freedom seems TO nave
no charms forhim and for this reason he
is considered a trusty. He wears no
chains and does such odds and ends of
work as the officers around the camp
cdn find for him to do. When discharged
he comes into the city, walks around the
streets for day or two, is pulled
for vagrancy and goes back
for another siege. The old
man is harmless, and would not steal II
he could. This time he is in for twelve
Ino&ths.
Another habitue of the camp is David
Leonard, the convicts chef. David was
arrested in Jacksonville by Detective
Morgan for stealing a gold watch from q
mail carrier in this city, and he, too, has d
twelve months siege. He is another
trusty and walks around the camp, wear
ing his white cap and apron with all the
airs Of veritable French chef
THEIR TASK NOT LIGHT.
Though many of the convicts seem tt
care little whether they are there or not
their task is by no means a light one
Their labor, it is true, is inefficient
FROM two causes; they work un
der compulsion, and of course will
not do as much as free men. and again
they are in many instances almost physi
cal wrecks, who have sunk so low thai
they are incapacitated for labor. Never
theless they must work, and above then
always hangs the lash, which is a gentle
reminder that they will not be allowed to
remain idle
They are called from their beds about
daybreak, get their breakfast and ther
are marched in line to the new CaseN
canal, about mile and half from CAM
No. /, the scene of their labors. Other.
are sent to the steam dredge
where they are employed in removing
trees and stumps and others go to The
county farm, where they cultivate the
crops used in feeding the cOnvicts. They
are kept at their work until nearly dark
or at present while the DAYS are Ions
about IL and a Z hours each day Wher
the days shorten their labor is not quit,
so long. The guardsare always over them
and when a man becomes sul6y or intrac
able, few strokes from the lash, anC
often the very SIGHT of il removes tn a T.