The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-23
n Be FULLY LOOKED INTO.
III. Report About ThOmpSOn'S Death
Has Created a Stir.


r,ars was lively little discussion yes
...l,,.a nj a meeting of a committeeof the
..,ot,. commissioners to inquire into the
...,,r. which had been circulated that the
.,,ri.t. Albert Thompson, had been
F.,ten to death with a club by one of the
guards.
-,issioners got together and decided that
-ss county and its officials should not
.ss- under such report, but that the
.,.,tb of the matter must be got at, what
ever it might be.
chairman Dale went to see Mr.. Joseph
c-,ir at McDonough and Ballaintyne's
t,,,,dry and asked him from what source
Lobad obtained such a report. 1t was
i.,rnp5 from Craig that the young man
nof rood repute," was none other than
,.,,5, negro who lived in the -neighbor-
iooio the camp and who had told him
,bsstorv. He had told it to friend in
rbecity and that friend had given
it to newspaper reporter,
,rbo went to Mr.. Craig
,0ittci having repeated the story the ne
l-ro had told him, saying at the same time
he regretted having done So as he had no
idea that it would cause so much trouble.
An INVESTIGATION NECESSARY.
Chairman Dale determined that an in
ves.iration was necessary, and told Mr..
CRAIG that the responsibility rested upon
him Ia Get hold of that negro, as he would
he wanted as a witness. Mr.. Craig told
as hest he could where the negro lived,
and Mai. Blandford went out to inquire
into the matter at the camp and if posi-
bic to find him.
The negro, whose name is Caleb Chest
nut was found near the camp and was
brought before the commissioners. Mr..
Craig was also summoned as witness.
The committee consisted of three of the
commissioners. Messrs. Kehoe and Charl-
ION and Chirman Dale. Editors Stovan
and Gamble also appeared before the
board.
Mr. Craig was put on the stand and
Questioned He repeated the story that
Chestnut had told him about the convict
having been beaten with club just before
he fell dead. but he knew nothing about
the reliability Of the testimony or how
much of il was true. The evidence he
gave was only hearsay.
SAID HE WAS BEATEN.
Chestnut. when on the stand, practically
repeated the story he had told Mr.. Craig
He said he was standing on the bridge
near where the men were working al the
time and saw a guard beat one of the
prisoners with a stick or club, he could
Lot tell which.
He did not know Thompson and
could not tell who the man was that the
guard was whipping. He was about 80
yards away and did not know whether
the man whipped was the man who died
or not. He simply had seen a guard
whip a man and on this his story was
based.
1t was found that the negro was
whipped, but there is no evidence what
ever to substantiate the statement that
the whipping resulted in his death.
Maj. BIandford went to the camp ycster-
day morning to look into the matter.
Guard Pease was in charge of the squad
in which Thompson had been working,
and he told Maj. BlandfOrd that Thomp-
son had been whipped in the morning at
So.cIock for refusing to work. He had
been given six lashes all on the legs and
mostly on the calf, and it was learned
from those who prepared the body for
burial that there Were several whelts on
his leg, but no other marks of violence
whatever 'EheWhipping, such as it was,
is used in camp, the butt of which was
about an inch and u half in diameter. 1t
occurred about s o'clock. The convict
then went about his work and remained
al 1t until shortly after IL o'clock.
when me fell down exhausted and died
Shortly afterwards at As.
WANTED HIS PICTURE.
Chairman Dale did not understand how
The account of the story was twisted
around so as to make it come from
Young man ''of good repute." Chestnut
was evidently the young man. referred
TO- as ii was he who had told the story
ana Chairman Dale thought picture Of
lhe young man of good repute" should
o. obtained and published
MAJ Biandford then gave a statement
Of the facts in the case of the negro's
Death. all Of which pointed to the conclu-
SoG mat 1t was produced by over heat,
Whlch was so stated in the certificate for
ms burial given by DR. Chisholm.
Editor StOvall said he thought in justi-
hoatlon to his paper he should make a
statement. The facts published in re
gard TO the matter had come from an APP
4iently reliable source, and had at least
gwen some probability to the story. Mr.
Gamble had sought Mr. Craig and had
N'iA u DtlllOlA Nllll MN w lllOIi lCtl "
Ine publication of the article On Sat
Wday he found that there must have
ueeh some mistake and sent out to
~ we camp to have the matter Investigated.
ne thought Ii had been shown that the
convict came to his death by being over
nealed, but said that in coming to his
paper as they did the facts justified The
statement made. From a distance he
Sd'' lhe story could not be cOrrOborated
iCF an afternoon paper He had sent Mr..
-''' Nd.ly to the camp Yesterday however
GN0 had found "a great deal of talk there.
as IL was shown that the man was
whipped he said he had shown that there
Vas some ground for the publication of
he report
A CONFLICTING REPORT.
Major Blandford repeated the state
-l'A. That he had obtained from Guard
0'an with regard TO there being differ
,1'' Oh three hours or more between the
[.te JAe negro was given six laSheS across
ii, ms EOS and the time he fell at his work.
a. had dropped on the work about ll:3O,
q ""' aiJer gasping and frothing at the
,''A lor a few minutes died.
c.L. McNally however stated that
He,'"Id Pease had given him different
II| tie said Peaso told him that he
r'I .lFgn the negro n whipping in the
mig for refusing TO work and that
ra'N. the negro had filled a barrel and
XIV ~. ~ part way down a lane when he
l ,g.. 10 the ground and died shortly after
'"'ea. This conflicts with the story
o'.''h'd by Mai Blandford from the
l' anna Guard PeaSe will be brought
lNe commissioners TO tell just what
HN'"a tout The case.
t.,'".. Blandiord said the same thing