The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-22
WITHFROZEN FEET
Fifteen Of Them Laid Up in the Prison
eTS' Hospital.

a.
N the Casey Canal During the Cold
spell When They Had to Break the
Ice as They Worked-Maj. BIandford
Denies That the Prisoners Worked in
the Water and Says They Cooked
Their Feet Around the Fires in the
Camp.
The report has been circulated quite
extensively around the city that there are
Ar the Georgia Inhrmary four negroes
from the county convict camps whose
t--t were so badly frozen during the
cold snap in the latter part of Deem
t-- that some of them viii lose a foot.
and others some of their tees.
Taa matter was inquired into yester-
5av by a representative Of the Morning
NsV=. The attending physician stated
that four colored men had been sent
there with their feet partly frozen, and
ia very bad condition. one Of them, he
said would lose one of his feet, and
others of them would lose several toes
t-om gangrene. He had seen the condi-
ZION Of the men, but had only heard
,Ict camp. Whether that was the case
or not. he could not state positively.
a visit was then made TO the hospital
in order to ascertain the facts with regard
10 these cases. There four men were
found lying in the eastern end Of the
mems ward, all of them with their feet
wel bandaged, some of them with hands
or fingers bandaged. and others whose
hands, though not bandaged, were in
very bad condition
William Houston was the first of the
men sent to the indrmary. He was sent
Do Saturday, Jan. u, he states. the coun-
IS physician having ordered that he De
taken from the camp hospital to the
Georgia lnfrmary Both of his feet were
damaged and in a bad condition from
Tile effects of cold weather. Houston
was sent out for thirty days for assault
and battery, he states, and had worked,
altogether, twenty-six of them.
he SAID that on Friday and Saturday,
which were two of the coolest days
clrns that snap, he and his fellow CON
vIcts were compelled to work in the new
cer~e. canal, in which the water was
standing. and that they had 10 break
The ice before they got into the water.
He stated that they were without shoes
and stockings. and that they were I'm
this canal almost all the time during the
day from morning to night Ills heel
has rotted off ass the result of his exposure
wherever ii was. and it is stated that he
Is liable 20 lose mis- left foot Three toes
on IFS right foot have rotted almost COM
p.e e.y away.
All of The men make pretty much the
same statement as to what was required
Of them. George Thomas and Joseph
hasktt were sent to the inhrmary last
Friday. Thomas was sentenced for six
months for assault and battery. and had
served, he states, three months of his
time He says that he was made to work
IL The water on the cold days that both
his feet were frozen, that two toes had al
ready r1tted off his left foot, and that
his sgtferings were very painful The
nurse in charge of the men, John John
4 son says that Thomas seems to be worse
or han any of the others, and that he
VIII. in all probability, lose his right
foot.
Haskitt was sent up for thirty days
FOR vagrancy and his time was up Jan.
u He makes the same statements with
regard to having to work in the water,
and breaking the ice before they went
10 work Haskitts feet are both dam
aged from exposure, and his hands are
also slightly hurt. The skin on his hands,
with small parts of the flesh, as is the
case with some of the others, is coming
off
Joe Smith, the other convict, was sent
out for three months, he states, for
sault and battery. He was sent to the
lnnrmary Saturday, Jan. 10. He makes
similar statements with regard to work
ing in the cold water and breaking the
ice.
The men say that when they were sent
SIN 10 the city the hospital at the camp
Was crowded with other patients, who
We're suffering from the same cause.
These sent to the hospital, however, were
the worst cases. They say they were
in charge of Guards Davis Morehesd,
and Carroll, and that between twenty
five and thirty men We're working in the
water at the same time.
Maj. Blandford, county engineer, was
seen i'm reference to the charge. If the
convicts were worked in the water dur
ing the cold SPELL Maj. Blandford said,
he did not know it. He visited the camps
on the first cold day, and gave orders
that none of the prisoners should be
worked in the water. He visited the ca
ral during the day, and was there until
lale IN the afternoon, and none OF the
conyicts were worked in the water while
le was there. 1t was his express orders
TO the captains of the camps, he said,
that none should work in the water.
lie also gave orders that there should be
plenty of firewood in the camps at night,
ana that the prisoners should be made
as comfortable as it was possible to make
them
Maj Blandford said it is true that a
humber of convicts are in the hospital
q, Camp No. l. There are about fifteen
Of them in the hospital, he said, suffer-
ing with sore feet and hands. He is of
The opinion that there injuries are not
The result of working in the water. They
were worked instead on the banks Of the
canal 1t was cold there, it was true
Dat the guards We're lenient, and the
prisoners were shown every considera-
uon. a popularity of the case is that
All the men who are suffering, and are
iaid up in the hospital, are from camp
40 l. The prisoners at camp No. were
4 At work on the same work and at the
same place as the prisoners from camp
no ], but none of those from camp No.
are laid up. Maj. Blandford said the
Only way he can account for the matter
Is that the prisoners at camp No. /,
a-ler they were locked in the~barracks at
night lay with their feet close to the
s.oNes. and really cooked the flesh. At
lamp No. ,, which is a tent camp there
are no stoves, and the men lay around