The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1895-12-25
MINE HORRORS In GEORGIA.
PENITENTIARY CAMPS ARE DENS
OF TORTURE.
Convicts Present "a Picture of Starvation
and Cruelty. Legislative Committee
Makes Report.

Unless the picture is greatly over
drawn by those who presented /; to the
Legislature, the horrors of the Siberian
mines are not greater than the horrors
Of the Georgia penitentary. The victims
of the car are tortured and starved to
death. If the word of a committee of
upright Georgians, the representatives of
their people in the legislature, is worthy
of belief the Georgia peniteEtiary has
it's victims of starvation aud cruelty.
Such condition of things as is out
lined in the report of the penitentiary
committee, presented to the legislature
just before the adjournment of that
body, is almost incredible. In the
midst of a civilized and Christian com
munity i"horrible" hardly expresses it.
That the report will create sensation
throughout the state there is no doubt.
1t will cause all who contemplate the
condition it describes to shudder with
repulsion at the existence of such a blot
upon the fair name of the state.
The report, made by Mr.. Reagan
of Henry county, the chairman of the
penitentiary committee. first deals with
the milder details of the penitentiary
camps which were visited by the com.
mttee.
In this connection it is stated that
in most all of the camps insufficient
buildings are provided, special attention
being directed to the buildings in Wor h
and Lowndes counties, at Alexanders
vile, Echo, Rising Fawn, Maxwell,
Toledo and Dade camps. The buildings
at these camps, the report states, are.no
sufficiently we'll ventilated in The summer
time and nor stoves enough provided to
while at Mineola it was found that no
seperate sleeping apartments were pro-
vided for the whites and blacks, but
both huddled up together in the same
room.
At Alexanders lille, Toledo and Max
well, the committee says, the buildings
ia which the men are confined when no
at work. are nothing more than miserable
substitutes for houses, being on the
ground, in a malarial section of the conn
try, subje citing the prisoners to disease
to be badly kept, no attention at all bein
paid to cleanliness. The committee made
special note of the fact that at Alexan-
dersyille the COnvicts were not properly
clothed nor fed well. They are not given,
the committe believes, one-third as much
to eat as they require. This condition of
affairs exists in Worth county, as we'll
as in Dade county.
The Dade county mines appear to be
veritable.den of.horror, from the commit
tees report The convicts are but half
fed and half clothed. "This camp" the
report says, sis in the very worst condi-
ton. The cOnvicts are actually being
starved, and have not sufficient clothing.
In addition to being without sufficient
clothing and being starved, they are
treated with great cruelty under the sys
tenn of corporal punishment adj pied
by the superintendent, who is also whip
ping boss of the camp. This punishment
is the most brutal ever inflicted by one
human being upon another The half
starved convict is thrown upon hls back,
and while in that position hose is FAST
ened to his nose and water Thrown into
his nostrils until he is almost strangled.
AS the victims shows signs. of revvlng
the strangling process is repeated until
the victim has barely enough life left in
him to rise from the ground.
"This brutal and inhuman treatment"
the committee declares. "should not be
tolerated single day longer, and the
infictor should be properly punished
Such outrageous conduct is disgrace
to the state, and the proper authorities
should look after the matter without
delay"
The committee recommends that the
convicts at the Dade camp be removed
and taken away from the control of the
superintendent, who has been practicing
cruelty and brutality as described.
"We," the committee says, "beli.vs
that:the great state of Georgia cannot al
low those who are placed in her custody, !
criminals though they may be, to be either
starved or beaten to:death. Theylare GER
;ainlylentitled to something like humane
treatment, and it is the duty of the state
to see that they receive it,"