The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-18


7 / whipped him again. When ] went 10
I whip him he took hold or my gun
struck him over the eye with the butt OF
my strap. He then started of saying
that I would have 10 shoot him. that he
was not going 10 stand 10. / told him TO
cross the ditch and l would shoot him.
he failed to do that. but went round IN
circle TO prevent me from whipping him.
l then ordered him back 10 his hoe. and
called boy 10 take MIN down. He told
the boy to stand back. that he would kill
MIN and go back 70 court As the boy
I approached he struck al him with his
hoe. ] said: look out. Joe: don't you let
that Niger kill you. and the boy jumped
Z back. Harris drew back TO strike at him
the second time and the boy ran under the
hoe and grabbed him. He then took him
down and held him. ] gave him twenty
HcHs with the strap again and turned
him loose and told him 10 go back 10 his
work Re fatty refused to work at all
after that I asked him why he acted
that way, and he said he was not going
10 work, that l would have 10 whip him.
! told him / could do II If I had to do it.
and turned on him with the strap
and gave him ten or fifteen ticks while ne
was standing w. / was a little worried
ana did not count the ucks. He still re-
fused TO work and I then sent for Mr..
Wimberly. When lIr. Wimberly got there
IL was about noon time and we did nothing
with him. That afternoon Harris got to
his work he laid down in the ditch I
supposed, to make his escape. 1 told him
TO get out and sit down in the corn row
II he wouldn't work that didn't propose
TO whip him any more. I told him l would
nave him sent to the canal. That night he
refused to walk into camp. / carried him
up to the farm house and beyond and he
still wouldn't walk. 1t was getting late
and asked Mr. Wimberly TO send a trusty
~
and that l would leave Harris there with
him and the trusty to bring in. I was at
the camp when he arrived. Mr.. Wimberly
told him to get out and he got out of the
cart and walked into the building as well
as anyone could walk. Wednesday morn
ing he went back to the farm gain. l had
more hands than I had hoes. and 1 put
him to timing out corn ahead of the hoes
He did the work all right About o'clock
Mr. Wimberly came for a man TO do some
blowing. That gave me an idle hoe, and 1
told Harris to get the hoe and go to chop
ping. He did as told him
until about II o'clock when he
lay down. 1 sent for him to come to me.
He refused to come. l then sent boy
to where he was to stay with him until
l came. At noon he refused to walk In
again and made two of the negroes car
ry him in. He complained of his ston-
ach hurting him and didn't eat his din
AlOAs Audut d DON take a wet ClOtn ana
battle his face. He said he wanted some
water He was carried to the well ana
given water. l again asked him what
was the matter and he said his stomach
hurt him. sent 10 the house for some
medicine. Mr.. Wimberly had nothing but
some whisky. He brought some OF that
and l gave him a small drink. When
gave 1t to him he threw It up. 1 gave
him second drink and that stuck
told Mr.. Wimberly it was useless to car
~ him back to the work and asked him
TO keep him some where. He said he
would lock him up in the feed house,
which he did. Mai Bandford was writ
ten about Harris conduct. We received
reply to deliver Harris to Acting Cap
tain Davis on the canal. Mr.. Wimberly
carried him to the canal In a cart He
was brought back to the camp and the
next morning he was taken out to the
canal. L saw him going with
shovel on his shoulder.
Monday morning saw him being brought
into the hospital. 1 saw him again after
he died.
Mr.. Hillman declared that the poor farm
was made the infrmary for the convict
gang. That all the sorefooted and worn
out convicts from the other camps were
sent there to be cured The "frozen-footed"
negroes were among the lot sent him. He
did not average more than one whipping a
week to each convict, he said.
The inquest was then adjourned until
this morning. Mai. Blandford, Chairman
Dale, Commissioner Kehoe and a number
of other witnesses are yet to be examined.
Maj. Blandford has issued the following
rules for the punishment of convicts here
after:
Savannah. Ga, June IS, 1S95.-From and
after this date the following regulations
will be observed for the punishment of
convicts:
All punishment shall be administered
by the captain, or in his absence the
chief guard of the camp, or by the chief
guard OF gang on detached service.
The instrument of punishment shall
be the regulation convict strap and none
other.
All punishment shall be inflicted at
the noon hour, or in the evening after the
return of the prisoners to the camp ex-
cepting in attempts to escape, or other
extraordinary emergencies, and in the
presence of the guards and all the pris-
oners of the gang.
The punishment shall be admins
tered on the bare butt or back, and in no
case TO exceed twenty (20) lashes at
whipping. The number of lashes admins,
tered, together with the name of the con-
vict on whom they are inflicted shall be
recorded at the time, and a daily report
of the same made to the county engineer
In Furnishing a prisoner special care
must be taken that no lashes shall be adj
ministered over old sores or wounds, or
places where the skin has been abraided
Guards will strictly observe that the
prisoners perform their several duties and
observe the regulations-and every infrac-
ton of rules, negligence or refusal to work
shall be noted by them and reported to
the captain or chief guard for punish
ment.
Guards will not be permitted to use pro-
fame or brutal language to the prisoners.
Any guard violating the above regula-
lions shall, upon sufficient proof being fur
nished the county engineer, be discharged.
About twentyfour (2D hours after the
punishment of prisoner. the captain or
chief guard infiicting it shall examine the
body of said prisoner and observe whether
or not the skin has been abraided in the
interval, and If so to make note of same
and report the cause to the county engi-
neer.
BY order of DR.. II J. Charlton, C. C. c.,
Chairman Committee on Chain-gang.
r. A. Blandford, County Engineer.
The recent talk about the convict camps
led Chairman ]. ]. Dale and Commits
sioner L. j. Charlton to go out to the