The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-19
FEW NEW FACTS BROUGHT OUT
THE JURY WILL SPEND ANOTHER
DAY ON THE JOE HARRIS CASE.

Death Was Due TO Brutal Treat
ment-His Statement of the wounds
on the COnvict's body Widely nj
Variance With Those Made by DR..
Charlton, Dr. Chisholm and Mai.
BInndfOrd-MOre COnvicts 10 BE
Brought in TO Testify To-day.
The coroner's inquiry into the death OF
oe Harris was resumed yesterday morn
Ing at the court house. Chairman Dale OF
the board of county commissioners was
the first witness. 8Ir. Dale made the most
sensational witness that has been before
the jury, and was very emphatic in his
statements. He considered that Harris
death was due TO brutal treatment.
I was at the post norton held upon
the body OF Harris" he said. by request
of Or. Charlton. I saw two very large
sores on Harris body. one on each side
Each was about as large as mans hand
I should say they were at least week
old. from their condition. They were
fostering running sores. There was no
skin on them al all. They were perfectly
raw. and exuding matter. The skin was
OF the entire surface. There were some
abrasions between the shoulders. but they
were very slight. compared with those al
ready described"
"Dr. Charlton" sai5 NJ Dale" made
an incision and turned the breast hone
back. showing the internal orssns. The
left lung appeared % be IN q normal con
dition. The right lu1s Was oongested- The
liver was opened ana may OF may not
have been diseased am not az expert
and cannot say. I did n0t examine the
limbs
Mr.. Dale was asked Z the commission
ers had any right 10 transfer a convict
sentenced to the poor farm 10 the canal
or other work.
IF the judge sentences 8 prisoner 10
work on the poor farm" he said. 4 don't
think the commissioners would have the
right to transfer him 10 the canal work.
do you think the sores on Harris
body were caused by the whipping he re-
reived at the campo" Mr.. Dale was asked
IT consider that II these were caused
by whipping they were the result of
brutal beating or whipping. and under
no circumstances justifiable" he said.
''In my position as chairman Of the COM
missioners l was in deed surprised that
such treatment should have been given
any prisoner. l think that the condition
of the wounds was the natural result of
the wounds themselves, and was not
caused by disease"
on being asked why certain prisoners
were sent to the poor farm, Mr.. Dale
said: when prisoner is sent to the poor
farm there is generally some reason, eth
err he is an invalid or 700 weak, or too
young, for heavy work. or for some such
reason. l don't think we have any right
TO put such prisoners on the canal"
Mr. Dales testimony was directly con-
Trajectory in many points to that given
by Drs. Charlton and Chisholm on the
first day of the inquest.
Guard ]. b. Davis was the next wit
ness called.
His testimony corroborated that of other
guards who had preceded him on every
point as to Harris obstreperousness and
refusal to work. Thursday, June 6, Har-
rs was put on his gang and was taken to
the canal On arriving there he sat down
and refused to work.
II thought Harris was simply dscour-
aged" said Davis and that l would give
him a little encouragement l told him
TO get up and he could pick his job He
said he would pick up roots, and then re-
fused to do 1t. 1 told him if he didn't go
TO work l would whip him. / called him
II.
/ said, Joe, I'm going to give you a lit
tie brushing and maybe you'll go to work
] suppose l hit him between twelve and
fourteen light lashes with halter strap.
did not even take his clothes off. At
ter he was whipped he went and lay down.
When l knocked off work he got up and
went to his dinner place. In the after
noon did not bother him at ALL"
Friday morning Harris came out to
work with the rest of the gang. He APP
peared to be all right and made no COM
plant He did no work, however, and be-
tween and 8 o'clock he was whipped, re-
ceiving between eight and fifteen ticks
He lay around the works all day, but
made no complaint of being sick. Friday
night Capt. Heath took charge of the
camp"
Harris went out to the work Saturday,
but did nothing. Saturday night Davis
called Capt. Heath's attention to the boy,
and said there was no use taking him out
TO the works, as he was no good there.
The captain said he would put him in
the hospital Monday, which he did.
Davis volunteered the statement that he
had been guard at the state convict
camps and had administered as many as
$50 lashes to a convict He did not consider
that severe punishment.
This statement was somewhat of a sur
prise to the jury. Mr.. OKeefe, the sec
rotary, started to record it when Mr. S.
r. Theus, the foreman, objected that
the statement was not evidence. There
was a lively tilt between Messrs. Theus
and O'Keefe. By a majority vote the jury
decided not to accept the statement as
evidence
P. F. Dewberry, steward at camp No. ],
was the next witness. His testimony was
mainly corroborative of Supt. Wimberley's
testimony of the day before. Dewberry
described the convict's death. After IIar-
ris had been doctored and given medi-
cine for some time and failed to improve
Dewberry said he tried to make him eat
something, but he wouldn't.
II tried to talk to him." said the guard,
''but he wouldn't talk, only motioned with
with his hand 1 called a boy and had
him straighten him out. called the night
Waterman and asked him if he knew
when a negro was dying He said he
could tell He looked at Harris and said
he didn't think he was dying. l told him
I thought he was mistaken. The watch
man then said he was mistaken. had
Harris Strengthened out and covered up
and went down to the commissary to look
UP his clothes. / told the captain that