The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-15
SNAP OF THE MEN IN STRIPES.
THE CONVICT LEssEEs NOW HAv-
ING THEIR INNING.


An Imposing Array of Witnesses Tn
der summons To Prove That the
Camps Are Really Very Desirable
Places Of AbOde-A Negro Burglar
From savannah TestIfes That the
Ducking Process l. Far Less Pain
full Than the Strap-Bivins' Death
Declared Due 10 Peach Pie.
Atlanta. Ga. Feb. 14.--To-day's session OF
the convict investigation was devoted 10
the examination OF witnesses for the de-
tense. The lessees have summoned a large
number Of parties. including physicians,
camp chaplains. citizens OF the counties
adjacent 10 the various camps against
which charges are made. and men who
have served time in these camps, to rebut
the indictment for acknowledgment and
cruelty. It seems that they viii rest their
case upon cumulative evidence. BY show
ing preponderence Of testimony in favor
of the good management Of the convicts
the hope to convince the governor that the
charges Of the legislative committees were
inspired by a desire to make political
capital.
The testimony that reflected most Sc
verely upon the treatment of the convicts
was given by two white men brought from
the mines at Cole City to testify for the
state. In rebuttal Of this the lessees to-
day began the introduction OF a number
Of ex-convicts. who gave a very different
picture of convict life. The lessees expect
that the testimony Of these men will at
least have equal weight with that of the
convicts put up by the state, and possibly
more, as they have made it a point 10
bring out the fact that their witnesses |
were pardoned out of the penitentiary.
upon a showing of the character of the
onenses they committed, together with
a record for good behavior while doing
their service.
VIII Elliott, a negro sent up from sa-
Vannah for burglary was the first wit
ness. From the witness description of
life at Cole City and the Dade mines Il
would appear that it was most desirable
place in which to have ones lot cast. He
had plenty to eat and plenty to wear and
didn't have to work very hard either IN
fact, he felt so good that he got into fight
once and was hogged for II. Then at an
other time he was treated to the duck
9ng" method of punishment. His descrip-
Tfon OF this was revelation TO the court,
and possibly TO the officials of the camp.
including Capt Ed Cox, the originator,
and infiictOr of it, who was in the court
room. Elliott declared that he and all the
other convicts actually preferred the duck
ing to the strap. In fact he said, IL didn't
hurt him at all He shook his head so that
the water never got down into his wind
pipe He made a terrible fuss about II,
however, as did all the conVicts-in order
10 make the captain" believe that IL was
hurting OF course, the witness said, the
convicts wouldn't like to say they pre-
fsrred the ducking in the presence of the
'Cap'in" because he might always us the
strap instead, and the strap left sore places
on the back for a good while afterwards,
but when the ducking was done, that was
the end of it. Generally, he declared the
convicts went away laughing after the
water treatment had been administered.
He had been a trusty in the yards, and on
that account. he had had more opportuni-
tn hat rNfF NO IN nu anQfI
of the convicts Elliott told about the con-
victs making guns out of gas pipe and load
ing them with. railroad spikes to shoot the
guards, also of the gambling that was con-
stantly going on among them.
j. G. Bates of Cherokee county, who
went to Cole City to see his son. who was
there for forgery, also commended the
management of the camps.
T. l.. Quarles and =. p Anderson, both
of them chaplains of penitentiary camps,
testified as to the good condition and treat
ment of the convicts.
H. X. Allison, Methodist preacher and
Sheriff BliVins of Dade county also tes-
titled on the same line.
Representatives HUMPHREYS of Brooks
county and Jenkins of Putnam county,
both members of the pardon committee
of the legislature, now at work among
the convict camps, gave valuable teSti-
mony in favor OF the lessees, based on
the condition Of the camps as they found
them six weeks after the report of the
legislative committee had been made.
Neither had been on the penitentiary COM
mittees that made the first visits and the
original charges last December, but they
lad visited the camps in question last
month and found them all in splendid
condition. They also thought that Capt.
Cox was on very good terms with the
convicts in his charge.
Senator Whitley of the pardon commit
tee testified at the afternoon session on
the same line as Messrs HUMPHREYS and
Jenkins. There were also a number of
other Witnesses.
Sam Tinman, the negro who was re-
Gently pardoned by Gov. Atkinson for
dhis assistance to Capt. Cox in quelling a
mutiny among the convicts at the mines,
helping to rescue two of the guards who
had been overpowered, at the risk of his
life was introduced as a witness. He had
served twenty years of his life-sentence,
and during all that time he thought the
convicts were better treated, better
clothed and better fed than free laborers.
He had seen men ducked, but said they
went off laughing after it was over
John Brown, another negro ex-convict,
who was pardoned by Gov. Atkinson re-
Gently testified as to the good treatment
of the men. He said that Sam Bivins,
the man who was said to have died a
short time after being subjected to the
ducking punishment, by Smith, one of
the convict witnesses for the state, really
died from cramp collie, or something Of
that kind, brought on by eating peach
pie. The witness saw Bivins make the
pie and eat it, and shortly afterward was
present when he was taken sick.
Gov. Atkinson adjourned the court this
afternoon when the news of Judge Rich
ard Clarkes death reached the chamber.