The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-30
GEoRGIA's CONVICT SYSTEM.
MIR. Turner Denies That It's History
Is Written In Blood.

Principal Keeper James H. Turner of
the state penitentiary has written two
column card, from which the following
is an extract:
1T has become common occurrence
for northern newspapers and socalled
phllanthroplsts from that section of the
country to publish sensational and SLAM
derous reports about southern prisons,
endeavoring to create the impression that
southern people are harbarous and cruel
in the treatment of their convicts.
''My attention has been called to a re-
cent interview going the rounds of the
northern press purporting to have emana-
ted from a Mrs. M. j. Keeler of Washing
ton, d. c., who claims to have investi-
proposes to pursue her researches further
on this line She is reported as having
said The history of the southern prison
lease system is written in blood. l can
never give the world one-half of what I
have seen, but a few incidents may give
you an inkling of the sort of evidence that
we will produce at the proper time
She then makes a number of charges
in a general way, without naming times
or places, or giving a single fact to support
her assertions. She also claims that in
her past Investigations her life was fire.
quently threatened, and she was forced TO
travel incognito- to keep from being assas-
sinated by the people whom she had ex-
posed Such statements are too absurd
and preposterous 10 need refutation They
are palpably untrue.
Il Will assure Mrs. Keller IL such a wo-
man really exists, that when she comes to
Georgia, as she proposes to do, she can
nave free access to every prison in my
charge, and l will cheerfully assist her in
making any investigation she may desire
provided she will promise to report all cru
elites ascertained by her 10 the governor
instead of waiting Ito return to Washing
ton, to deal in sensational SANDER through
the public press. And / will assure Mrs
Keller that If, while in Georgia, she has
any good reason to fear assassination on
account OF her Investigations, the governor
will see that she is protected, If he has
to call out the whole army and navy of
the state.
1.-THE penitentiary system Of Georgia is
bad, and no one realizes this more fully
than her intelligent and law-abidlng citi-
zens, but that its history is written in
blood, or that It is cruel and barbarous. Is
unrue and no honest person who investi-
gates IL for the purpose of ascertaining the
truth will arrive at any such conclusion.
Georgia has 27 white male convicts and
one white female; total Of 22S. Her white
population in 1890 was 97s,S57, or one 10
4,29i inhabitants
Rhode Island had on the date of the
report heretofore referred TO- $50 white
male convicts and 81 white females; a to-
tai Of 6il Her white population in 1890
was S37,S59, or one to every 527 inhabitants.
In New Jersey state prison alone, ac-
cording to the report heretofore referred
to. there were S26 white males and 20
white females; q total OF $40 Her white
population in 1890 was 1.396,5Sl, or one con-
Wet to 1850 inhabitants.
THE Massachusetts, report does not give
the number of eacn race in her prisons.
but II is safe 10 say that at least 80 per
cent OF them are white, which would
make her white convlcts 1851. Her white
population in 1890 was 2,2i5,373. or one con-
Wet to 573 inhabitants
From these facts II will be seen that
Georglas white citizens are more moral
more virtuous and more law-abiding than
those of either OF the states named, des-
pite their boosted progress in education.
culture and prison reforms
But It would be unjust to the coiored
citizens Of Georgia, and to the adminlstra-