People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-11-13
|HOT TALK.

HUI TALK.
om Fifth Page.)
and few on public
ate gangs, WHERE the
ased or hired to private
ii &, the hire per month ranges
30 to six dollars per capita,
Age being about five dollars
lib.
s rally the whites and blacks
y ,s chained together, nor are
ales and females, but they are
led together Unfortunately, and
1any of the gangs practically no
vision is made for a separation of
ices Or sexes during the day, or at
might in slee ping quarters.
There are among the numb ,r many
oonvicts still under their majority,
and l found eleven under the age Of
fourteen.
Very little attention is given to the
comfort or sanitary condition of the
sleeping quarters; some sleep in rude
no Uses with no floors, some in tents
on the bare ground, and a few iu
hunks. The bedding il generally
scant and filthy, frequently full of
vermln. In number of the camps
70 Ire is allowed even in the coolest
weather. The ventila ion generally
ls'very poor and insufficient; in many
lnstances, in summer, the s!eepir .
quarters are veritable sweat boxes,
ENG constructed only with a view
to preventing escapes, comforts and
sanitary conditions being entirely
| ignored.
With few exceptions, l found no
hospital buildings COR the sick, and
no preparation for their care, comfort
or medical treatment
TRUTH IS DISTORTED.
In fact it seems to be expected
tina! miss emea1or conyi9ts never get
sick, or require no treatment if they
do; one superintendent having boas.
ted that y his gang, which averages
twenty iise conyicts, he chad not had
a physicih in I've years. AMI yet in
, one gangPf eighteen man | found
there hadPten eight deaths in the
past twelS j months. In the vicinity
o[1 = Glmps found physicians
RET s.s.e1Fho ara called in when
neeasd oaa' now OF the gangs ere
practically wilhht physioians, one
b,ing sent for ony in extreme cases.
In few Of he|oam pa the oouviots
are fairly led, bud generally the food
which consists Of corn bread and
f'iad meat, WHIP no change from day
to day, is scht and meager, and
really insutici,I. to maintain health
and strength.
The clothir is generally scant
ana filthy, sonP convlcts going for
weeks wlthop5t chaage; hence YER
min OF all kind are not frequent.
AT some ca n Ps only coiton c.o!be5
are cd winter and summer. and al
= mum ger OF cqpps the Gonvicts had
no clothes ex| apt what they were
then wearing.
l found fem lie prisoners WORKING
side by side vii h Their msle confed
crates, dressed b lul male attire, the
authorities oiaid ng that "this mode
: OF dress was les IN tho way, and be-
sides, 1t seemed to be the tendency
OF the 'new wo1an.'"
With ore or two exceptions, no
record is kept 81 0 wing name of con,
Wet, crime of wi ieh convicted, term.
date received, Pate d saharged, or
record of daily ionduc! upon which
the good time allowed by law should
be based.
Ia many casegthe convicts had to
be looked up al counted BET 9re |
could ascertain how many were in
the gang. 1t wR impossible to learr,
on this account, how many oonviots
have been held leyond the term i'm.
posed by the cohrts; but, flon my
observation, taken in connection with
other facts which will hereafter be
mentioned, I am satisfied such cases
( necnr not infrsnnh ntlv