The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-12
CRUEL WORK At THE CAMPS
a PRISONER FROM SAVANNAH on
THE STAND.


Mouth and NOstriIs-The Lessees
Fail TO Provide the Clothing Re
0uired by Lava Revolving state
of DepravIty in the Dade County
Mines.
Atlanta, Ca, Feb. lin the investiga-
ton Of the charges against the lessees
Of the penitentiary to-day, the state in
troduced as witnesses two c2nv;cts rom
the Cole City camp and several members
Of the House committee which made the
sensational report, whose testimony gives
the case a decidedly more serious COM
plexion than the developments yesterday
seemed to warrant.
One Of the convict witnesses, B. S.
Smith. sent up from Savannah. was kept
on the stand nearly two hours and dur
ing that time he gave a graphic account
of the inner workings Of the convict
camp. Among other details he describ-
ed the "ducking" process of punishment,
which was so severely denounced by the
committee, and told of the death Of
convict a couple of weeks after he had
been subjected to this operation. He al
so told of the death Of another convict
the day after he had been fogged for
refusing TO work on plea Of illness.
Two other convicts were shown to have
been subjected to the "ducking" punish
ment until they bled at the nostrils and
mouth, while, if the testimony Of the
convicts is taken as true, 1t was clearly
established that the lessees have grossly
failed to provide the clothing required
by the law for their men. In some cases
the convicts were without shoes while
there was four inches Of snow on the
ground. Others have but a single suit
of clothing and are forced to so naked
while they WASH and dry these on Sun
days. while it appears that socks are an
unknown quantity in any of the camps.
In the Dade county mines a most re-
voting state OF moral depravity-deprav-
ity of a character not TO be described in
print-was shown to exist, with the know
ledge of the superintendent.
The lease act lays down certain rules
for the government of the convicts and
requires the lessees to provide certain
quantities of clothing for them, among
other things. In none of these camps
under investigation has this rule been
kept, and 1t is likely the lessees will be
held accountable for this shortcoming at
least, II not on the more serious charges.
Another point brought out is that the con-
victs are permitted to gamble among
themselves, wagering their shoes, socks,
when they had them, and wearing apparel
on the game. Some of the guards were
also shown to have been guilty of gam
bling with the convicts.
When the Investigation was resumed
this morning, the first witness introduced
was Representative Bell of the House
committee, which visited the Cole City
camp last December, and upon whose in
formation the sensational report was
made to the House by Chairman Reagan
of the penitentiary committee. Mr.. Bells
testimony was not at all sensational,
however. He said that all he found to
criticise was the fact that there was a
lot of window glass broken out of the
building where the men were confined. He
did not find them half fed and half starv-
ed, and knew nothing or the punishment
inflicted
Following this witness. b. s Smith. the
Savannah convict, was put upon the stand.
Smith was sent up two years ago last
December for embezzlement, having COM
mitted that crime while in the employ
ment Of the Brush Electric Light Com
pany as a collector. Smith proved to be
q very intelligent witness and told more
about the detailed workings Of the peni-
Tertiary than all the other witnesses COM
bned. He professed reformation some
time ago and has been preaching at the
camp. While he was on the stand to-
day, the legislative pardon committee, at
work in another room in the capitol pass
ed upon his case and recommended his
pardon by the governor He has been eX-
pecting a pardon for some time, ana this
fact played an interesting part in his
smith said that he had seen
the "ducking" punishment inflicted
only once, though he had heard
his term i His description Of the process
was practically the same as that given
by the committee, except that no hose
was applied to the victims nOStrilS, the
water being poured with dipper or dash
ed into his face. When questioned as to
the serious consequences Of this punish
ment, he said that Sam Givens, white
man, had died about two weeks after hav-
ing been subjected to it, but he could not
say that the punishment caused his death.
He next described the flogging of the
convicts. He was threatened with 1t once
because he complained of being sick, but
the threat was not carried out in his
case, although Joe Dorsey another man
who claimed to be sick, was flogged ana
died the following day. The camp officials
claim that this mans death was caused
by appendicitis.
Smith went into details concerning the
food provided at the camp, but on the
whole 1t was considered of good quality
and sufficient In reply TO questions as
to the effect of visits from Investigating
committees, he testified that it was an
inVariable occurrence that Immediately
after the departure of such committees
punishment was inflicted upon a number
of convicts, the inference being that they
had displeased the managers by their
statements to the committeeman. At the
instance of a free laborer Smith said that
he wrote an article for publication, show
ing up the management of the camps in
q sensational way, last summer. The let
ter fell into the hands of Capt. Cox, the
superintendent, and he was sent into the
mines with double ShackleS as q punish
nent for the offense. Capt. Cox then declar-
ed that he would prevent his pardon by the
governor and finally wound up by trying
to get him (Smith) to write out a state
ment saying that the charges in the letter
were malicious lies When he refused the
superintendent became very angry and
made a personal assault upon him. grab
bling him by the ears and cursing him. The
witness said that the last socks that had
been issued hE the company was in Feb
ruary, 1893 Until just after the visit of the
last legislative committee last winter
when a heavy fall of snow was on the
ground, many men were without shoes
and clothes to keep them warm. One man.
George Johnson, was fogged because he
remained in the house to keep warm
Smith gave the names of a number who
had been compelled to wrap their feet up
in blankets to keep them from freezing
and stated that for a month he was him
self without shoes and had to work in the
machine shops by the stove.
On being questioned by the governor
Smith said that the Sunday work done by
the convicts was voluntary. They were
paid for it and We're anxious to do it, 1t
was developed, however. that the manage
ment is in the habit of doing a great deal
more work on Sunday than the law con-
templates.
P. L. Merckins, a convict sent up from
Floyd county for stealing a horse while he
was drunk told substantially the same
ct. 1T.