The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-25

complies with the law requiring them
to keep a book in which the good or bad
conduct OF each convict shall be entered
daily.
In the event of good conduct the law
provides that the convict's term OF con-
f1nement shall be shortened four days
during each month OF service. In fifteen
private camps the contractors are not
J giving their convicts a single day OF for
good service, nor are they making any
pretentions of doing So.
Colonel Byrd says that he feels il his
duty to call attention 10 a few of the
many cases OF cruelty, brutality, inhu-
mainly and even murder that has come
uhder his personal observation during
his tour of inspection. He tells the story
Of the brutal beating OF a simple minded
old negro Buster" Tucker, in Houston
county. which led to the Indictment OF
the guard by the grand jury and the par
don Of the convict.
He tells OF the east Macon camp, in
1 BIB county, where thirty negroes and
one white man were chained together
and made 10 sleep on the floor a room
fifteen feet square, with windows and
doors locked up, and TO escape Of the
volume of impure air arising from such a
compact mass OF humanity. Speaking
Of the Glynn county camp. Colonel Byrd
says:
Il found forty-six colored males and
sixteen white males all asleep IN one
small room. There was but one door TO
this room, and it opened into the guards
quarters and afforded no ventilation. At
night. when these men came in from the
bitches, with their clothes wet, they were
made TO strip, and black and white lay
down on the floor together, their clothes
being piled into a common heap. In the
morning a white man was apt 10 find
himself clad in a wet garment, worn by
a colored convict the day before.
The report does not hesitate 70 say
| that the private camps in many cases
are run by men whose object is to make
| the most money possible out Of the con-
victs, regardless of the cost OF the poor
and helpless prisoners. Colonel Byrd
says he is unable to tell of all the hor-
rors he saw, bur. he gives some instances
Of cruelty almost beyond belief. He says:
IN the camp Of S. F. Floyd and Co..
in Ware County, found sixteen colored
males and a white woman. They shared
their sleeping quarters in a COW stable
and 2 guano store room. In the R. R.
Jones camp, in Morgan county. found
eight colored male convicts, and two of
them had broken legs. These two in
jured men were horribly surrounded, and
have already alluded to this camp as
one Of the banner camps for heavy NOR
tally in 1896.
After quoting numerous incidents show
ing the sudden deaths of convicts in camp
from brain trouble" and other diseases, |
Colonel Byrd takes up the Irwin county |
camp. operated by ]. Allison & Co., and |
he says:
'In Irwin county the negroes look /
worse than in any other camp I have |
inspected. Only five convicts are report
ed to have died at this camp last year.
Upon date OF Inspection 1 found three
negro men, all q. new arrivals and Ill, |
locked in the filthy building. They said
they looked as if they could not recover
The convicts at work were filthy ana
they had been there a week. Two OF
them ragged. c..
In the Pulaski county camp. operated
by ]. r. Allison & Co, found seven
teen convicts, all colored males. There
was not even a stove in this camp, and
the negroes had to cook on skillets on
logs in the open air. There were no
beds. and the few blankets were reek-
ing with filth, and they lay scattered
about a very filthy floor. Three deaths
were recorded at this camp last year. II
is claimed that recently the guards took
turn about on one convict and literally
beat him TO death, and then buried his
remains in his convict suit and with his
shackles on. .--
"A reputable citizen told me that he
had seen the guards beating this convict,
and that in their anger they had caught
him by the shackles and run through
the woods, dragging him along, feet
foremost. He stated that he had gone
before the grandeiury of Pulaski county
and sworn to these facts. but that Mr..
Allison had friends on the jury and that
other citizens had thought it would be
best TO hush the whole deplorable az
fair I'D and keep ii out OF the courts and
the newspapers. Mr.. Allison's son-ln-
law. the superintendent OF the camp.
said that the negro had died OF dropsy
and was buried in his stripes and
shackles 10 save time. The camp of w
II. and J. H. Griffin, in Wilkes county,
I found TO be in very bad condition. Ii
was in this camp that BOD Cannon.
camp guard. in April OF this year, beat
to death an aged negro convict named ,
Frank Moray. When / visited the camp
in Nav I found that cor0ner's inquest
had been held over the murdered nogro's
remains, and that Cannon was in jail,
charged with the murder.
81 inspected the Griffin camp. and :
found the condition of affairs almost too
horrible to describe. The prison was an
abandoned kitchen or Clubhouse in the
yard of a large, old ente-oellum resi-
1ence Every window in y mad been ;
removed and the openings closely board ,
sd I'D and sailed II was a. small square
box, with not even an anger hole for J
air or light. When the door was opsned d,
and had recovered from the shock
caused by the rush % foul air 1 noticed J
, sick negro sitting n the room. How I
human beings could consign fellow be-
ags 70 such an existence l cannot IN ]
any more than l can undcr- ]
stand how human being could survive
night OF confinement in such a den .
1T was in this camp that found {
Lizzie Boatwright, an 1s-yea--old
legress. sentenced for SIX months for :
arceny. She was clad n mems clothing
IND was working side by side with male :
,onvic,s under guard, cutting a Big c
Itch through a meadow. The girl was
mail Of stature and pleasant % address. 7
md her life in this camp must have '