The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
IN OUR BLACK SIBERIA.
WHAT FAILS TO THE LOT OF 4 CON-
YICT IN THE GEoRGII MINES.


Ryder ni'lard zones une y" '''e twenty
years In 'no NEAR y, !" - t""Ee-
Lne -, ,o.s"' 10
ATLANTA da, oct- '-itSucr pllaFd' q
negro, 81 years old, mas just complcteu Il term
OF twenty-five years III tho Dade coal mines.
where no was cohhneu ny Ihe iessccS VI no
State convicts. Dhlard was an hlellEcht I"I
of IL when he was convicted OF arson ana Sch5
up for hfo from the fultoh county s'perirr
Court. He and four other laas wee caught IN
the act OF setting nro 10 u su"rc "Hoh no was
but o years old hyoer was inc Youngest az
tho gang and had accepted a trlt'lhE sun az
money TO etand guard at tho ihou'n OF an aliey
so as to warn his associates IN case they were
discovered by the police.
When the i've boys reacheu the Dndc coal
mines, in the mountain section OF the state.
Ryder billiard was too young to work in tbs
mines and was put at such light tasks as at
tending to the horse of the superintendent and
doing other small jobs about the premises, 40
the end of two years it was decided that no was
strong enough to enter the mines with the other
life c%onvicts, and he was set to work with his
pick and lamp In the subterrancan regions, and
for twenty years he never saw the light OF day.
In spite of the hard labor and the terrible
confinement he grew stout and rugged ard was
able to do as much work as any of the rest OF
LDB COlNltIS. bub "hCh puluthVo "a ~ 1--we
Atkinson a few days ago he was like a being
from another world in his ignorance and SIM
plicity regarding life in the light of day. lie
returned to Atlanta alone, all four of his COM
rades In crime having succumbed to the
laborious life Of those desolate dungeons in the
heart Of tho Lookout Mountain range, and
without friends or acquaintance he set out To
earn a livelihood. But his eyes had been so
long accustomed to the dim twilight OF tho
.-,.o. 49,. L. -.,IJ -t hanr tha 1tylt ~ th,
sun and was compclled to nut ON dark colored
- - a. 49,.
glasses during inc Jay
He had forgotten the names of the common
est objects above ground, and as he CROPPED his
way about the streets DIS condition was truIy
pitiable. He went back to the mines and Of
fcred his services, but as only convict labor is
employed Inere ne was lurheu away. Nv III"
not know which way to turn. Everything was
new ana s'ranse, AZ AZ u N heol'e Wmo,, 10
d sno"n III MS '! no'u u . ;. e'u LII
when first arrested and had no relatives to care
what became ~ him
Finding that he could not go back to the
mines he came back TO the city and obtained
work at a coal yard. He had known nothing
but work in coal 50 long that there was a sort
OF famll,arl'y I'm IN 'n n',,, ,oa"i hs ana n ut,"aoins OK
inc wagons Una, suI'eu NE c'"ultIon ue',eE
than ANYTHING else to which he could turn his
.a,u ~ ..,ria, ,,i,.,, ,hn,a l. I,n,no,.
A"ohe coh,iet ''i''i ''cio ~ " i"'S""se
that is uninteliigiblc to outsiders. They call
the few objects that come under their obserya.
49,, hn -, aieorn,, Wv, 49, ueoa h.
ZION py hames uine'ent IRON 'no9' "stu ny
was several DAYS before billiard was able 10
II L;a,.o,s a1.au,r ,n5a,s,ooa o,I bosa.o -.
n''he inieo ei'oiis al. "''io "o
was able to understand the orders given him.
But he mastered the situation to a certain
ex,ent and js nroving n most faithf and indus.
en NV &c 80
trious laborer. His schooling as a convict was
very severe and the recital OF the hardships 10
which he and his fellow prisoners were sub.
jected is calculated to inspire a feeling OF hOr.
ror in the minas OF those who are unac9uainted
with the life of the convicts under the lease
system. &c.,,
m,On de fus' day dee sont me in de shaft dec
toll me dat =! halter dig twelve tons er coal;
said he in his uncOuth patOis, 70 dat wus de
tas' TO de miners. Dey den toll me DAT Ell
dug any mo dee would gimme a dollah 70 ev,y
ton W at l dug mo dan de fas l went to WOE
wild de heavy pick an hit made my ans ache,
but de boss KEEP me at 1t all day long.
""N'cr. dee come to, measure up my days
Wok o., Say, dat ! had come out short an dab
et. l dldnt do bettah mex day dee would be
'bicese ter lay de lash on me. Dat sGa'ed Inc an
en- we went ter diggln mex day | never tuck
my, eyes off n de vein all day long an des did
mex my tas good by knockin oil time.
"Lawd!- Yo' don't know how hard It wus
ter mex dat tas.., I've seed big men whipped
tell de blood run rom dee backs case dee fail
ter mex dc twelve tons. De bosses woke us up
at 10 clock an We halter eat break us and gi5
inter de shat. We WIS KEEP inside de mino
all de time. but wen we knocked off de bosses
ter de mout' er de mine wey we camped. 'Fo'
l lief We had dug so fur inter dc grOLn' dat We