The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-08-23
THE HORRORS OF SIBERIA
No Worse Than the Georgia Private
Convict Camps.
AWFUL STATE OF AFFAIRS EXIST
Men and wonen Treated, without
Reward 10 sex, Wcrse Than
Slaves-An Official Report.

Atlanta. Ca. August a2.-The state Of
Of affairs which exists In the private con-
Wet camps or stockades In this State was
barely touched BY the Associated Prsss
account
The report OF Phil q. Bryd. special In
spector Of convict camps, not only gtvea
information not heretofore unknown to the
public, but reveals series OF horrors ana
abuses. which are almost uncomfortable In
a civilized State. The inhuman treat
ment OF these prisoners in some Of the
private camps is too horrible and revolving
for publication. The brutality In several
cases amounts to murder, and In num-
Der to torture. In Que case It appears that
murder In Pulaski county was hushed
| up by the grand Jury because OF influence.
though a reputable citizen appeared and
swore he saw convict beaten to death.
Nearly all the abuses. both OF cruelty and
fragrant disregard of sanitary provisions,
occurred in private camps. where misde-
meanor convicts were leased TO individuals
in violation of law. OF 1899 misdemeanor
convcts about 800 are thus hired. The
mortality In private camps is nineteen In
an average OF 6sO inmates. In the public
camps 1t was twenty three In an average
Total of 1910. The rate is therefore about
double In the private camps. In one OF
them II was % per cent In concluding his
report MIR. Byrd says.
God only knows how badly the mis-
demeanor convict camps Of Georgia need
rescue. II is worse than Siberia"
The report deliberately charges that the
convicts In the misdeincanor camps, most
OF whom are leased by the State to private
contractors, have been handled without
mercy by their keepers. The report ac-
cuses the contractors OF robblng the con-
victs OF the time tho State allows them
for good behavior. of forcing them TO work
from fourteen to twenty hours day, of
falling to provide them with clothes shoes
and beds, OF giving thom no heat in winter
of forcing scores OF them to sleep shackied
in single boarded rooms. OF giving them
rotten food and of falling to care for the
sick.
Instances are quoted showing the hor-
|
names, times and places are mn at which
men were actually beaten toy death by
the brutal guards for failing TO comply
with insignificant regulations.
The report says that in most OF the
camps the men are provided with but
one suit of convict clothes, which they
are competed TO wear the ycar round.
In the matter of food II says that on
tho return of the conyicts from sixteen
junks OF raw beef and horse, which they
have to cook on little fires while shackled
together on the ground.
In the matter of buildings, the report Ia
no less severe.
In the Glynn county camp the commits
sion found sixty-oDe men sleeping In a
room eighteen feet square and seven feet
from noor to ceiling. with no window in
1t, and absolutely no means Of ventilation.
: Most OF the camps had neither hunks nor
} mattresses. and the conyicts were COM
PEELED to sleep on the ground.
The death rate in one camp was one In
four, and In the others averaged about
one In seven. Men and women Of both
coors were forced to sleep together In
outhouses. and worren were compelled 10
don mems clothes and work In the bitches
with the men.
The reports description OF tho treat
} ment OF women Ia unprintable. In one
camp the commission found sixteen colored
: men and white woman quartercd in
I barn with cows. and with a guano store
room above them.
. In the Pulaski county camp the guards
, had beaten convict to death and buried
, him with his stripes and shackles on. II
another case the commission tells Of ar
, 1s-year-old negress named Lizzie Boat
i wright being stripped naked in the pres
t ence OF the men and subjected TO treat
ment that is indescribabls.
, The exact language OF the report In an
1ther case lis as follows:
Q 1.-THE facts OF tho murder case agains
9 Guard Cannon az sworn TO before the coro
i, oner's Jury are these: Cannon whipped
the aged negro a number OF times. and 81
unmercilly that, almost unconscious ans
perfectly helpless. the old man looked vi
!. from the ground where he lay and asked
Boss, II you gwine to kill mc?' Cannon
angrily replied: Yes. ------- ------- you,
E am The negro then begged to be she,
and spared further torture. After ~
last whipping Cannon dragged him to
= tree and chained him SO that he could no
lie down. Half an hour later when HI
y gang got back McRay was dead"
!. The report quotes in full the state
ment OF Or. John Hill Of Washington. VIII
performed an autopsy on the old negro.
Q is a detailed statement showing that Tn
= man was beaten literally TO pulp befor
= his tortured soul left his torn and bleedin
g body.
y In conclusion, the report says; Go
only knows Just how badly the conyie
camps Of Georgia need reform"
: Governor Atkinson will report the mat
e ter to the Legislature at once. with a red