The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-25
BRUTES FOR GUARDS
HORRORS OF TIE CONVICT SYSTEM
IN SOUTHERN STATE.


Revolving scenes Which Have DIsgrace
Georgia and Brought on an Investigs
tion which Is Certain to Enter Polite
and May Cause Political Revolution Il
the State-Whippine Naked WOme'
Convicts Before Great Squads of Men
Torturine Aged Ne.roes-Many ar
New York, Aug. PA special to tn
Herald form Atlanta, says: The repor
Of the special commission which Ia!
been investigating the convict camps o
Georgia has so astoundede the public
that it is impossible TO predict what &C
ton may be taken. Governor Atkinson
has issued a statement in which n
pledges himself TO recommend 10 the leg
islature the passage of a law enactine
| immediate reform, and those represent
atives Of the legislature who could 81
communicated with have telegrapned
their willingness TO support the COVER
nor in any legislation which ne may pro-
| pose.
| Tho penitentiary commission has met
| ana drawn Up a recommendation that the
state Immediately purchase 10000 acres
| oe land in South Georgia, where the con-
victs may be worked under state super
vision in the manufacture of bricks. 4
dozen other suggestions from variou;
sources have been made, and at this
| time it IS impossible TO predict what the
outcome may be.
The indignation Of the state has been
aroused over the published report, and
there is not bti of doubt that a politi-
cal upheaval will be one of the first re-
suits. The report which was prepared
by Colonel Phillip G.. Byrd, does not deal
in theory or imagination. 1t gives names
and dates and places. II tells of things
which the commission saw with their
own eyes and heard with their own ears.
1t is truthful account of trips to the
camp-of visits in the day time and at
night, when no one knew Of their coming.
Colonel Byrd starts out by saying that
he assumed the duties of his office with
the determination to gather all the facts
and to make his report mirror the real
life Of the convict in Georgia. He made
IL a rule 20 arrive at each camp unnot-
iced, and expresses the belief that his
investigation has been as thorough as
any one man could make it in the time
allowed.
He has visited fifty-one "chain gang"
camps and has inspected 1888 convicts.
two municipal camps and twenty-four
"chain gangs" operated by private in
viduals.
The twenty-five county camps contain
1,167 ronvicts of which three are white
women, 101 are white males, seventy
FIVE are colored females and 9SS are col
ored males. The twenty-four "chain
gangs" operated by private individuals
contain sos convicts made up OF one
white female, twenty-seven white males,
twenty colored females and $50 colored
males.
These figures refer to convicts over
sixteen years old. There were about one
hundred under that age. The convicts
worked by the counties are, as a whole,
well clothed and we'll fed. The commits
siorer recommends that there should be
more systematic method adopted In
the handling OF these convicts. 1t is in
Speaking Of the leased convicts that Col
onel Byrd takes off mis- gloves"
He asserts here that the convicts had
no clothes except the greasy, grimy gar
ments on their backs, and in many cases
these were worn to threads and worth
less as clothes. The convicts were bad
ly shod and in most cases went bare
footed.
'In the matter Of food he says, there
is a vast difference in camps. In many
OF the pine belt gangs, where the con-
victs are buried in the vastness of the
mighty pine forests, they go from years
end 70 years end without taste OF veg
etables. Usually the convicts returning
after fourteen hours work are given raw
chunks of meat to prepare for dinner" |
In the matter of buildings the report |
is no less severe. In the Glynn county |
camp Colonel Byrd found sixty-one men |
sleeping in q room less than nineteen |
feet square and one window and but one |
door. which opened into another room. |
In Jefferson county the convicts slept in |
tents which had no hunks. no mattresses, |
and not even a floor. Fully one-third Of |
the private camps contained neither |
hunks nor mattresses. and convicts are /
compelled 20 sleep in filthy, vermin rid |
len blankets on the ground.
In Glynn county the whites and blacks |
have been sleeping in the same room,
and in Chatham, Bibb and jefferson both
>olOrs are chained together. In contin-
ling his description of convict life Col
mel Byrd says:
Many Of the camps have no arrange
nents and scarcely miserable excuses
or means OF warming the barnlike
in which the convicts are con-
ined during me stormy days and win
~ nights. The suffering the helpless
er must be terrible. while in summer
.aey are locked in the sweat boxes with
'ut ventilation in order that the lessee
nay save the expense OF employing night
guards. In two instances I found by the !
bedside OF i'll convicts tubs that had
,een used for days without having been
implied. and in a condition that would
AVE killed anything but a convict.
Colonel By.d's description OF the sani-
airy arrangements Of some OF the camps
nj the horrors Of convict life in this
aspect are unprin.able He calls attaa-
ION to the fact that the death rate in
he private camps is double that ot the
ounty's camps. The heaviest death rate
vas in the camp OF W. E. Wayne. where
ne in six died. In J. R Allison & Co.
asper county, whers one out OF four con
lets dies during confinement AZ the
amp Of r. r Jones. n Morgan county.
ne in six died. In the ]. R Allison & Co.
amp. in Irwin county. one man GU: OF