Richmond planet., 1898-08-27
WHITE LADY SPEAKS PLAINLY.
TheCurSeOfa Century Americas Cruelty The Con-
ViCt and the Brutality tyOfHS Keeper.
Worse Than African Slavery-A Vivid Portrayal
Sc Than African slavery--A Vivid Portrayal
THE FIELD.oF BLooD-A TOUCHING PLEA

"Wh refore 1 poured my fury upon
them for the blood they had shed up
on the land. Bible.
Editor Rich mond PLANET:
i have Just been reading
your comments on the late lynchings in
Arkansas. can give you true ac-
count of darker deeds than even that
and 4 will leave it for your readers to
decide whether Western editor was
right when he declared that, "The peo-
pie OF Arkansas are not yet civilized.
They have not yet reached the stand-
ard of civilization of the American In
dian to-day, for he no longer burns his
captive at the stake, while Arkansans
do"
ARKANsAs AND IT'S BARBARoUs TREAT
MENT.
Arkansas has long been noted for the
cruel treatment of her convicts as we'll
as for the burning at the stake ard the
shooting and the hanging of her Afro
American citizens.
The convict lease system was adopt
ed in 1878. At first but little was
known outside of the "ring" how bar
barously the convicts were treated
but official reports showed that many
who entered the prison stocka ades new
er returned alive. During the year
1880 over one hfth of the average num-
Der persisted, and for many succeeding
years the mortality was very great.
CORRECT ACCOUNT.
The March numbers of the Arkansas
Gazette OF 1888, published at Little
Rock contained correct account of
an official investigation of the peniten-
tiary convict camp at Coal Hill mines,
from which I take the following ex-
tracts:
TIE camp was located in a very un-
healthy place and convlcts died there
but no coroner was ever mortified. On
the 7th of March, 1888, coroner Blythe
went to the camp and demanded ad-
mittance but was refused. The war
den WAS finally compelled to submit
and the coroner was ad omitted into the
camp which resulted in an investiga-
tion by the Governor.
DRPLoRABLE CONDITION.
The investigating committee "found
147 men at the camp, 120 of whom
worked in the mines. All of the con-
slept along side each other on filthy
beds OF straw and in one room from
which q sickening stencil arose. Many
were covered with vermin. Only one
blanket WAS allowed each man and
they had suffered during cold weather
Some had gone barefooted all winter y
SEVENTY BURIED.
They found that between sixty and
seventy convicts had been buried in q
marshy place not far from the srock.
place for hogs" Several OF the bodies
were exhuned and examined. The
following will show how these convictl
were murdered.
"a warden whose name was Hudson
had Negro chained to the post anC
stripped. Hudson hit him $50 licks
making the back raw and causing th'
Negro to yell SO that his shrieks wert
heard at Coal Hill more than Il mile
away. Hudson then took salt ant
water and threw it upon the lacerateC
and bleeding back, then left the Negr'
standing in the hot sun chained to
pest.
sTANDINo UNTIL HE DIED.
He was again whipped and left stan,
ing until he died."
The Negroes only offence was that b
was sick and unable to work.
Upon the examination Of the body Q
another colored convict it was foun
that 'the end Of the spinal column ha
Deen kicked and broken off. The geni
tai organs had been kicked of O
stamped on with q shoe heel, the ston
ach had been kicked to pieces. Alto
gether there were forty distinct kick
and hrniQaa The hoad had hoo
punched all out Of shape and was an
recognizable. The eyes had burst fror
their sockets and hung down over tn
face"
The man had been kicked ana bruis