The Washington bee., 1899-05-27
THt COLORED RACE In AMERICA.
ISSUED BY THE HOWARD ASSOCIATION,
LONDON, 1899.


During the past year, the Howard
Association has, on various OCCASIONS
received from those Soutnern otates
very grieyous accounts of Crueltles IN
ficte both upon prisoners and others
of the colored race, and In particular
in the convict camps and challl gangs
where a shocking condition OF affairs
exists.
THE CONVICT CAMPS AND CHAlN0ANO9
There are comparatively 'ery lew
prison buildings in the South. ofleha-
erS are chiefly leased out, Tor open dll
work, TO contractors or bidders, VINO
paw their labor, so much a head, to
the state or county, and then become
absolute masters of Sucl. prisoners;
SO that the taxpayer is entirely re-
lieved from the burden OF CRIMINALS,
who actually become source OF large
revenue to the state and to lndlVld-
uals. This may, at tlrst sig ut, seem 10
be great advance upon the general
systems of the North and OF Europe,
which are so costly to the community.
But la reality the lease system pro-
duces the most terrible sutterIngS ana
fatalities 10 many thousands annually.
REVIVAL OF SLAVERY.
1t is practically, a revival of slavery,
and on a very extensive scale. In
Florida, public sales of convicts most
of whom are negroes) occasionally
take place, when they are sold by auc-
tion to the highest bidder, for various
periods, up TO four years. Usually the
sentences in the South ION colored
people, even for minor offences, such
as stealing eggs, are for very long
periods.
There are several classes of leased
convicts. Firstly, those under the
immediate supervision of the state, iii
camps, or farms, corresponding some
what to British convict establishments
These, though open TO grave objection
are comparatively free from the gross
est evils, and have, of late years, un-
dergone considerable improvement
in several of the states. Secondly,
there are the county camps, which are
worse. And, lastly, and worst of all,
there are the numerous gangs farmed
out 10 private sub contractors, or bid
derS, who, in many cases, "sweat"
their victims to death bg excessive
labor, wretched food, brutal violence
and the groSSeSt neglect of sanitary re-
quirements And of course, religious
and moral obligations are utterly
ignored in most instances.
In the best prisons of the Northern
States, as in New York tat Elmira, J
Massachusetts, lat Concord Junction
and Sherborne,) Illinois. (at Joliet and
Pontiac Ohio, lat Columbus Min
neSsota, (at Stillwater,) and in Penn
sylvania, Michigan. Rhode Island
and other states, the reformation of
the prisoner is, at least, earnestly at
tempted, and often successfully
achieved, But in southern camps and
chain gangs IT is the very reverse.
"INFERNos"
The "cart2inS" employed by the
Sub-COntractorS are often of the class
depicted in "Legree" in "Uncle
Toms Cabin" Their conduct to
the female convict is indescribable.
A large number of illegitimate births
take place in these camps The
wretched children born in them are,
in some instances, permanently re-
tanned as slaves. And the breeding
of such has become an avowed pur-
pose, at lease in one state. Woe to
the women or girls who are sent to
such camps Their life is, and must
be an inferno. Men and women fire.
quently run away and are then chased
with bloodhounds and guns; those
killed being sometimes registered as
escaped
The colored population furnishes
about nine tenth of the southern con-
victS, and it is reliably stated that
considerable portion of them are
either quite innocent or are punished
by long sentences for the most trifline
offences, and frequently, on merely
uump-up charges. Ii is to the inter :
est Of the local officials and contrac-
tors that the number of conyicts
should be as large as possible and
their detention as prolonged as it
can be made.
CHILDREN IN THE CHAIN GANGS
A very sac feature in these chain
gangs is the number of young children
sent to them. A leading phiIanthropist
of Baltimore, Mr.. O.. ). Griffith, pres
ident of the MARYLAND Society for the
Protection of Children, was panied to
ind in the gangs SO many children
from nine years of age and upwards
In one of the better class of chain
gangs, in North Carolina, he found &
persons, including three women and
/ boy of IL years fage. And he says:
" These men women and bows, all
sleep under a tent 70 by 24 feet" This
promiscuous and most demoralizing
association of the various ages and
sexes, by day ard night, is the usual
feature of the private camps, and
sometimes, even of the state estab-
lishmentS.
Judge Chandler of Georgia, saws:
My experience Is that when boy is
sent to the chain gang, he is ruined"
Judge Berry of Atlanta, savs:-"I have
seen too many cases where bows have
been ruined by being sent to the chain
gangs. Then what must they be for
girls?
BRUTAL CAPTAINS"
Fearful brutalities are perpetrated
by these captains" in the lonely, re
mote places where many OF the gangs
are located, as in forests and mines.
Sometimes convicts have been fayed