The Washington bee., 1899-05-13
The COLORED RACE In AMERICA.
ISSUED BY THE HOWARD ASSOCIATION,
LONDON, 1899.

"A SSOGldllOIl lldSg VII
received from those Southern otdee
very grievous accounts OF crueitleS III
flicte both upon prisoners ana olnel
of the colored race, and In particular
in the convict camps and chain gangs
where a shocking condition OF affair
exists.
THE CONVICT CAMPS AND CHAINGANG
There are comparatively 9ery lev
prison buildings in the South. Ofend
ers are chiefly leased out, for open al
work, to contractors or bidders, wht
pay their labor, so much a head. Il
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 indlvid
ualS. This may, at first sight, seem tt
be great advance upon the genera
systems of the North and OF Europe
which are so costly to the community
But in reality the lease system pro
duceS the most terrible SutterIngS ano
fatalities to many thousands annually
REVIVAL OF SLAVERY.
1t is practically, revival of slavery
and on a very extensive scale. lr
Florida, public sales of convicts (mosI
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, in
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 BY 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 lat Elmira, }
Massachusetts, tat Concord Junction
and Sherborne,l Illinois. tat Joliet and
Pontiac Ohio, tat Columbus Min
nessota, (at Stiliwater,) and in Penn
Sylvania, Michigan. Rhode Island
and other states, the reformation of
the prisoner is, al least, earnestly at
tempted, and often successfully
achieved. But in southern camps and
chain gangs it is the very reverse.
"INFERNos"
The "cart9inS" 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-
tained as slaves. And the breeding
OF such has become an avoWed pur-
pose, al 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 way and are then chased
with bloodhounds and guns; those
Killed being sometimes registered as
escaped"
The colored population furnishes
about nineteenth of the southern con-
victs, and it is reliably stated that a
considerable portion of them are
either quite innocent or are punished
by long sentences for the most triflino
Oh ences, and frequently, on merely
tru np-up charges. 1t is to the inter
est of the local officials and cOntrac-
torS that the number of convicts
sh luld be as large as possible and
tn ;lr detention as prolonged as it
can be made.
CHILDREN IN THE CHAIN GANGS
A very sa0 feature in these chain
gangs is the number Of young children
sent TO them. A leading philanthropist
OF Baltimore, Mr.. @. 5. Griffith, pres
ldent 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 wears Of age. And he saws:
= These men women and bows, all
sleep under tent 10 by p feet" This
promisCuous and most demoralizlng
association of the various ages and
sexes, by day ard night, is the usual
feature OF the private camps, and
even of the state estab-
liShmentS.
Judge Chandler of Georgia. saws:
My experience Is that when a boy is
sent TO the chain gang, he is ruined"
Judge Berry OF Atlanta, says:-"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 flayed
alive! On one prisoners corpse forty
injury were found. He had been
literally beaten TO pieces. Another
had been diSguStinply dismemhered