Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-10-24
suMMERELLs "MisTAKE"
A story Tbn. Ronds Like n Chapter
on tho Horrors of tho Russinn
Prisons ia siborln-aoro British
Than tho Worst OF His Conviots-A
scnthins Expose OF Trcntmcn, OF
Prisoners.


the sentiment therein expressed:
The News and Observer has been
publishing some of the corruptions and
hrutalities OF the slave-pens commonly
known as the State farms. 1t Is not
pleasant reading to n man who loves
his Slate and wants to be proud of his
people. Indeed II Is difficult to believe
that the things related really form
part of the history of North Carolina.
1t reads more like a chapter out of
Remnants book on the horrors Of the
Russian prisons of Siberia. And there
Is no uncertainty about the things
which have been published: they were
told to n committee appointed by the
Legislature to collect Information and
make report.
There are several OF these State farms
lying along the Roanoke On one OF
them three of the men sent out to work
IN the coolest weather of last winter
were frost bitten in their hands or feet
and anputation became necessary. At
the same time there was no work on the
neighborins plantations because the la
borers refused TO do 1t. The prisoners
OH the State farm were driven to it..
When tho ovcrseer was confronted by
the committee he did not deny the
facts, but said he made a. mistake: he
did not know the weather was SO cold.
itary have said that the man simply
made n mistake: it was unintentional.
DO they expect any rational man to be-
lleve that? tIe is retained in office
though another winter Is on us.
The man who makes such mistakes
DIS unfit to be trusted with the lives or
comfort OF other men. And those who
condonc such things are unfit for the
management OF public business.
On this same farm one OF the prison
l1;s- Il ~. l.
one Of thcsubordinates of the overseer.
or this he also said 1t was Il mistake.
VIII the Democrats also agree with the
oversecr in this and say 1t was only q
mistake? The blood grows hot rs one
thinks of such brutality on the part of
the officers of the slave-pen and of the
callousncss of the officials who are over
them.
On one OF these farms it is stated that
two men were shot though they were
neither making resistance nor seeking
to escare. Was this also a mistake?
Will the directors thus define 1t?
~ mans character may always be
known by his attitude towards the help
less who are in his power. The official
who, with absolute power in his hands,
is necdlessly coarse and rigorous to-
yards the prisoners in his keeping is
more brutal than the worst convicts
who suffer at his hands.
Floggng in our navy was long since
pcared from the penal machinery of
this State quarter OF a century ago or
more 1t was abandoned as an nhu-
man thing But the whipping post was
bcnevolencc Itself rs compared with
what takes place on these farms. Uu-
der the old system the number of
strokes was carefully prescribed by law
and the punishment was inflicted in
public so that there might be no peril
of life or risk Of injury 10 the person
In nj T,, cID
pens all Is different. The whips have
been described to us. One of them was
piece of buggy trace attached to n
handle which was a deadly weapon
easy to kill man with it. Another of
these whips was 4 wide thong of sole
leather attached to n. similar handle
SO far MS I know there is no limit to
the number of the strokes or whipplngs
save the Will of overseers who are
sometimes ignorant and passionate.
sometimes drunken men. The naked
bodies OF men and women are scourged
with the instruments of torture which
have been described above. 1t is the
common punishment. On the Roanoke
farms 1t is stated that fifty Der cent
of the prisoners are whipped; at the
Central Prison, Raleigh thirty per cent
There is no inspector of prisons to
make investigation and give informa-
tion to the people. There is no public
looking on, to hold in check the violence
The thud of the whip and the cries of
the sufferer do not reach the outer
world; they fall only on the cars of men
like themselves who may at any mo-
ment be subjected to the same torture.
Around are guards, armed with repeat
ing rifles outside are blood hounds IL
they escape from the pen. Is it Won
derful that the prison authorities of the
United States declined to send any
more convicts into a State where such
system OF prison discipline prevails?
Under such a system there would be
some mistakes and some needless suf-
fering with the wisest and best men in
charge. 1t Is unthinkable what must
take place when the officials are past
masters in the business of profane
swearing and the rest of their equip
ment Is OF similar character. Mem
bers OF the Legislatures committee
have said that some abuses which they
discovered were unfit to be published.
We may we'll believe 1t from what we
already know. And the Superintendent
seems to think that all is we'll and
majority of the Directors with him. "a
mistake" seems to be n sufficient ex-
PLANTATION and excuse for every act of
cruelty and wrong; and things go on.
This In n State where In many sec
tons the churches are only four miles
apart. These people will awake some
time and call the authorities and their
subordinates- who perpetrate such out
RACES to n just reckoning.
Our whole system of prison discip-
line needs revision. At present the in
struments relied on are the rife, the
bloodhound, the whip: this last MS
cruel as the RuSson knout of some
years ago. Isn't 1t time that the Chris
tian people of the State demand that
there be justice to the men who are cut