The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-15
THE FARGO CONVICT CAMP.
A New York Writer Snys II Is the
Best of Its Kind Extant.
From the New York Press.


The convict system has been, is, and al
ways will be unsatisfactory because of
the efforts OF sentimental foo,s who want
to make easy the burden OF the criminal.
forgetting the crime and those who suf-
fer thereby. The bare mention of a con-
Wet camp in Georgia, where time servers
are leased TO the highest bidder at so
much year, has been known TO fire the
Northern heart till it turned to cinder
Inc abuses of such plan are many, of
course. Convict in Georgia means, or did
mean. chain-gang, and chain-gang means.
or did mean, short rations bloodhounds,
merciless beatings. bone breakings and
murderous shotgun surveillance. All these
thlhSs taken together mean, or did mean
more than Brockwayism. Recently. how
ever, have come across a convict camp
IN Georgia that is controlled by New York
men, and 1t is model penal colony.
The House I'm Camp.
We have with us at No. IS WALL street
the big lumber firm of G.. S. Baxter IL Co.
the members being George S. Baxter. Ed
gar Z. Long and Walter Ferguson, Jr
waiter ferguson, Jr., is a son of our
prominent fellow citizen, Walter Fergu-
son, Sr., director in nine powerful corpor-
atoms. He is president of the Atlantic
Naldosta and Western Railway, the Jack
sonViile short line to the Northwes Mr.
Long is Its vice president. At Fargo. Ga.
the hrm operates saw mills that cut mil
mons OF feet of long-leaf pine annually
and every emp,oye Is a Georgia convict
hired from the state at $96 per head per
annum, the state furnishing guards and n
physician. For the first time In history
possibly reforma ton has been worked bv
means of the hose. More water has been
turned on those criminals than a nillior
negroes not in the ehain-gang would think
OF using In century.
Cleanliness and Labor.
In the old days convicts were chained
together at night 90 guard against es-
cape. In the Fargo camp each man had
MS separate stall and cot and each cot
Is hinged to an iron rod extending bori-
zontaily through the building, so that II
may be raised and lowered like a trap
uoor. There Is no claiming together.
Eacn man has mattress and springs
Every morning soon as the gang turns
Out the cleaning department sets to work
wan hot water and hose, flushing every
nook and Granny, floor, ceiling, walls
beds, windows and doors. The place be-
ing excellently drained, II Is no diffcu,t
matter 10 keep IL as clean as the deck
OF clipper ship The positive absence
OF vermin is accomplished for the first
water doeseit Imagine a niger con-
viet camp without fruitful fields for the
entomologist. Montrous! Can such things
be? Yes! NJ. Pulex Irritsns, M Pedicu-
lus Capitis and NJ. Clmex LectuIarius
are banshed from Fargo, and the physi-
clan has nothing to do.
Judge of Timber
In this camp of Messrs. Baxter, Long
Ferguson the employe who is respon-
sib!e for the selection OF timber TO he
sawn is white man from Savannah,
Ca, former treasurer and secretary of
a prominent church there. He went
wrong, appropriated that which vas not
his and went to the changing for fifteen
years. At first he vas rebellious and
had to take his whipping 1uss as II he
we're a niger" This soon tanned him.
and to-day he is quite as useful 10 the
company as II he were free, and oil for
$50 year, board and clothes. BY good
behavior he will reduce his term one
half, / am informed and when released
the firm probably will employ him al a
good saiary.
Vice President Long.
Edgar C. Long Is a st. paul man. At
twelve he lost an arm in a threshing
machine. He Is said TO have done more
for Jacksonville than any other citizen.
native or adopted. He and his partners
were In the turpentine and rosin business
before becoming railroad and timber mag
mates. A Jacksonville wag said of him
the other day: Long owns nearly the
whole state now II he had two arms he'd
own the whole country" The "niggers"
in Georgia hope THAI ere the jubilee comes
Messrs. @. s. Baxter e. Co. Will lease all
the convicts In the state. because their
camp is a paradise on earth. No one
minds going to the chain gang II he can
60 10 Fargo.