The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-28
THE GEORGIA CONVICT CAMPS
INNOCENT PERSONS ENTRAPpEp
AND MADE TO WORK..
official Investigation n. to he Wade
OF outroges. hut the Witnesses
Have Been Scattered.

Atlanta Ga. September 25-Criminal
charges have been hled with the prison
commi on Of Georgia by Solicitor J w
Edmondson OF Brooks courty against the
Mckee convict camp managers in Lowndes
county, this State, in the form OF afYidavits
trom prominent citizens to the effect that
the hnReo brothers have kidnapped innocent
men and women and made them work under
armed guards for an indefinite period
Tho inhuman outrages In tho penal camps
oil Georgia. which created such an Intense
protest two years ago. haze broken out
anew under most malignant eircum ,tances
Inc most recent ana leartully repuslve in
stance is that furnished by the McRee camp
III BiOoks county, IA the sUuehorn part Oh the
S,Ate Inc main charge agaihs, the Mckee
managers is that they euuapped innocent
LEG oes into tho camp, ana py pursuink
Duldozing methods. forced them TO work
without wages. an'd accomDan ments OF the
mos bru,al ana immoral description. Tao
law requires that the ltssees shall make
q report ~ least once mon h OF the CON
dlton Of the camp, but this has not been
done in single instance SAGE tne eslabi sn-
meht OF the ca5lp years ago. Tue law also
REQUIRES that the sexes shall be separa cd.
anu IN this particular the lessCts nave sig-
rally failed to carry out the regulations.
frank w Hams makes afldayit to the effeot
that in 1897 he WIS carried to the camp to
serve twelve-iponth sentence Tor burglary.
At the expiration OF his term he was not
released but was bound IN shackles aud
forced to work as a convict until q few
days ago, when no was recnsed In the
meantime every suggestic on his part th.t
he be given his righful liberty VAS met by
NafiM chSsusement OF "a nature too brutal
fCr descr ption. Tom Cole. Moiio Williams
and Others make similar ahidGyits. They
were literally decoyed to The camp, ana
once there trea-e1 as serfs and without
the slightest excuse or legal pre- ext made
to labor aud b.aten cruelty II they com
planned or shirked the duties piled ON theJI.
Molie Williams was only released few
Gays ago on writ of habess corpus sworn
out bv her husband. One OF the most ro-
voting cases is that of Fannie Jackson.
who yioited her convict husband eight years
age, on attempting to leave the confines
oil the camp she was forced back to work.
, and on protesting was whipped to within
an inch Cf her lite She was then made to
sit in salt water and after her wounds had
become feafuly aggravated, was again
leaten without mercy. Drs Gaulden and
when the authorities began TO probe into
inhuman lessees took fr ght aud w, s. Nc
Rec at the head OF tho camp, signed an
agreement to at once release all conyicts
unlawfuliy detained and 10 pay the costs
of two habeas corpus cases pending in the
city court OF Vaidosta. This acton. II Is
contendod, tacit admit sion OF guilt.
Under its authority twenty five or thirty
unforunates have been released and sent
across tho Florida Hne or so scattered as
to render their TESTIMONY against tie Nc.
Rees OF little damage