The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-06
WHAT GEO. HAUPT MISSED.
LUMBER COMPANY WANTED HIM
AT 4 SALARY.

hut the Clinch County Lcssees Re
fused to Give Him Jp-He Was to
Get n Cottage an6 800 Month.
Convicts Who Earn Salaries Dur
ing Their Incarceration.
Atlanta, March 5.-There is a side 10
convict life in Georgia comparatively lit
tie known to people generally. but one
that is quite interesting. Some of Geor-
gia's convicts draw salaries.
1t sounds strange that man convicted
of crime against the state. against his
fellow man, should be paid for the ser
vices he is rendering as eXpauon or
atonement for his malicious error. But
there are several men in Georgia's CON
Wet camps whom the lessees are glad 10
compensate for their services, though they
are entitled to them for the 1896 year
which they pay the state for their hire
1t is not of course, the ordinary, Hit
crate and unintelligent convict who Is
thus remunerated. He is of no more value
than the manual labor he can be made to
do through plenteous supply of stomach
fuel and the urging of the taskmaster'
The lessee gets more than value received
even in this. He gets an abie-bodied Ia
borer at greatly reduced wages. But the
intelligent convict-and they are compar-
atively few-is valuable in other ways
1t is the experienced bookkeeper, the bank
clerk, the accountant, who, having gone
astray, gets into the clutches of the law
IS valuable to the lessee. 1t is a very we'll
known fact that this class OF conVicts Is
not called upon to do manual labor; they
are used for office work, and che public
generally remarks. "Well he's got SOFT
berth, even If he is in the penitentiary.
1t is not commonly known, however,
that not a few Of this class of convicfS
receive seiaries from the lessees for their
services and in some instances when
their terms expire they have been
known to have nice little cash
balances laid aside. 1t used
10 be the practice in the coal mines to
ray each convict so much per ton for al
coal taken out above the amount reduir-
Ell each day, and sometimes long term
negro convicts would leave the mines
with $500 or $500 or more in their pockets.
1t is somewhat on the same principle
that intelligent office men are remuner-
ated for their services in addition to the
price paid the state for their hire. There
are several such convicts now in the
penitentiary. While serving their sem
fences they have little need for cash, and
ii is generally laid up against the time
when they receive the freedom
a story is told of convict now serv-
ing in the Georgia penitenuary who I'M
fortunately missed good thing of this
kind, though he may yet get a soft place
where he will be paid salary for his
knowledge of books and accounts. George
w. Haupt was sent to the peniteutiaTy
from Savannah for ten years. having been
convicted on several charges of embez-
Element. Haunt was one of the most ex-
perienced accountants in Savannah, and
in that capacity commanded a high sal
airy. The lessees, it is said, were not
aware of his value in this respect when
lac was turned over to the penitentiary
authorities. The Prison Commission sent
him to the camp of G. S. Baxter G. Co.,
al Fargo, in Clinch county, where he is
SIN located.
1t was not long after this that learn
ing what a valuable accountant Haupt
is the officials of the Chattahoochee
Lumber Company in Decatur COUNT
MADE application for him. They offered
10 furnish a cottage for himself and his
FAMILY and to pay him 500 per month
curing his term in the penitentiary. If the
pemtentiary authorities would assign him
70 them. There was some correspondence
with the Fargo people about him. and
they refused to give him up They
NHNS ildO ndu considerable trOlI-
Die with Haupt when he first came to the
camp Just what the nature of this from
Die was, was not stated though being
somewhat high strung man. he was
20 doubt rather obstinate In his disincli-
nation TO go to work. The Fargo people
had finally got things to going smoothly
and themselves discovered what a valu-
able man he was in office work The re-
suit was a peremptory refusal to part
with him. The penitentiary officials did
not feel like taking him away, as they
could do by asserting their authority and
there he remains.
There have been several instances re-
Gently where lesses have paid such con-
victs SIS or $50 month. but the offer of a
nome, and $lOO month for Haupt was
something rather unusual.