The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-08-21
!; PRISON HORROR.
AssWhite Woman Tells How She Was
Brutally Whipped.
SHE SAYS SHE WAS PUNISHED
She Spurned Improper
Proposals from tho Warden
of tho Prison Where She
Was Confined

The whipping Of Miss Marie De-
Crises in one OF the Georgia State
prisons is creating great deal Of talk
AND Indignation IN that State. The
mRtter was recently investigated at
Mllledgevillec where the prison is To-
Gated. Miss DeCris' statement sub
st1litially, was that she was treated
kindly at first. Warden Alagood
made mpropcr-advances to me in his
room when 1 did clerical work. He
attempted to caresS me. I jcrked
away. He went in the other room
aH1 sat on bed. He told me to
come in there. 1 refused. He told
mo, not to tell or hc would make it
hotlf0 me, and he las surely kept his
word. l saw him kiss Il white con-
vfEt in the hospital.
VI talked with Mrs. Alagood tile
daysbefore the whipping. l used no
dlsrespectful language. I did not
stbp talking when ordered. told
another white prisoner about MIR.
Alagood's advances. She said If was
ajlcwd woman to submit, If not to
protest; that l would have an easy
time II l would submit as that was
the!Only way to get along with him. !"
tiEhe other woman denies being
kissed. She denied the conversation
at first, but aftcrward she admitted
it IN substance. The evidence Of i'm
proper proposals was not held up by
tpcother witnesses who say that Ala
good never approached them. At the
whipping on the bed, it was ordered
tor draw the clothes tight and this
was Sidone.
Miss DeCris continues: "a physi-
cihn.was present. I was severely and
bfutally beaten and cried. 1 was
putin the field, under guard, with
negro women next day. 1 was kept
there off and on for four weeks. 1
was terribly blistcred. They allowed
mc;norest. L nearly tainted and fell
insthe field once. never wrote i'm
proper. notes to any one
essI was SO terribly bruised by the
whipping THAI l could not sit down.
There were welts as big us my finger
aud the bruises we're dark and blue and
deep for two weeks
i d tIhis was Substantiated by one other
Ritness, but was denied by a woman
WHO slept in the same room, but not
! Instae; same bed !. N.
j tsssasile sail b She had to pnt a greasy
TtfiesseS WHO lie srt tIii:. i cES
4 i,SIeidcries, say the whipping was severe.
They heard her "hollering.
Miss DeCris says she overheard. Mrs.
Alagood telling the house woman this
morning that the committee was COM
ing, and s"you all must stick to me
and the captain" Witness and Mrs.
Alagood all deny this.
The DcCris woman says she was
tantalized by negro women as lazy, no
good, diamond queen, no better
than they, etc.
She says that Mr.. Foster saw her in
the field and protested against the
same; he had to order Alagood to send
her to the house two different times,
and at lLst he did so, but put her to
work in the potato patch back OF the
house afterwards. She says her re-
fllsal to see reporter was dictated by
Alagood and through fear. Alagood
says she refused Of her own accord to
see correspondents.
DIR. Adams evidence was only in
his Official capacity as physician. He
did not consider the whipping unusu-
ally severe. Warden Moore left for
Atlanta tonight.
| There is a rumor that the legisla-
tive committee is coming tonight.
Mrs. Alagood says she asked her
husband to whip Miss DcCris for in
subordination and for impudcnce.
The leather strap was exhibited
1t Is an awful instrument of punish
ment- about 3 inches wide, and 30
inches long, weight, say 3 pounds,
solid leather, no holes.
Warden Moore instructed every
witness to talk freely and without
fear as he would protect them.
The general impression Is that Ala
good will be discharged as the i'm
mediate circumstances did not at all
justify whipping and the punishment
was entirely too severe in any event;
the woman should not have been
worked in the field continuously in the
hot sun.
The affair is at fever heat and Is
the entire topic Of the town. The
telegraph Offices is crowded with
messages on the subject from every
where.
Father and Son Convicted.