Evening journal., 1903-07-20
PRISONERS IN
PUBLIC STREETS
GEORGETOWN Jail Might
Be Considered in the
Light of a Mere Board
ing House
COnVicts Work in the
Sherif7s Truck Patch,
Outside Town, Going To
and Fro Un9uarded


STAN Correspondent Evening Journal.
Georgetown. July 2O.-A man serv-
Nng a hvc years sentence for criminal
assault walking the streets almost at
3 1win and convicts at work in the sher-
FRS tutk match, under absolutely no
aguard, are the unique spectacles to be
{ seen in Georgetown most any day.
And nearly all Georgetown looks on
. with an equanmity and nOnchalancc
sthat are as rare as the perfect day in
June that the poet sings about The
people are accustomed to such a state
+ If affairs and think II nothing strange
+ 'and out of the ordinary But there are
a few men who have discussed the
matter adversely and several women,
+ not to the manor born, who are dis
3rlayed at the state of affairs.
Sheriff Iohn r. Steel was elected t.
Office by the Union Republican party
. last November. He halls from Frank
s ford. a small town about sixteen miles
5 from Georgetown, where they make
berry baskets and crates and raise wa
termelons. He is regarded as nice
{ sort OF u an and is liked by the George
i 3town people. but they say he has
keen scent for the almighty dollar and
is hound to have it,
That he also has an extensive ans
beautiful faith in his fellow man his
factions have gone far to prove. soon
after assuming the duties of his office
the first of this year, he cast about to
see how he could best make life endur-
able for his unhappy charges and
. pI obably also to utilize them TO th~
+ best advantage to himself.
To the position of cook for his fam
f lily the Sheriff promoted one Hamilton
f Sparrow, colored. Sparrow is serving
time for stopping a team driven by
TWO women on the min dam in Mills
b, ro, throwing down the horse and
& :nenacing he women. Their cries
brought assistance and Sparrow's ar
rest. trial and sentence followed in
quick succession. He has the freedom
of the Jail residence and yard and
i seems rather to enjoy Jail life.
Lingo is Turnkey.
John Lingo is the turnkey. He is the
1S-year-old Indian River youth who is
serving sentence OF five years for
criminal assault. 1t is said here that
he walks the streets and comes and
goes at will. He may be seen in any
part of the town, at the railroad sta
ton, and even has been seen driving
about alone with the sheriff's horse and
carriage. The fact that he has moi
made good his escape of course goes
far to prove that the sheriff's conf
dence in humanity-convict humanity
lis not misplaced. II also is related
that the sheriff has taken Lingo tC
his home in Indian River hundred tC
visit his father.
Work in Truck Patch.
When the sale of the estate' of tn,
late c. NJ. Cullen was made Sheriff
Steel bought land to use as a trucl
patch. 1t is situated "on the edge o
town." as they say here. and actuall!
is titled by the prisoners. Those TO b'
seen out there almost daily are tn
John Lingo, mentioned above; Ere,
Grooves, serving sentence for crimina
assault upon Mrs. Broughton, a whit
woman of Milton: Charles Waters
serving six months for assault and bat
terry and another colored prisoner.
The prisoners go from the jail t
the patch unattended. There the,
work as their conscience may dictate
They return to the Jail for dinner, the
go back to the patch and stay unit
il is time for them to be locked up a
night.
The piece of land is without enclos
ure and practically few people pas
that way, and there is nothing to pre-
vent those prisoners from making
break for certain liberty. And If the
did, no doubt the sheriff would b
very much surprised and hurt tina
they should treat him with such in
gratitude
1t is said that a young woman livin
in the vicinity of the sheriffs land wa
so frightened when she learned tina
convicts " ere laboring in the field un
guarded that she begged her husban
to take her away, or to have some ste
taken to stop such a practice.
Murderer Cuts Wood.
A young mulatto by the name
Harmon gets out for an airing occa
sionally but his outing takes the forl
of chopping wood i'm the Jail yard. Til
Is inclosed with a siN-foot woode
fence. Harmon also has been seen ]
the hal of the Jail residence by pass
ers-by and has been seen in the street
Harmon is serving n life sentence f'
murder. He killed a man by the nan
of Mitchell I'm the coal woods of India
river hundred. He was sentenced
be hanged, but the Board of Pardoi
exercised leniency in his case and h
sentence was commuted to life in
prisonment.
What Commissioner Said.
The following incident shows the n
titude of the Jail commissioners. Oi
of the prisoners appealed to a memh