The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-10-06
Gm Wessenger.


~ camp lncTc udS UceH d StedI Az"
OF talk about The conditions there. Inc
grand jury made as thorough an inVes-
tigation as 1t was pOssihl" tor 1t to
make, but because of the manne in
which it has TO perform its duties it
would be almost impossible for it TO
20 to the bottom of the matter. That
body, though, found out enough to
show that there should be a fuller in
v~estigation. 1t has shown that there
has been much cruelty practiced there.
The proper body to investigate the
charges that have been made is the
board of county commissioners. And
right here we will say that while no
one for a moment would suspect any
member Of that board Of having been
cogniZant of the cruel treatment of
the county cOnvicts, can these officials
claim that they are free from the
discovered what was going on in that
prison and working camp which is IN
der their authority and supervision?
Especially is this true with the chair
maj Of the board, who is paid a salary
Of twelve hundred dollars a ear to
look after the affairs Of the county.
The conduct of affairs at the convict
camps is as much under his su~pervi-
sion as are county finances or any
ether branch of county government.
lie is paid this salary in order to Sc
ure more of his time for attending to
county matters. 1t is his duty as we'll
as that of all the other members of the
board to know what is going on in
these camps. BY pleading ignorance
OF what was being done they may free
themselves from responsibility for the
acts of their employees, but not from
the charge of neglect Of duty. 1t was
their place to prevent that disgrace to
the county which would follow the
establishment of the truth of half the
cruelty which has been charged against
some of the officers at the camp.
No doubt some of the charges of
cruelty are exaggerated. We know
that most of the witnesses are men
whose statements uncOrrObOrated
would not, as Il rule, be taken in such
matters, but where there are so many
statements from different individuals as
to the same transactions, all agreeing
as to the facts, taken at different times
and not in the hearing of each other,
the public is bound to believe there is
much truth in the charges IND that a
horrible condition of affairs has exist
ed at this camp.
Men say cOnvicts have been beaten
with a heavy strap until the flesh be-
came raw; that one man died in the
city hospital of blood poison or gan
creme from being repeatedly kicked by
one of the guards and that prisoners
were often whipped severely when
they were too sick to work.
We have been Informed by a reputa-
bic and responsible gentleman of this
city that he has it from more than one
inmate Of the camp that when one of
the camp officers OF guards came where
was lying the body of the prisoner
who had died a few minutes after be-
ing numerically whipped he asked
another guard standing by if the pris-
Oner was dead: that the reply was:
IF you do not believe he is dead stick
your knife in him." and that the Ques-
toner did the horrible. unhuman deed
suggested.
There are repeated stories of others
who came out of the prison with sores
and ulcers on them caused by repeated
blows with the heavy leather strap
which was used on them.
We do not say that all these horrible
things occurred at the camp, but it is
a fact that there are numerous reports
that they did take place and the grand
jury secured sufficient evidence to war
rant it in presenting one man, recon-
lncuGing the immediate discharge of
another, and the severe reprimanding
of h superintendent
Ordinarily when officials are under
such charges they are suspended from
duty until they are acquitted, but in
the case of the parties charged with the
cruel treatment the commissioners, SO
far as we have been able to learn, have
retained them in office, deciding as to
the man Hocutt that the board should
do nothing with his case as it had been
tal-en up by the superior court, and
as TO Gurganus, whom the grand
jury said should be dismissed, that his
getting drunk and being disorderly in
town made no difference regarding his
duties at the convict camp. Were we
to admit the commissioners position to
be correct, which we do not, they are