The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-01-05
REFERRED TO
GRAND JURY

OnANO q Onx
Sergeant Puckett Charged with Cruel
and Inhumane Treatment Of
Convict Howell.
Jackson Clarion Ledger, B.: The
penitentiary board Of control is in q
dilemma over the charges Of cruel and
inhumane conduct preferred against
Capt Dave Puckett, sergeant Of the
Rankin county convict farm until last
Saturday, and who signalized the
close of his term of Office by having a
convict named Howell whipped al
most to death.
Owing to the fact that Puckett IL
no longer in charge of the Rankin
farm, and has quit the service of the
state, the board of control has nc
means of Furnishing him fer the act
except to make report of the matter
to the next Rankin county grand jury,
which will doubtless be done. The
evidence submitted to. the session Of
the board today unquestionably estab-
lished Puckett's guilt, and showed
that he did not even have the right
to administer a mild form of punish.
ment to the convict.
Howell is white man who com.
pleted term in the penitentiary for
grand larceny last summer. On the
day Of his discharge he stole horse
from the Rankin farm which was the
personal property of Capt. Pickett,
and made his escape on the animal.
A few days later there were numer.
Gus reports of horsestealing from Co.
piah, Lincoln and Pike counties, and
in each instance Howell was connect.
ed with the theft. He was finally
captured in Copiah county, and at
the December term of circuit court
Judge Miller again sentenced him to
the penitentiary.
In the meantime Capt. Puckett had
failed to find any trace of his horse,
and when Howell arrived at the con.
vict farm few days since to COM
mence his second penal term the SER
geant demanded to know the wherea
bouts of the animal Howell's an
swer was not satisfactory, and the
most searching questions failed to
elicit the desired information. FL
nally Capt. Pickett ordered q young
man named Strong, employed as a
driver on the farm, to whip Howell
until he made confession. Strong
performed the task exceedingly we'll,
and since the punishment was admin
istered Howell has been in a serious
condition.
The board of control investigation
today disclosed the fact that the SER
geant had no right to administer pun
ishment to Howell, as he had been
guilty Of no bad conduct since his
second arrival at the farm, and that
the whipping was merely gratifica-
tion of a private grievance. A ma
jority Of the members Of the board de-
clare that Puckett should be dealt
with according to law, and the inci-
dent will be referred 10 the Rankin
county grand jury, which meets at
Brandon five months hence. Strong
will be dealt with in the same man
ner, and Gov. Vardaman may employ
special counsel to conducu the prose
cution if necessary. Puckett's term
of Office expired Saturday and he was
succeeded by j. B. Raney as sergeant
of the farm.
REPORT SUBMITTED.
The board of control aid not meet
until 2 O'Clock this afternoon, and
the Puckett matter was Immediately
taken up for Investigation. Gov ].
Vardaman announced that he had EN-
ployed Hon. W. Calvin Wells Of Jack.
son, to prosecute the charge against
the former sergeant on behalf Of the
state.
Warden ]. J. Henry, who made an
investigation of the affair Sunday,
submitted the following report to the
board:
Word having reached me that d
convict on the farm had been brntally
whipped by the sergeant, I immedi-
ately went to the farm and investiga-
ted the affair. found that T. j.
Howell, q convict. had. under order