The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-10-10
The Wessenwer.
THOSE CHARGES OF CRUELTY

1U6TS mas Uccu d SOOu ucdi " '~
in the city for Il while back abou-
the treatment OF convicts at the chain
gang camp. This matter has been re-
ferred to in The Messenger editoriaJly.
This paper has titled to get to b bot
tom of the matter and had no perso-
nal feeling in the matter but has felt
it to be its duty as a public Journal
to maize full investigation of the whole
affair and give the facts as 1t found
them.
It will be remembered that the grand
Jury at the last term of the court made
certain findings in this s It's in
vestigatiol was secret; we know moth
ing about it except as to the conclu-
sions reached. That it was right IN its
Tending we will not gainsay.
The Messenger will speak only OF
what it knows through the inyestiga-
ton of these charges which have come
under the observation of a member OF
it's staff detailed to look into the mat
ter. The conclusion drawn from al
the information that could be gath
cred is that there has been punishment
by means of whipping at the camp
beyond what existing conditions re-
quired, but that the reports of great
cruelty to the convicts has been ex-
a~ggerated. We believe that there nave
been men punished there with the
lash when they did not deserve it. 1t
is hard though. to say what the con-
ditions at the camp have been. 1t Is
impossible to get a true state of facts
from the convicts. In plain words,
they lie so outrageously that it is
hard to know who are telling the
truth and who are not.
A Messenger representative on last
Wednesday evening visited the camp
with the members of the board OF
county commissioners. The prisoners
were taken, to the number of about a
dozen, and privately examined, one
by one, as to the past and present
treatment there. Some testified to
brutal treatment in certain cases.
others said there was no truth in these
statements. And SO it went-cross
statements and contradictory reports.
Taking all the testimony and sitting
conclusion that there had been in the
past whippings Of prisoners beyond
what was necessary, but that there
were no such acts of cruelty as had
been reported. The Messenger man
may have erred on the one side or the
other but he does not think he is fa1
from the true facts of the case.
While the county commissioners
were taking the testimony OF the con-
victs three of the leading physicians
of the city were in another part OF
the camp examining the convicts as
to their physical condition. They
stripped and examined the body OF
each prisoner, with an eye especially
to scars or wounds made by whiDpings,
Their report, which appears in another
column of this paper. shows that they
found no signs of fiogging.
Some of the prisoners testified to Sc
we're whippings In almost every case
they were contradicted by fellow pris-
Oners. The famous bull whip" was
exhibited. 1t proved to be a much
less formidable instrument than many
supposed from it's name and descrip-
ton by those who claimed to have
suffered torture from it.
From all that has been brought &c
light The Messenger is not ready to ex
onerate all who were in the past con
nected with the camp, but it firmly be-
lieves that the charges of cruelty have
been greatly exaggerated.
These remarks are based upon what
this paDer has been able to find on
through the exertions of it's represen,
tative. OF what the grand jury of the
late term OF court has been able .tt
discover we know nothing.