The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1906-04-07
THE PRISON B0ARD|
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he would wreak his vengeance on any
one who dared cross his wishes OF re.
monstrate against his villainy. This
man had charge of the convicts on the
day Of the killing Of Crockett, and II
was by" his order that the man wa
murdered. He seems to your commit.
mittee to have been utterly devoid OF
every human sentiment and wholly
incompetent to fill the position he
Eheid.. The periods OF his drunkenness
and the extent thereof, was measured
by his ability to get, and capacity to
hold, whiskey.
The killing Of Crockett was wholly
unjuStiied, a cold, heartleSs and fiend.
ish assassination, done by a convict
under the order Of a brute, the recital
Of whose cruelty by the witnesses is
sufficient to stir a heart OF stone. AT.
ter the killing, the dead body. Of the
unfortunate man was left in the rain
where he fell, from 6 o'clock a. M. to
4 O'Clock p. m, with not even a con-
vict hand allowed to %decently arrange
his %stiffening limbs, wipe the death
foam from his swollen lips or close his
staring eyes. 1t is to be hoped that
the last expiring cry OF the doomed
miScreant, Lord have mercy on my
SOUL, found an affirmative answer in
that court to which ever a convict
may appeal without fear of being fol,
lowed by his merciless murderers. =
If the Board of Control made an in
veStigation of this brutal murder no
record thereof was placed on file or
put in the records of it's proceedings.
We sought some record thereof in
Vain. 4
Mr.. A. Q. May testified that he,
Warden Henry and j. G. Kincannon
made an investigation, the result of
which investigation was presented to
your committee in the form Of a news
paper publication. which is submitted
with the evidence taken.in this mat
ter, and will be published as a defense
OF those whose duty it was to have
protected the helpless prisoners under
their control. On this investigation"
we make no comment. .
Your committee further finds that
when the convict Crockett waS killed,
that happened at s o'clock a. m. The
evidence shows that the warden OF the
~penitentiary was Immediately notified
of the butchery; that the said warden
was in the city Of Jackson attending
a fete occasion, and that he wholly
and altogether neglected his duty in
regard to the said murder.
Section 1921 of the code of 1892
provides that the warden shall hold
an inquest in the case of every violent
death Of a convict; and the said War
den Henry not only did not hold an
inquest but ven did not see to it that
an inquest was held. He says in his
own dcfcaSe that when be was nOti-
fed Of the killing he was here at
Jackson, nine miles from the scene of
assassination, and that he directed
Dave Pickett to hold an inquest and
that he did not know why it was not
held, but that Pickett told him that
he (Puckett) could not find a magis-
trate. No sort Of evidence was sub
mitted which eve tended to- show
that a magistrate was sought for.
The farm was in touch with Brandon
by telephone. The law Of the state
makes it the duty OF the warden to
hold an inquest in such cases. but in
this case it was not done and no legal
moral reason was given why it
should not have been done. He not
only did not attend to this duty him.
self, as the law requires him to do,
but from his own evidence, made but
weak attempt to have it done: but
even if he had succeeded in dOingl
what he said he tried to do, it would
not have excused him, for the law isl
plain as to his duty. and he could
neither delegate that authority TO-
another, nor avoid it in the shameless
name which his evidence shows was
done.
Your committee believes that this
murder was Covered up by those in
authority as quick as they could, add
ing indecent haste to criminal negli-
gence. The action ct Warden Henry
the premises is unreasonable, un-
Unsuitable and a cruel malfeaSance in
office for which we al find no condo
and whose action was either
sanctioned by the Board of Control or
else ignored.
In conclusion We must say that the
tale of the Rankin county farm must
be read before anyone "a appreciate
The charity Of this report; wherefore,
request that TO-, 900 copies of the
testimony taken in this investigation
DC printed and distributed over the
state of Mississippi so that the people
nav learn what has happened in the