The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-10-24
HELD AS SLAVE IN PEONAGE
A STARTLING STORY OF IN
HUMAN TREATMENT.
Is Told by Man Who Alleges to
Have Just Made His Escape
From a Lumber Camp.

A Montgomery, Ala, dispatch says
Barney Bolkin, a fugitive from a
lumber camp somewhere in Alaba-
ma or Florida" as expressed by him,
is in that city thin and emaciated,
trying to recover sufficient health
and strength to return to his moth
er in Boston, his native home, and
bearing with him story of most in
human treatment received by him
and his companions in the southern
saw mill.
According to the account recited
by Bolkin, while in New York he
read an announcement displayed on
the windows of a northern labor
agents establishment seeking to Sc
cure the services of 200 labOrerS in
an Alabama saw mill, with good
prospects and at a salary of $3.50
per day and all expenses. Readily
securing a sufficient number Of work
men for the mill party of sixty,
all of whom signed contract in
which was specified the wages to be
received with the stipulation that
four weeks wages would be with
held in order to defray the expenses
Of transportation, the gang set sail
for Savannah about six weeks ago,
and thence went by rail to Miner,
Ala, and thence by wagon about 29
miles to a mill somewhere in the
woods, their sphere of activity.
Bread and Coffee.
Arrived at the desired location the
gang of sixty were all fed on bread,
butter and coffee-which food Boil
kin said no one could partake Of
and put to work, along with about
another $50 workmen, at 4:3O
o'clock in the morning and allowed
to stop at in the afternoon, always
driven and spurred on to greater &C
tivity in the dicharge of their duties
by negro fOremen standing over
them with the raised whip and the
leaden cane. When retired to their
rest for night, six men to a tent, OF
which there were about fifty, all en-
closed in a blockade, negro guards
and watchmen were stationed around
the premises and very tent guared on
the inside by some hurley negro Sc
Iected by the owners to keep the
workmen in submission and to pro-
hibit all attempts to escape. BOlkin,
realizing the futility of causing the
mill owners to be punished, mas
much as the contract furnished by
the company when he enlisted in
their service had been taken away
from him upon arrival, nevertheless
determined to make the escape after
a sojourn of three days in the camp,
which attempt upon trial was de-
tected. He was confined to cell for
three days on bread and water as
punishment for the offense COM
mitted After laboring for the four
following weeks in order to pay off
the expenses incurred by him in
transportation, and the gang, all of
the laborers on the place were in
formed that the wages to be expect
ed were, rather than $3.50 per day
and all expenses, 20 cents per day,
allowing the company 80 cents per
day for board and lodging.
Makes His Escape.
Bolkin made another attempt to
escape, shortly after the midnight
hour, and succeeded in eluding the
vigilance of the guards, making away
pursued holly by three pistol shots
and the cursing of the duped watch
men. Going two nights and one day
without food the wanderer finally
succeeding in making his way to
Montgomery. arriving there a COM
plete physical wreck, and longing for
home. Two Of the laborers, as eX-
planned by Bolkin, died at the lum-
Der camp while he was there for the
want of medical attention and medi-
cines, all of which are unprovided
for by the lumber mill owners in
their approval of the modern peon-