The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-11
ConvictS at Flat Top Are in
Good Shape
ROBERT TAFT REPORTS
County Men Are Not Given as Many
Advantages as State Men, But
Conditions Are Not
Bad,

/
Sheffield Steel and Iron company. where
eonvicts are worked, following a state
ment that they were not we'll fed and
cared for. made by DIR. Ward, physician
of Mobile county, 1t would seem that
the Mobile medical man undertook to
enlarge mole hill into a mountain.
However, there are some things found
by Mr.. TAFT that ought to be corrected
the officers think, including bad machine
~ for hosting coal, lack of tram cars,
scarcity of track men and bad track and
disposition to make the men make up
short days work when the shortage IS
a result of the failure of the company
to provide cars to move the coal
1t does not seem that the men are UNI
derfed nor that they are unduly punish
ed. Neither does the charge that short
times are not credited, made by DIR.
Ward, seem supported. State men have,
| 1t is very true, much better time than
the county men. That is matter of
common knowledge and would not be so
If the Board of Convict Inspectors could
have these placed entirely under their
control and care.
Only One Death Recorded,
| The accusation of unhealthy conditions
is met by the fact that of two hundred
men held there only one died in March,
and he from consumption. If the presi-
dent of the State Board had had the pow
| er to move him this man would not have
been there, for Dr. Bragg allows no tu
| bercular inclined prisoners to go to the
mines at ALL and this one would have
been sent to the hospital or. the turpen-
| tine camps where he would have recover
| ed. as many others do with tuberculosis
well advanced There were only three
| other county men in the hospital in
March, one with broken thigh, one with
chlls and one with pneumonia There
were no deaths among the state men,
with three sick. one with diarrhea one
hurt and the other with bad eyes.
Having had the report of DIR. Ward
| called to his attention President j. c.
| Maben of the Sheffield company
at once wrote President Bragg of the
Convict Board that he wanted the men
to have everything needed in the way OF
food and the best of care. with mimi
| mum of punishment. He asked DIR. Bragg
to look into the complaint and to see that
it was properly investigated and then to
suggest what he thought best and that
the company would gladly meet any re-
|
Report of Mr.. TAFT.
The report OF Robert TAFT. sent by DR..
| Bragg president of the board of inspect
ors, to look into reports made by Dr.
Ward is given below;
MONTGOMERY, Ala, April 3, 1906.
Hon. Shirley Bragg. Montgomery. Ala.
Dear Sir: Find below statement as to
the prison and convicts at Flat Top:
81. | found plenty of rations and very
we'll prepared.
80. The water supply very good
20. Plenty of clothes.
~ Two-thirds of the county convicts
have no cell shoes; are barefooted from
the time they leave the bath room until
they put on their mining shoes.
"a. No knives or forks for the county
eonvicts to eat with. / was told by tho
warden that they had spoons. only say
| cne-half dozen spoons; others in their
buckets, I suppose.
80. Short at least one hundred tram
cars for moving coal from the rooms to
the tipple,
-. The hosting machinery very old and
dlapidated and very often out of fix so
that the coal cannot be moved from the
mines.
.'s. short mining tools, shovels. picks
and augurs
20. Trackmen scarce and track in bad
| condition and great deal of time lost by
cars being off the track and the convicts
have to wait for cars before they can
| load.
10. If the machinery breaks down and
the coal is not moved today the Sloss-
Sheffield Steel and Iron Co claims that
the task is short and want il made up
by the convicts at some future time.
III General conditions in the prison
and mine are good.
Respectfully.
| apnDEI,1- TAFT
Water Supply.
There has been some trouble at the
mines at Flat Top about the water sup
ply caused from the fact that when the
water is high in the river the pump Is
overlooked, but now a new pump has been
put in and this will not occur again.
State men have knives and forks TO
eat with as we'll as spoons. The county
men have only spoons. IT is claimed
that they make dangerous weapons OF the
| knives and forks and use them In fight
ing and might use them In attacks on
Officers In attempts to escape
DR.. Ward did not go to the kitchen or
he would have seen that there was an
abundance OF rice with bread and that
coffee IL given every morning. True the
state men get coffee twice a day County
men are also given syrup and vegetables
every day with fresh meat once or twice
I
ment from the prison physician. In times
past when water was high in the river
drinking water was taken from barrels
In the barracks but If they had been taken
from closet traps 1t would have been
as clean and as good as from the fau-
Gets, as the traps are several feet above
the seats and are automatically flushed
every few minutes to keep them from
becoming stagnant.
1t is also shown that in a general way
the sanitary condition Is good. though it
had been raining when Dr. Ward was
there and he found the grounds very
sloppy. 1t is also q fact that the county
men are classed the same as state men
and that they are not put to tasks greater
than they can accomplish. Each is liable
to the same punishment for infractions
of the rules.
The records of the department show
DIR. Ward to have been In error when
he said men were not credited with short
i times Scores of county men are so cred
tied at Flat Top. az the books here show
those records being kept at the office OF
the board.
The complaint THAT packages sent the
convicts are not cared for lies In the
fact that there Is no express Office near
and they are sent to 1ittleton and stay
there until some one goes over after
them. Often the contents are fruit or
food and it spells before delivery.
While the state inspectors have no con-
troll over county men. save in a general
| way, it is fact that they get plenty
| to eat and are rarely sick, two things
~,.I af fct- rha