The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-07-28
.CONv|CTS ARE BEATEN TO DEATH
Many Afiidavits to Show Awful Con
ditions in Georgia.

Atlanta, Ca, July 2S.-The con-
Wet lease system will be abolished in
| Georgia after 1911. Convicts will be
leased direct, eliminating the mid
die men or convict brokers, who
have grown wealthy from this traffic
until that time. From now on con-
victs are to be kept in sanitary quar-
tiers, and fed with wholesome, clean
food. All this is provided for In a
| XII favorably reported from the
/ Committee to the Georgia house of
representatives AMI which is sure to
| ne placed on the statute books.
| This is the elimination of an in
vestigation of the convict camps of
Georgia which has been in progress
for the past week and which has dis
closed the most horrible practices
quarters. According to sworn testi-
mony before the investigation com
mittee prisoners have been whipped
to death, one prisoner shot down
and left where he fell for a week.
after which time dog appeared with
a human arm in his teeth, which
vict's body
One prisoner was whipped so Sc
| bot no a%c ofg
because he let some hot coffee spill
on a dog belonging to a foreman of
a camp. Convicts were discharged
from the prison hospitals when
hardly able to walk away and beat
en- cruelty because they could not
work. Despotism existed in all
branches OF the prison system and
lessees obtained choice" convicts,
| those able to perform more work,
by bringing wardens and other prison
| officials. Use up and buy more
was the motto.
| All Georgia has stood aghast at
the terrible relations brought out
/ by this Investigation and wholesale
| indictments are soon expected. The
/ Molder bill was reported favorably
| in the house committee ON peniten-
tiaries and will without doubt pass
that body on Monday and speedily
| become law. The bill provides,
briefly speaking, for the abolition
of convict brokers, making the les
| sees deal directly with the state and
holds them directly responsible for
| the sanitary condition of the prison
ers, of their quarters and their
| treatment of those entrusted to
then. |. also provides for the abolish
ment of the entire system of leasing
convicts after the year 1911.
1t was brought out during the in
vestigation that convicts have also
been leased from Florida and used
in this state, being subjected to the
same i'll treatment and awful con-
ditions as the Georgia convicts SUI
fered
The weeks results of the investi-
gallons into the prison commission
system may be summed up as fol-
lows, the charges being based on
sworn testimony:
"A colored porter of the prison
commission is accused by his wife of
furnishing James w. English. Jr.,
with copy of bids of other lessees
made for state convicts.
THE legislative committee reports
Of inhuman treatment of convicts at
the Chattahoochee Brick company
were suppressed by the chairman OF
the penitentiary committee, but
turns up before the Fielder special
investigation committee in carbon
copy retained by Senator Stapleton,
who made the inspection. Chief
Warden Jake Moore in partnership
with Chief Lessee w. B. Handy Is
ostensibly in the real estate business.
The son OF Secretary Yancey OF
the prison commission Is in partner.
ship with T. L. Handy, working
convicts, and now working for Chief
Lessee w. B. Handy.
1.-TWO wardens of the state, Casey
and Good, beat a man to death be-
cause the victim was too sick to
work and because he spilled hot cot.
fee on a dog belonging to the war.
den.
Chief Warden Jake Moore took
money from lessees for sending
them choice convicts.
Convict camps are scenes OF red
handed murder besides their wretch.
ed condition from filth, cruelties anC
starvation and not a member of tht
prison commission has been inspect
ing them, as required by law
"Convicts are overworked to make
money for the lessees Superintend
ent Coombes, a relative of Chairman
Tayner of the prison commission, II
/ l. -