Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-08-08

/ ties. he said. we're rather good. He
| complained that the air i'm the mine
was frequently bad. In some Of the
! air shafts of the mines. ne said. the
I beef furnished the men could be de-
I tected by Odor for "a quarter OF a
mile
TESTIMONY OF r. A. KEITH.
r. a. Keith, who operates a saw
mill near cambridge. I'm Decatur
county. and who was convicted ia
Atlanta OF murder I'm November. 1901
was next put on the stand. He sta
ted that he came from Virginia. had
graduated at Dahlonega and after
serving a penitentiary term Of a lit
tie over FIVE years was pcrdoned on
January IL, 1907.
During his prison term he had
been located at Redwood, In Dooly
county. Milhayen. near Savannah,
and Milltown. Testifying that state
officers received money from lessees
at these camps. witness said Jake
Moore received 500 a month TO Sc
cure the best convicts available to
work az the Redwood Lumber Com
pany's camp. He did not know
whether the prison commission was
aware OF this.
He reported Overhearing a CONVEX
sation between Col W. S West OF
Naldosta !. Sid Turner of the State
prison commission. and G. V. Gress,
In which it was stated that these men
had secured 175 Florida convicts. and
sub-leased them. This was in 1903.
AT the Redwood camp. he said.
the warden was B. =. O'Neal OF Ma
con. Warden T. r. Gary received
S35 monthly from O'Neal. At Gress'
lumber camp. witness testified. the
warden was named Powell. and that
from over indulgence In liquor, he
was hardly ever in condition for
work. He was succeeded by War
den Mitchell, who received S25 from
Mr.. Gress.
The Millhaven Lumber Company
secured a batch Of convicts from the
Redwood company. the witness and
Warden Gary were included in the
transfer For the witness. who had
clerical ability Of a high order FIVE
Negroes were exchanged IN this u
niQue transaction
After serving awhile at the Mill
town Lumber Company camp, he
went TO the Durham Coal and Coke
Company's mines.
He told Of the white boy being
beaten 10 death He stated the
convicts were absolutely controlled
by the lessees. and the states on
GERS did nothing 10 protect them.
Their tasks were set by the compa-
nys officers. He said 60 per cent.
of the men got out of the mines az
shutdown. after working from sunup:
about 40 per cent got out between
and 3 O'Clock having completed
their required tasks He usually
/ LETT last after finishing up his work
of checking, and it was often 10 or
1 Il o'clock at night.
He said he saw 40 men whipped
/ in one day for Shortage and slate. "
| in other words, they failed to COM
plete their tasks or permitted too
much slate I'm their supply Of coal
I I'm their effort TO bring up the weight
/ TO the required amount. Many con-
victs tainted after being whipped.
PARDONED MAN BRINGS SUIT.
There was no way open 10 the men
10 appeal TO the protection OF the law
! Witness knew rules were being vio-
! lated, but kept silent After being
pardOned he entered suit in Walker
county for cruelty and maltreatment
/ and was awarded verdict of $4,000.
Case now lies in supreme Court. hay
ing been brought up on appeal by
| the company.
The witness kept the records OF
/ the camp. He admitted reporting
only one-tenth of the whippings. and
cut down the ticks to one-half, as he
was instructed to do. He said the
| state regulations as to bedding and
diet were ignored No sheets were
furnished the men. Blankets were
washed only once year. The bunKs
were filed with vermin. The men
were furnished in the morning corn
bread and bacon, which they ate raw
1 The men ate dinner in the mine. In
the evening they ate supper in the
yard.
ONE VISIT BY THE COMMISSION.
Err.