The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-23

was in December, 1855. More & Jordan were the lessees, for the sum of $650 per annum. They mad possession for thre7 years, but had not paid a cent into the state treasury on their lease. These les sees held on for their full contract term l of six years, never paying anything on i their contract. Two years later Governor i Winston informed the legislature that the penitentary was an ignoble failure. The i imprisonment did not reform the con- victs. He suggested abandonment of the plan of punishment and speedy return to the gibbet.
 Governor Moore followed Winston III office but made recommendations about the penitentiary. The lease plan continued and pr. Burrows in 1862, be- came the leasor He was yet in that lation to the state when he was mur dered in the yard of the prison by con- vict. The murderer washing by form of law in the yard
 In the war time, Capt. John M. Martin of the Confederate army, later repre- sentative in Congress from the Sixth dis trict, was detailed to take charge of the penitentiary and manufacture there by convict labor artillery harness and wagon harness for the government. He was very successful. When the invading arm- ies covered Mississippi 20 convicts from that state were received a t the instltu- lion. When the enemy reached Montgom- cry they sent out a detachment to We- tumpka took possession of the peniten- tiary and freed all the convicts. Maroney was in duranee there, felon, white man. He refused to leave, declaring he would remain and take care of what was left.
 The institution lay unoccupied for year. In 1866 Governor Patton, without authority of law, loaned Smith and Me- [ etc fpa cf1asxy md leased them the premises for ''s5. in hand paid for a term of six years. The leg stature of 1866 ratified the governors ! lease, but no part of the loan of S15,000 seems ever to have been repaid. The con- victs once more begun to come in and the leasors hired them out. Samuel Tate of Memphis, A. K. Shepard of Union- town, James W. sloss of Decatur took most of them to build railroads. So all during the carpetbagger rule up to Gov ernor Lindsays term, matters stood. As Lindsay was nearly out of office he resumed possession from Smith & McMil- Ian and appointed M. G. Moore warden. 1 Moore had been a leasor 20 years before l who had not paid on his contract. The senate refused to confirm him as warden. Governor Lewis, scalawag, succeeded Lindsay democrat. Lewis appointed Lark en G. Willis warden, but the appointee died soon, before his term expired, but not before he had drawn $22, 900 from the state.
 The outgo of cash from the state on &C., count of the penitentiary had been heavy in all the reconstruction time but not dollar came in from that source.
 In March. 1873, what was known as the United States attorney generals legisla- ture passed an act to authorize the war den to purchase not exceeding 200 acres of land at cost price not exceeding $0O,- GOO for the penitentiary. Up to that time the original ten acres was all the land. The result was the purchase of the farm now called Prison No. A. 1900 acres on the left bank of Tallapoosa. Thomas Williams was the vendor and he received in full payment the bonds of the state at their face value of $50,00o. The land was wholly unimproved by buildings, wa ter, etc., suitable for prison. At the close of the first crop year, 1873, state farming on the new purchase was seen to be a terrible failure. The floods of the Tallapoosa ragged and swept away the crops, the malaria of the swamp ru1ne& the health of convicts and guards
 When Governor Houston came in he appointed John G. Bass warden, Bass set out the beautiful elms which adorn Prison No. l. The Williams bonds were called in and another contract was made with him, which finally resulted most dis astrously to his fortune. Williams ex- changed the bonds for eight years re- occupancy of the land he had sold and the use free of hire of 100 able-bodied con- Yicts
 Governor Houston appointed J. Il. Jud- lxins A T. Goodwin and J. M. Brad ford inspectors of the penitent1ary. On- der the law, Warden Bass was pretty much the whole thing, however The warden made aud signed all contracts or
 
 was little
 Houston paid the debts of the peniten- tiary. put $12,000 worth of convict labor in building the spur of railroad rom El- more to Wetumpka and had about $22,ooo left.
 Bass greatly improved and enlarged the original penitentiary buildings. He was continued In office the nrse term ol Governor Cobb. At the last of Cobb's first term there were o40 convicts in the nenitentiary those hired out and all told.
 Very great and insistent complaint III the press and among citizens began to arise concerning the abuses Of convlets by farmers and other contractors Tor their labor Men and women were worked together and put In the same mems at nights Some were shackled night and day. Few were sufficiently fed, clothed or housed The mortality in the mines especially was disgraceful in ex- treme.
 Governor Cobb appointed Capt. John H. Bankhead warden in place of Bass at the beginning of his second term. The new warden took office March l. 1sSl. He could find no books or records. In oV days Bass restored them having com pleted his reports from them. Farm hands had been hired at maximum or $10 and mill and mine hands at an aver age of S.
 Warden Bankhead's first report intensl- fled beyond limit the indignation of the people of the state over the brutality Of l the contractors After detailing the nor | TOTS of the conditions the warden said: | The system is disgrace to the state, ;l | reproach to the Christian sentiment and | civilization of the age and ought to De | speedily abandoned"
 Warden Bankhead proposed reforms. l Among them he would abandon the Will | Hams farm. The legislature hesitated. | The contractors were influential citizens. | There was some genuinely remedial legis- l lation however, largely attained by the writings of Col Robert Mckee, secretary | to the governor The law went into effect and Governor O'Neal appointed Reginaio | H. Dawson of Wilcox county to the 1 board of inspectors. The other members | were W. D. Lee of Hale county and Dr. l Albert T. Henley of Birmingham. Each inspector. was educated gentleman,