Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-06

parts of the state.
After it had been made up from the
two mountain sections at Chickamauga,
the convict train Of eleven coaches
started winding south through the val
legs into lower Georgia. AS 1T bowled
along the chained convicts within the
coaches caught every detail Of the seen
cry ABOUT them. 1t was the first time
at some of them had seen the outer
world beyond the Durham mines in
many long years.
"LoOk YOnder," They Shouted
Look yonderr' they were continu-
ally calling, pointing out things of In
terest to eacn other. Look yonder!
Dat man sho does know how to pillow.
Watch dat pillow cut!'
They passed a freight engine on
siding, stopping for few moments.
The convicts who were near enough
passed lively comment on the looks of
the big locomotive
Everything they saw was interesting.
hor a while they crowded each other
to get to the WINDOWS During the first
two or three hours they let nothing
escape their notice in the bright sunlit
world they were whirIing through.
Many of them had cigars given to them
by free friends or bought with money
| earned by digging coal extra to their
daily task" Others had lunches
cornbread, potato pies, etc, with which
| they had been provident enough to stock
their pockets. Gradually interest began
to wane in the sameness and monotony
| of travel, only a few at the windows
| still keeping watch. The banjo-pickers
| became favorites. A few gave them
| selves over to sleep, and one by one
others followed them-for they had
slept little it was said, during the pre-
| ".
wardens had relaxed the rules just prior
to their going away, and they went to
| bed when they felt like it. Consequent
| ly many had passed restless and some
times almost sleepless nights.
A few rummaged in their boxes or bun
dies and brought forth treasured possess
lsions-photographs letters, odds and ends.
One had a fossil, which he had dug out
in the mines. 1t was fern leafs impress
sion, ages ago, upon the peat that today
is coal.
In each car sat several guards. Some
of the cars carried two or three parties
destined for as many counties.
Every provision had been made by the
railroads for the convicts' comfort Ice
water was provided with cups that were
distributed about the cars. All of the
convicts had seats. The accommodations
provided for them were just the same as
would nave Deen given TO Tree passengers,
for the railroads there was no difference
In the fact that the passengers were con-
victs.
Had No Complaints
All Of the men were willing 20 talk and
were easily approached by kindly dis
posed persons. None of them was sus-
picious of advances. None voiced any
complaint against the treatment he had
been receiving, If any among them had
such complaint. They talked aboutSwant-
ing to be free, and how glad they were
to be on their way to work in II e sun
| light Some even voluntarily praised their
former wardens, Captain Maxwell and
Captain Gordon. Particularly did Captain
Gordon appear to be favored by his for
mer men. He hailed them by their frsr
names, and they responded gladly, reply
ing to HIS questions about how they were
getting along Some of them offered him
their lunches, begging him to have bite
Tor two of something. One white man said
| he had served under seven different war
dens, and Captain Gordon was the best
he ever had and he was hating to leave
the captain, though he was glad to get
away from mine work. Another had
served under eleven wardens, and went
| his companion one better In saying the
same thing about his ex-warden. third
said he had served under fourteen differ
ent wardens, and thought the same as the
| two others. Whatever their facts might
! have been, the sincerity Of the three just
quoted was not to be doubted. Self-inter-
est might have prompted it, but even at
that their praise of the man in charge
of them is interesting in view OF the de-
velopments by the convict lease investiga-