The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-02-10
BOYS FLOGGED AND STARVED
ON CONVICT Farm

: Austin. Tex, Feb. 6.-The insti
tuition OF slavery with all its accom-
paniments of gangs who steal bow,
and young men, oyerseers who flOs
the slaves for sport, long hours O
: toll under the drivers lash, filth,
: TODD which revolts the stomach anC
dungeons in which unruly vassals
are punished, flourishes today ii
!, Texas as it never did in days before
the civil war.
I -Four men are on trial in the fed.
eral court here on the charge of peor
age and the testimony has revealed
a regular system of Kidnapping the
friendless boys and young men and
sending them to long periods OF
servitude on the plantations of so.
called Convict farmers" without
even the semblance of trial. The
accused men are the overseer and
constable and justice of the peace
who captured the boys and turned
/ them over to the accused slave
/ drivers
There seems to have been a reg
ular system of capturing likely lads
who were passing through the coun-
try. They were arrested on charges
! of vagrancy, apparently in accord
ance with law, sometimes were taken
] before justice of peace for trial
and sometimes not, but in any case
were sent to the convict farm, often
for term of many months.
Not the least offensive of the &C
cused slave drivers customs was to
chain young white men and negress-
es together.
The four men on trial are j. r.
Woods, former justice of the peace
at Somerville, Tex, and w. S. Hous-
ton, his constable; w. r. Newsome,
manager Of the Hoppe plantation,
where the so-called slaves were work
ed, and Harlon Mcleod, his over
seer.
| The story which Ward M. Fuller
| told on the witness stand is typical
I of the testimony of other white boys.
Fuller testified that he is a native of
Springfield, ILL.,, and is 10 years old.
! He moved to st. Joseph, Mo-, where
he resided with married sister and
was employed in packing house for
some time. In February, 1909, he
left home for Brownville, Tex, where
where he had been offered a job by
a friend who was a civil engineer.
He had only small amount of mon
ey when he reached Fort Worth,
and was permitted by the engineer to
ride in the cab.
When the train reached Sommer-
vile Fuller alighted and was arrest
ed by Houston.
He was placed in filthy room
built of railroad ties, where he was
kept until next day, when he was
handcuffed to negro woman and
hauled out to the Hoppe farm. Full
Ter testified that no formal charge
was placed against him and that he
was not given the semblance of a
trial.
Arriving at the farm. he was put
in a stockade along with a lot of
other prisoners, including many ne
gro men and women. The filth of
/ the place was indescribable, the wit
ness said. For their own amusement
Newsome and the overseer, Mcleod,
would enter the place at night and
, whip one prisoner after another in
to insensibility, with a "bat" which
the witness described as a big loaded
strip of leather.
Fuller testified that when the prls-
oners were forced to get up and leave
the stockade for the field at four
o'clock in the morning, they were
made to run to and from their work
winch was i've miles distant, armed
guards riding horseback alongside of
them.
He further testified that when he
was taken to the plantation he was
| in perfect physical condition, and
that the horrible treatment he re-
ceived quickly undermined his con-
stitution and caused him to become
sick and diseased.
! While in that condition he man
aged to write and have mailed let
ter to his sister, acquainting her OF
his condition. 1t was through her
prompt action that he was released
from the farm.