The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-04-18
DENIES PRISONER
WAS I'LL TREATED
Letter Struggled Out by Trusty,
Frank Fitzgerald, First Spread
Ugly Rumor-Fitzgerald Sub
sequently Repudiated His
Own Statement.
MoND. VA, Special

R c II MOND. V A, Special
Current reports 40 the effect tndJ a
negro convict had recently been cru
cited" and dashed until he had to be
sent TO the prison hospital were M
dignanuy denied this morning 10y Nla-
JOr James Il. Wood, superintendent
OF the State penitentiary, and 10y DE
Herbert Mann, the prison surgeon.
The reports Were launched 10y
trusty, who smuSsied a letter out of
the penitentiary. This letter told of
a hideous beating administered to "a
negro. and said that as result OF
the punishment the man had been
desperately i'll for three weeks.
Both Major Wood and DR.. Mann
showed the utmost frankness and
courtesy when asked about il. They
admitted that negro had been
whipped, and said that the man had
/ recently been sent 20 the hospital
/ The whipping and the hospital treat
ment We're in no way connected, how
/ ever, they said.
Frank Fitzgerald recently sent to
the penitentiary by the Hastings Court
/ of this city, being convicted OF steal
ing money from Kingan & Co, wrote
the letter which caused the dis
turbance. He has since admitted TO
Superintendent Wood that the state
ments in the letter were utterly un-
true.
The negro who was punished is
Tertiary, and is known as one OF the
worst prisoners within its walls. Sew
eral weeks ago he induced three
other negroes to enter a conspiracy
to destroy a quantity of shoe leather
One of the negroes procured a
bucket of oil. 1t was passed down to
the leader of the gang, who poured il
on a pile of leather uppers.
Damage amounting to about $30C
was done.
The gang was caught. One of the
negroes confessed. The others were
punished. particularly the one who
actually poured the oil on the leather
When this negro entered the peni
Tertiary he was diseased.
a week or so after the whipping tn,
! intestinal trouble. An operation wai
! deemed necessary. This was success
fully performed by DR.. Mann, and tn,
negro is now recovering satisfactorily
] The prisoners disposition has no
mended. however, and the doctor anC
his assistants frequently have to force
tn emedicine down the mans throa
| with a stomach pump. He frequently
shouts a the top of his voice for hour!
and refuses to stop unless given lemon
ade.
Says RumOrs Exaggerated.
Concerning the report that a negro
convict in the State penitentiary is a
present laid up in the hospital as the
result of serious injuries inflicted OF
him by way Of punishment for failure
to perform a task in the shoe shop
a man thoroughly familiar with the
inside workings Of the prison said to
day:
Eyes, 1 have heard the rumors
which, 1 understand were first giVeI
an impetus by letter written to thu
outside world by one of the convicts
1t is true that there is negro in thu
hospital and that he has been 1ogged
but the facts in the case are vastl.
different from the accounts at presen
being circulated through the medium
of exaggerated rumors.
ITO begin with, the negro in ques
ton is said to be the meanest man il
the penitentiary and that, too, despit
the fact that he is not over twenty
one or twenty-five years old. More
over, he is a second term man and h
has been punished prior to the Incl
dent which led to the present trouble
Reports says the negro was punish
ed for failure to do a certain piece O
work assigned him. AS / understand
it, he was punished for stealing a quar-
Of oil, which another negro wantonl,
threw on some expensive leather
thereby causing the company los
of $500 or so. The other negro alst
was punished.
THE mean convict to whom I refer
was fiogged, but not i'm such a way a:
to cause any abrasons or to indicate
that the whipping inflicted lasting in
the prison he suffered from a loathe
some disease and at present he ha:
bladder trouble which has neceSsi.
; tated special treatment.
''Since he has been in the hospita
the negro has behaved outra geously
His language has been sickeningly oh.
scene. and he has fatty refused t.