New-York tribune., 1912-04-07

Ting. longing and resting. The other six
days of the week they helped fight the
Mississippi Valley campaign against the
/ food Soon after daybreak their chains
were knocked of and they came from the
, dormitory TO breakfast They are allowed
one pound OF salt meat three-fourths
pound OF -four. corn bread. onions, toma-
toes, beans light bread, beef twice week
and coffee. In the camp were few game
chickens. whose lighting sometimes fur
nished amusement. some pigs and some
eating chickens. raised for special feasts.
Christmas and New Years are the only
holidays I'm the camp. on which days tha
conylcts OF Louisiana have spreads.
The routine OF the work day Is simple
As soon as II is daylight all hands are or
dered up and out. Breakfast Is eaten. and
then the men fall in line six or eight
abreast. An officer and two guards lead
the way, five guards march on each side
and an officer and two guards bring up
the rear The 145 or $50 men are marched
10 the levee. and divided into squads. some
10 clear the way and some to wheel dirt
The cearers root up and clear a way
through the forest The others each take
a shovel and wheebarrow. The barrows
are filled and wheeled up plank runs, seven
barrows to a run. Each man fills his own
vehicle and each must take his turn up
the run.
They work all day long. winter and sum
mer Interruptions are caused by overflow
alone. Under summer sun they swelter
and sweat. "A man has to be pretty sick
IN get sick down here. the captain said.
Malingerng has results more painful than
work. One man a month Is the average
OF whippings Each man must do an aver
age days work, and when night comes
every man on the levee knows he has
been working "for rolling dirt Is the hard
es, work there is"
There are yard crews. to keep the camp
clean: cooking crews. grub toters and
others. with lighter tasks. The main work
however. Is the rolling OF dirt. Convict
abor has redeemed scores OF square miles
NJ land from the overflow along the CHA
fall" Malaria. Of course. aflicts the con-
victs and their guards alike, and two or
three times a year man dies naturally
| I'm the camp.
One day the gang was rolling dirt up
and down the levee. There had been moth
inc IN warn the guards that anything seri-
ous was at hand Suddenly six of the
negroes dropped their implements and
aasbed for the woods. only a few yards
diqtant The two nearest guards fired and
tvo men went down. The hounds were put
| on tho tracks OF the Others and two more
| ,ore rim down. The other two succeeded
IN crossing seven miles of swamp. through
which they had to swim or wade, and es-
can,d Later they were recaptured and
brought back.
The two men who were shot were only
cr,nnled 1--WE don't use the shot" Captain
parrow explained, I've use small shot
thew break 'em down and don't kill them"
rhera was only one rifle in camp "ln case
we have to shoot at long range
Take man when he's up for life, he
..n,s ~ get away II he can" Occasional
=. man or two does slip away, and more
rarslv several start at once. A mutiny,
,a,ayor would not be likely. for some of
49,. nasroas would be sure to betray their
companions.
II ,s only within nye or six years that
'.,.,.na has had its own convict camps
r.o,n,or,y he convicts were let out to pri-
oon,ractors. Under this system fright
,,n oh,,saa grew up. One of the contractors
named sanches was worst Of them all