Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-28
ESCAPE To
BEG FOR
BET TER
CAMP
Atlanta Police, Impressed by Fu-
gitives' Story, Seek Prison
Board Hearing.

A tale as remarkable as any
that ever graced the pages of fic-
ton was told to the police by
W. f. Lee, 20 years old, and Jack
Pollard, % years old, who were
arrested by Policeman Bell as
they stepped from Decatur car
at Edgewood avenue and Pryor
street Friday morning, after es-
Gaping from a convict camp at
Lawrenceville, Gwinnett county,
and walking through the country
to Decatur, where they caught a
car to Atlanta.
eve were not trying to run
laway," they said, eve were 60
ing back just as soon as we &C
complished our mission to Allan
ia. We ran away from the camp
and came here to appear before
the Prison Commission and ask
for a transfer from Lawrence
Vile to another camp where we
would get better treatment.
1--WE are willing to serve out our
sentences, but we would like to serve
them in some other convict camp
and under some other warden than
F. C. Davis, who has charge of the
Lawrenceville camp"
Police Seek Hearing for Them.
The police were impressed with ths
stories of Pollard and Lee, and Cap
tain Poole consented to telephone
Chairman Davidson, of the Prison
Commission, and ask him to give the
convicts an audience at police head
quarters, when they will place their
troubles before him.
Neither Lee nor Pollard make any
charges of brutality or mistreatment
against Warden Davis. is the little
circumstances, the things that can
not be definitely classed as mistreat-
ment, that they claim makes life I'M
bearable in the Lawrenceville camp.
There are twelve men in the Law
renceville camp" said Pollard, and
none Of them like Warden Davis and
none of them can get along with him.
He takes us out to work before sun
rise and doesn't bring us back to
camp until after dark-sometimes
long while after dark. He's always
nagging at us, and there are hun
dreds of little things that happen that
make our lives there miserable. We
know we can't have everything we
want, being convicts, but we think we
are entitled to almost a fair deal"
Lee. and Pollard told the police
that they had worn the undershirts
they had on their backs for three
weeks, without having an opportunity
to have them washed.
Both Long Term Men.
ITS a case either of wearing them
that long or wearing some wooden
things that scratch and torment us so
we can not work. And when we stop
! work TO scratch ourselves, the guards
get down on us and life is harder
| than ever"
tOIldTu mas StINtu SCNtli StoiS VI
| a twenty year, sentence, having been
convicted in Clayton. County for the
killing of man named William
I White. Lee was sentenced for life
for the killing Of Jack Chappelle in
Coweta County, and has served three
years and three months
I'VE stood the Iawrenceville camp
as long as we could said Pollard,
| "and then decided TO see If we
| couldn't do something about it. Both
of us were trustees, and there wasn't
much difficulty in getting away. We
| left the camp at o'clock yesterday
afternoon, and walked through the
| country all night reaching Decatur
| early Friday morning. We didn't have
any intention of escaping, and had
made no effort to dispose Of our con-
Yict uniforms"