The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-04-15

georgia: CLOUDY luesuay hhN Po'
Wednesday
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
helms dismissed two of these convicts
when the probe began.
| Witness also declared that Nelms dc
not stay at the mines much of his
| time He declared that helms owned
an automobile, and that he was auto
mobile crazy"
81 think he will have sufficient time
| to run his automobile when this IN
vestigation is over" said witness.
| williams gave the names of several
men whom he wished summoned tc
substantiate his charges against Nelms
| August Wilkie, Montgomery horse
dealer, was the next witness placed
| on the stand. Mr.. Wilkie testified thai
he had been selling horses and mules
in Montgomery for 20 years. but had
never been asked to make bids to the
state convict department. He said he
had never been approached by any
member of the convict department and
asked to quote a price
Manager of Cotton Mill
II. II. Stewart. manager of the state
cotton mill at Speigners, followed Mr.
Willxie as a witness. Mr.. Stewart said
he had been manager of the cotton mill
three years, one year of which was In
the administration of Governor Conner
Witness said he had been in the cotton
mill business II years
Products manufactured by cotton
mill can be sold to the best advantage
Through commission houses, testified the
witness. This method was adopted at
the state cotton mill, Goodin, Reid &
Co., of Cincinnati acting as the mills
selling agent. Said he knew of several
other mills in Alabama which used the
same method of selling.
Witness stated that the mill gave
the commission house per cent to dis
pose of the output and that the mills
quoted the regular standard discount
to customers. sWas shown statements
where Goodin, Reid & Co. had received
per cent for selling the goods and
explained this by saying that this was
under the first contract which was made
by the mill with the selling agent.
About a million yards of certain class
of goods were sold at a per cent COM
mission. The million yards brought APP
proximately $50 900 The difference be-
tween per cent and per cent on this
amount would total about $500.
More than one-half of the convicts
employed in the mill at Speigners are
negroes. Most of these are negro wom-
en-, according to the witness. Negro
women are as valuable in mill as any
other kind of labor with the excep-
ton of the card room according to Mr..
Stewart. Mr.. Stewart said. there had
been deterioration in the management
of the negroes during the last year.
Invoices of shipments from the mil
were mailed to Goodin, Reid g. Co., and
a carbon copy was sent to the office
of the president of the state convict bu-
reau. Bills of lading were kept at the
railroad office at Spegners. Witness
said he had never made any collection
of any kind himself.
Mr. Stewart said he kept little bool,
in which was a memorandum Of certain
sales and that this book he turned over
to the convict department He had never
received 1t back The absence of these
books which he brought to the depart
ment would have been the means fol
covering up the populations which had
been made in the department.
Charge for Convicts
Concerning the charge for convicts, Mr.
Stewart said So month had been thu
standard price ever since he had beer
connected with the mill and as far al
he knew ever since the mill had beer
completed. This charge was made FOL
all convicts.
Management of the mills at Speigners
should be in the hands of some person
independent of the warden, in the opinion
of Mr. Stewart. He recommended tina
new additions be made to the present
mill in order to utilize the power from
the water power plant which will be fin
ished soon.
More than 800 bales of cotton were
turned over to the mills from the state
farms last year and this was the largest
1a6
from this source, according to the wit
ness. The total cotton used by the mil
each year amounts to about 1000 bales
In order to encourage buying from wag-
ons this custom had been kept up and
when the cotton was not needed II was
turned over to Gilmore, CULLEN & Co. OF
Montgomery, and other companies fol
whom Mr.. Stewart acted as agent. This
was done on the instruction OF Governor
O'Neal, who desired that the farmers
be encouraged to bring the cotton te
the state mill.
8. Roswald, a horse and mule dealer
of Montgomery, was the first witness
placed on the stand this afternoon. He
testified that he had never had any deal
ings with the convict department.
Greer Is Then Called
l.. F. Greer, associate member OF tne
convict board. was the next witness. lie
was appointed April Is, 1911.
"The law makes it my duty to inspect
prisons and prisoners he said He
thought he could say, without any ego
tism, that he had discharged his duty
and obeyed every command from the
governor He stated he has no execu'
tive authority, not even to discharge
guard. He can suspend them and recon-
mend their discharge.
When he took charge the first place
he visited was Speigners, including the
farm and the dam. Stock was in poor
condition then, as were also farm pro-
ducts.
Mr.. Greer declared there has been gen.
eral Improvement in the states convict
farms urT,r his administration. He saw
no reason why the dam at speigners
should not be in operation in 60 days.
Review of Convict Camps
Witness then started on a review OF
the various convict camps, He discussed
the prison at Florence. At urSt ne QlQ