Atlanta Georgian., 1913-10-18
DUNGEON IS
CRUEL.,SAYS
BUILDER
Blacksmith Tells How Prisoners
Are Chained Up by Hands in
"Torture Chamber"

Negro bosses over white convicts
is one of the sensational charges
made against Warden William H.
Meyer, of the Federal prison, by B. b.
Rich, who for nine and one half years
was employed as foreman of the
blacksmith shop there. He declares
that one-tenth of the abuse of con-
victs at the prison has never been
told, and that the charges of Julian
Hawthorne and DR.. Morton, whose
arraignment of the prison administra-
ton created a sensation following
their discharge from the penitentiary
three days ago, are true in every par
ticular.
mon," he said. Il built the two cells
in the basement which are thus
named, and was often called upon
to rivet the chains on the prisoners
confined there. They were chained
to the door hanging by their hands.
Sometimes they were kept this way
for "a hours. 1t was not uncommon
for them to be chained up this way
all day, have the chains loosened at
night and have a blanket hand
ed them in which they could roll up
and sleep on the hard floor. There
were no cots in the cells when l left
there two years ago.
Prisoners confined there were given
nothing but bread and water. Some
times they were given two slices OF
bread a day, but as a rule they were
allowed but one, with one glass of
water. l have known OF men to be
kept there for two weeks and come
out so pallid and weak they could
hardly walk, and almost blind from
confinement in the darkness.
Says Convicts Are Starved.
The charges of starving the pris-
oners are absolutely true. I had 40
men in my squad and they were hun
cry all the time. They would take
the scraps from my lunch and raven
ously eat them. The lack of food
made rogues of them. When the
guards backs were tuned I have
seen them ravenously eating pieces of
pie, ham and eggs and other food
which the cooks had stolen from the
kitchens of the warden and officers.
They begged me to bring them food,
and my lunch basket contained more
than l could have eaten.
"A peculiar system is that some Of
the work demands that a number Of
the conviCts continue at work during
the noon hour for lunch. They are
compelled to wait, and it was the
usual thing for the men who worked
through the noon hour to get a bet
ter meal than those who ate at the
regular time. The men in my squad
begged to be allowed to work during
this time in order that they might
obtain the better food.
There were many forms of punish
ment and if the men employed at the
ptIlllflllAdlN al 2 elSoo uA W AAiII AAiCy
will not lose their positions they will
reveal a state of conditions that will
cause everyone to shudder"
Mr.. Rich took exception to the de-
fense Of Warden Meyer made by
Thomas c. Bran, who recently was
paroled.
Mr.. Bran is under parole and can
not afford to talk, for he is still
within the Jurisdiction of the officers
of the penitentiary, said Rich. Then,
he was not in a position to really OBJ
serve that the convicts were being
starved as he was a cook. He was
fed plenty, and the food cooked by
him was appetizing. The objection
lies in the small amount served to
each convict.
There is a negro engineer at the
prison now at a wage of 800 per
Continued on Page 2, Column I.