Atlanta Georgian., 1913-10-17
PR|SONCH|EF.
SCORED BY
GUARD
Present Employee Corroborates
Charges by Hawthorne of the
MiStreatment of Convicts.

As shocking as were the revela-
| tions of alleged conditions in the
Atlanta Federal prison made by Ju-
/ liam Hawthorne when he doors
| opened to let him free, they were sur
passed in their ugliness by story
related to The Georgian Friday by
another man-not a convict recently
| liberated. as was Hawthorne, but a
guard who has been working at the
prison for years and who hopes to
work there many more If the author
tiles do not succeed in learning his
identity.
! For obvious reasons he would no.
tell his story except under promise
that his name would not be used He
declared that if Warden Meyer
learned who it was who not only had
! corroborated Hawthorne's story, but
had added to it, the official ak would
| get busy at once and he Cthe guard
would be without a job. That there
are many other guards and employees
at the prison who would testify 10
the actual conditions at the prison If
| anyone could guarantee that they
would hold their positions afterwar1
was the startling statement Of this
guard.
| While the fioodgates OF criticism
! have been opened upon the warden
! by the sensational story of Haw-
| thorne and his companion DR.. w. j.
| Morton, Meyer has not been without
his stauuch friends and defenders.
]. p. Matthiessen, musical director at
! the prison two and half years, told
The Georgian Friday that there was
nothing to the charges. A number
of former convicts also have put in
good word for the warden and his
aides and have secuted the story that
the prisoners are mistreated or
starved
The guard who told his story to
The Georgian supported Hawthorne's
declaration that the prison is little
| less than living hell for its inmates.
In broad language he branded War
den Meyers pretense of humane
treatment as a sham and bluff To
deceive the officials of the Depart
ment of Justice in Washington.
He wrecks all semblance Of dis
cipIine by arbitrarily refusing 10 lis.
ten to reports against unruly prison
ers," said the guard. "A deputy war
den may have a man put in solitary
confinement for an infraction of the
rules and Warden Meyer will have
him taken out so that there will have
to Lg no report sent to Washington.
He wants it to appear that he is rul-
ing by kindness.
But he shows his hand by turning
around and permitting these very
! same prisoners practically to be
starved so that he can make good
showing from the standpoint of econ
omy All that he cares for is good
showing at Washington.
"Mortons story Of the poor food
+ not exaggerated in the least.
| Neither were the facts of the FOOD
strike misrepresented. There was a
real mutiny there. and some Of the
prisoners told me that there would
have been blood split if the warden
had been at the prison at the time it
occurred.
Leavenworth Said To Be Better.
They call this model prison, 0u;
men who have been at Leavenworth
tell me that the prisoners there zet
all they want to eat When bologna
sausage is served, for example, easn
man is given three or four big pieces.
Here It is sliced thin, about the size
of a dollar, and that is all a man
gets. No man can remain in good
health with such meager fare.
AT Leavenworth man is given
generous piece of beef, when that is
on the menu, and afterward it is
passed as long as the prisoners are
| hungry. Here, he gets only small
piece and it isn't passed afterward.
It's the same way with boiled pota-
Continued on Pace 8, Column I.