Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-02
TRUSSED FOR 10
HOURS To WALL
Of ]. 8. PRISON
Freed Convict Makes This Charge
and Ayers Meyer Only Tries to
Keep Up Appearances,
T0RTURES ARE CONCEALED
ALBANIAN Says Practically Every
Man in Prison Suffers From
Stomach Trouble.

Further allegations of shameful
conditions at the Atlanta Federal
Penitentiary were made Saturday
night by convict just released from
that institution which he never had
expected to leave alive,
The details of dark age barbarities,
denied by the prison officials as often
as they have been alleged by guards
and eX-convicis, including Julian
Hawthorne, were repeated
Tue story reiterated the charges of
incompetency on the part of Warden
Meyer. 1t was one which purported
to lay bare the sham and pretense of
the prison administration. 1t branded
all Of the so-cslied reform" as "a
brave show for the especial benefit Of
the Government inspectors and the
visitors, but show which, stripped
of It's sham, had underneath only q
brutal and calious disregard for the
moral and physical welfare of the
prisoners,
Fayette Salter. '1iter, sent up
from Mobile in December 1898,
charged with killing Il mail carrier
between Evergreen and BcIlville, Co
necuh County, Alabama, and robbing
the mail was the author of the latest
charges
Trussed to Wall.
The witness whose evidence con-
victed Sslter was found to be mental
ly unbalanced and irresponsible, and
SalteTs sentence was at once com
muted to his present term of service,
there being no other evidence against
him. He served eighteen months in
Raleigh, n. c.; three years in Nash
vile, and ten ana half years in At
lanta.
They say there are no tortures,"
said Salter. 81 was trussed up, face
to the wall. and with my arms held
outstretched by manacles, for ten
hours. When they let me loose I just
dropped to the cement floor from ex-
haustion, and didn't rise till the next
morning. This was during Warden
Meyers administration.
They say there is no hole. That's
right there isn't any hole, when
the newspaper reporters and the Wis
TORS go through the pen But the
poor prisoner that thoughtlessly in
tracts a rule knows that there is
one.
There are a number of three cor
nered cells in the isolation building.
a man can be chained up to the
doors of any of these cells. Many OF
them have been. There are little cots
in these cells. These are the cells
that are shown the visitors. But
down beneath them there is the
hole
NC SotS W SeUs,
THE cells underground have no
cots. When man drops, he drops
on the cold cement floor. If they
want severely to discipline one OF the
prisoners they can make one Of these
little cells practically air tight and
then turn on the steam through the
pipes
warden Meyers idea is to make
a show. He wants his prison known
as a model institution. He wants TO
see how little he can feed the men
on. Fully seyenty-fve per cent OF
the men have stomach trouble of
some sort from having to eat the
sour bread and meager ratons that
are doled out"
Sater said that negroes are in
charge Of white men in many in
stances; that the men in the tuber-
culosis camp are insufficiently clothed
because of the wardens false econ
omy and that the prison physician
treats the convicts without any re-
gard for their particular ailments.
Salter will leave to-day for his home
In Mobile.