Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-02
HAWTH0RNE'S TALE
IS TO Be PR0BED
Charges Against the Atlanta
Prison Came as a Big
Surprise.
REGARDED AS A MODEL
UNDER WARDEN MOYER
Other Institutions Have Copied
Many of the Reforms He
Has Instituted.

/ Special Dispatch TO The Star.
| ATLANTA, Ga, November Nv hen
Julian Hawthorne, son Of Nathaniel
Hawthorne, and his companion. DR.. W.
| P. Morton, coming out of the Atlanta
penitentiary on parole, said that the
prison was a living hell'' and place of
| slow murder, and told why they thought
l.so, they precipitated q debate that is
| likely not to end until all officials and
employees of the prison, as well as many
prisoners of high and low degree, are
subjected to questioning.
/ An investigation is 10 be held. Warden
w IL. Meyer, the object of HaHthorne's
most earnest denunciation, has request
| ed 1t.
| The charges come as complete sur
prise generally, and particularly in At
lanta, where the federal prison has al
ways been regarded as q model. The
| Atlanta pententiary, while smaller than
! the prison at Fort IeavenWorth, KAN,
| was believed to be more efficient, and
when n new warden was named to take
| over the LeayenWorth penitentiary sew
eral months ago he was commissioned
| to come to Atlanta to study the "details
OF Warden Meyers establishment with
| q view to installing some of The features
| obtaining there at Leavenworth.
! For Eastern Prisoners.
| The Atlanta penitentiary is the place
to which are sent all persons convicted
in the United States courts in the eastern
| states. Fort Leayenworth is the aesti-
nation of prisoners from the middle west
ern states. The western prison is at
San Quintin, Cal.
| Recently, within the last two years, in
1 fact. number of features have
| added at Atlanta which have attracted
| widespread attention among the advo-
| Gates of prison reforms. A base ball
! league was organized among the prison
| ers. with games every Saturday after
! noon, which Is always a holiday. A
/ prison paper was established and pub
| lished monthly under the name of Good
| words. Al. eady there was q prison or
| cheStra, and the c. ? om was inaugurated
| of furnishing music during meal time
Also, the ban of silence was removed
during the hours allotted to the prison
erS for play.
!, OF all these things the public heard,
until the impression grew that the At
lanta penitentiary was an ideal place of
| its kind Then came the accusation OF
| Hawthorne and Morton with unexpected
suddenness. The prominence of the two
| men gave something of verisiIniiitude to
| their sto4y that would not have been
| attached to the revelations of an or
binary convict. They had admitted that
they had never been ill-treated, and add
| ed that they We're speaking out of no
| spirit Of revenge.
| Hawthorne and Morton talked particu-
| larry of insufficient and poorly prepared
1 food, charging that men actually We're
/ deprived of necessary suStenence in o.
might be made. Hawthorne talked dra-
| maticaliy of the hole LIN which recall
| citrant prisoners We're confined.
Description of the "Hole."
| As he drew the picture Of this place of
| solitary confinement it was a hot, dark
| dungeon where men were strapped by
their wrists and left for hour S upon the
| slightest proyocation. Hawthorne told
| OF the case of an old, half-witted pris-
| oner whom he called Great Britain" the
name by which he is generally known
among the prison inmates. Great Brit
| to incarceration in the hole when be-
cause of Ibis mental tahlt, lie was not
| responsible for his actions.
hawthorne and Morton left Atlanta
WITHIN Two hours after their release from
the penitentiary. Hardly had they left.
| however. when echoes of their denuncia-
tlon We're heard. From Representative
Howard came the statement that he be-
Heved most OF the charges against the
prison and would see that an investiga-
ton WAS ordered. \ former guard at th
penitentiary declared that conditions were
| just as Hawthorne and Morton had de-
scribed them
On the other hand there was defense
of Warden Mover The warden himself
| immediately requested an investigation
| AIRS. A Springer. a prison worker. said
| hawthorne was an 'old crouch and
| not to be taken seriously J. p Mathies-
sen. well known Atlanta musician. for
| several years director of the prison or
cnestra, said he knew Warden Meyers
administration to be above reproach. A
=. brain' Tor seventeen years a federal
prisoner. came to the warden's support
| branding the charges as false
Prisoners Must Work.
To outward appearances the prison is
thus Every prisoner has work to do
and most OF the work is some form of
manual labor. There is the stonecut-
ters shop, the tailor IS shop. the laundry,
the storeroom. the farm. the carpenters
shop, the bakery-in all Of which there
are prisoners at work Behind the group
OF buildings, bordering on the recreation
grounds, is a model camp for tubercu-
losis prisoners. Nearby is q plant In
which soap is manufactured from the
waste products OF the shops and kitchen.
Everything is operated on a basis OF
strict economy. A line of railroad tracks
runs into the grounds, aid a string OF
freight cars is always there. The plant
~ which electricity is generated for
light and power Is always running. The
entire plant appears TO visitors TO be a
well ordered enterprise
They are starving men in the name
OF economy" said Hawthorne. and Nor
ton nodded his head In confederation.
prisoners are subjected to treatment
that Is nothing less than slow murder -
said DR.. Morton, who Is practicing ply
stefan There Is never enough to eat.
The warden attempts to feed strong men
on cents day, and when he succeeds
he brags about 1t. There has never a
!; man gone into that prison but who under
goes IA steady deteriora tlon-maybe slow,
but always sure.
You hear OF the clean cells in which
! the prisoners Sleep" said Hawthorne.