Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-28
LEE CAMP
To BEG FOR
TRANSFER
Atlanta Police, Impressed by Fugi-
tives' Story, Help Them to
Get Board Hearing.

A tale as remarkable as any that
ever graced the pages of fiction was
told to the police by W. E. Lee, 90
years old, and Jack Pollard, 25 years
old, who were arrested by Policeman
Bell as they stepped from a Decatur
car at Edgewood avenue and Pryor
street Friday morning, after escaping
from a convict camp at Lawrence
vile, Gwinnett County, and walking
through the country to Decatur,
where they caught a car to Atlanta
1--WE were not trying to run away"
they said. I'VE were going back just
as soon as we accomplished our mis-
sion to Atlanta. We ran away from
the camp and came here to appear
before the Prison Commission and ask
for a transfer from Lawrenceville 10
another camp where we would get
better treatment.
1--WE are willing to serve out our
sentences, but we would like to serve
them in some other convict camp
and under some other warden than
F. C. Davis, who has charge of the
Lawrenceville camp"
Police Seek Hearing for Them.
The police were impressed with the
stories of Pollard and Lee, and Cap
tain Poole consented to telephone
Chairman Davidson, Of the Prison
Commission, and ask him to give the
convicts an audience at police head
quarters, when they will place their
troubles before him.
Neither Lee nor Pollard makes any
charges Of brutality or mistreatment
against Wraden Davis. 1t Is the little
circumstances, the things that can
not be definitely classed as mistreat-
ment, that they claim makes life I'M
bearable in the Lawrenceville camp.
There are twelve men in the Law
rencevlle camp" said Pollard, land
none of them likes Warden Davis and
none of them can get along with him.
He takes us out to work before sun
rise and doesn't bring us back to
camp until after dark-sometimes
long while after dark. He's always
nagging at us, and there are hun
dreds Of little things that happen that
make our lives there miserable. We
know we can't have everything we
want, being convicts, but we think we
are entitled to almost a fair deal"
Lee and Pollard told the police
that they had worn the undershirts
they had on their backs for three
weeks, without having an opportunity
to have them washed.
Both Long Term Men.
TITS a case either of wearing them
that long or wearing some wooden
things that scratch and torment us so
we can not work. And when we stop
work to scratch ourselves, the guards
get down on us and life is harder
than ever"
Pollard has served seven years of
a twenty-year sentence, having been
convicted in Clayton County for the
killing of a man named William
White. Lee was sentenced for life
for the killing of Jack Chappelle in
Coweta County, and has served three
years and three months.
I'VE stood the Lawrenceville camp
as long as we could" said Pollard,
"and then decided TO see If we
couldn't do something about it, Both
Of us were TRUSTEES, and there wasn't
much difficulty in getting away. We
left the camp at 3 o'clock yesterday
afternoon, and walked through the
country all night, reaching Decatur
early Friday morning. We didn't have
any intention of escaping and had
made no effort to dispose of our con-
,,ict uniforms"