Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-19
]Gn Hawthorne TO Amplify Charges
Friends Rush to Defend Warden MOver
Congressman Howard to Make Personal Probe of
Authors Accusations of Cruelty
and Underfeeding.

A short and ugly word Is likely at
times to stir up considerable of a row,
uartfcularfy II II is accompanied by
longer but no less ugly elaboration.
So when Julian Hawthorne and DR.
Morton, coming out of the Atlanta
Federal penitentiary last Wednesday,
said the prison was a Giving hell" a
place Of slow murder, and told why
they thought so, they precipitated an
excited debate that is likely not to
end until the prison is turned inside
cut until all officials and employ ses
within its walls and many prisoners
Of high and low degree are subjected
70 the fire OF the Government inves-
tlgator.
An investigation Is certain. War
den W. H Meyer, the object OF Haw-
thorne's most earnest denunciation
mas requested it. Congressman VIII
lam Schley Howard has promised It,
limiting that he is ready to believe
the charges made by the two noted
prisoners.
The entire hullabaloo comes as
distinct surprise generally, particu-
larly in Atlanta, where the prison has
always been regarded as a model. The
Atlanta penitentiary, while smaller
than the Federal prison at Leaven-
worth, Kans., was believed to be the
more efficient, and when a new war
den was named to take over the
Leavenworth penitentiary several
months ago he was commissioned u
come to Atlanta to study the details
OF Warden Meyers establishment
with a view to installing many %
them in Leavenworth.
Gets Prisoners From East.
The Atlanta penitentiary is the
place to which are sent all persons
convicted in the United States Courts
In the Eastern States. Fort Leaven-
worth is the destination Of prisoners
from the Middle Western States. The
Western prison Is at San Quentin,
Cal
Recently, within the last two years
in fact, a number OF features were
added to the life of the prisoners that
attracted widespread attention among
advocates Of prison reform. A base
ball league was organized among the
prisoners, with games every Satur-
day Saturday afternoon is always a
holiday. A prison paper was estab-
lSleG anG puDIlSneO monthly unQrT
the name Good Words. Already there
was prison orchestra, and the GUS
tom was inaugurated Of furnishing
music during meal time.
or all these things and others the
public heard, until the impression
grew that the Atlanta penitentiary
was an ideal place Of confinement.
Then came. the accuse ton by Julian
Hawthorne and Or. w. P. Morton
with startling unexpectedness.
The prominence of the two men
gave something of verisimilitude to
their story that would not have been
attached to the revelations OF an or
binary convict The fact that they
admitted they were never subjected
70 i'll treatment and were speaking
out Of no spirit of revenge seemed
to lend credence to their story.
Attack Aimed at Food,
Hawthorne and Morton talked par
ucularly Of insufficient and poorly
prepared food, charging that men ac-
tually we're deprived Of necessary
sustenance in order that good finan-
cial statement might be made Haw-
thOrne talked dramatically Of hole
in which recalcitrant prisoners were
confined AS he drew the picture OF
this place of solitary confinement 1t
was a hot, dark dungeon. He said
men were strapped there by their