The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1914-03-27
Jackson, Miss, March IS.


Mississippi State Penitentiary. Jack
son, Miss:
Gentlemen-I had intended not to tur-
den your record with anything more,
|but since G. c. Smith, Immediately
following the Governors generous treat
ment, in releasing him, just as he was
On the eve of donning the stripes of a
felon, has seen fit to go before you and
yenomously assail me and my admins
tration of the penitentiary affairs, ma
eyen more unfairly than others who are
Inclined to fight me. feel the necessi-
" of defending myself against his un-
Bcrupulous attacks.
In raking up the matter of that ter
Fible fire at Oakley, c; c; Smith. as
well as others of my would-be destroy
ers. lose sight of the fact that the pen
tertiary has three trustees whose bus
ness and sworn duty it is to look after
these things as well as the superintend-
bnt; and notice that he fails to tell
your committee that the old building
hat went up in flames, consuming hu-
man lives at Oakley, that he claims was
10 unsafe and thereby admits that he
lnew all along that,it was unsafe, was
built thele of material taken from the
bid penitentiary walls and the women
contingent had been for long time
tonfned there in this old, unsafe build
ng. There is nothing of record to
how that C. C. Smith ever called the
lttention of the former superintendent
n his monthly report to this bad state
bf affairs, and at that time conditions
we're a great deal worse than when the
Ire took place, for then there was a
fall around the helpless women and nc
(ightws lehman permitted within the
Falls. l say that he failed to make re-
bort on the conditions at this camp as
vas his duty under the law. See Sec
ion 1896, Code 1906, which reads ir
bart as follows:
"Such reports shall be detailed state
hent of the condition of each farm
both as to the condition of the convict
md of the crop being raised on SAT-
ktate farms, etc.
Major Smith also fails to relate t.
gour honorable body that two of tn
members of the board of trustees live
bnly twelve miles distant from the Oak
ey place, and have been living nee
This Oakley hospital ever since the.
were elected to Office in 1907; while
i've l4S miles distant. And notwith
standing this, in all this time neithe
they nor the former superintendent sa,
lit to have the unsafe condition of thi
bid cage changed.
| have no doubt had our foresight
been as our hindsights, a great man
changes would have been made at OAK
lev, not only by the board and superb
tenpent, but doubtless the Legislature
in the light of subsequent events, woul
have made ample provision in the pa:
for such necessary changes to have bee
made, and hope the present legisl'
ture will not adjourn without maxim
some appropriation looking to the be
terment of the buildings for the ca'
and keep of our helpless prisoners.
In reporting matters to you, MaJ(
Smith failed to direct your attention
the very important fact that, atcordir
to the law, (see sec. 1896, Code 1906
he. as a member of the board of tru
tees, was required to devote all b
time to the business of the penite
tlary, whereas, the fact is, this II
maculate gentleman, posing before T
public as a prosecuted servant OF e
good ''peepul, was down there at lr
more running his farm . and acting
agent of the Y. & NJ V. Ry., VIII
time he wasn't dispensing liquor at t
expense of the good "peepul,. while
was at the main plantation OF the pei
tentiary at Parchman, where | am
quired by law to live, (see sec. S59
busy performing my duties to the stat
Martyr" Smith fails to tell yo
committee why the former superlnteI
ent kept the women prisoners IN q
DID, unsafe building at Oakley in dir
violation of the law (see sec. 36OS, 20
1865, which says:
"F m e Convicts-The board
trustees shall after January |, ~
have erected on the Sunf1ower farm
suitable building in which to house
female convicts. in which building
said convicts shall live"
Furthermore, why didn't Mr.. SIN
tell your committee that at the TIM
assumed charge as superlnteno
there were white women confined in
same quarters along with the negro
men? See sec. 1925, Code 1906, WI
was thus violated and which reads
follows:
Separation of Races and Sexes
The superintendent shall see that
white convicts shall have separ
apartments for both eating and sic
ing, from the negro convicts, and I
that the female convicts shall be X
separate from the males"
l changed this sad condition wi
had been in vogue under Smith
Neyland's kind ~ administrat