Atlanta Georgian., 1914-02-28

In Atlanta. as in all large cities, there
are social clubs organized for the bona
fee purpose of supplementiug the home
life of their members and visiting
friends The membership of these
clubs Representing the best CONNER
/ cial financial and moral interests of the
city--those most deenly committed TO
the uphuild'ng of Atlanta and the en-
fo~cement of law-h9s, so far as we are
informed, endea vored to carry out the
true intent aud sDirit of the laws on
the subject Of intoxicating Hrncrs: and,
however much difference Of opinion may
arise ms to the technical INTERPRETATION
of such laws. we have heard of no dis
nosition to defy them on the mart OF
these clubs. hrt rather manifest effort
to comply with their much mooted pro-
visions.
II does not seem to us that the in
ten+ion of existing laws is TO interfere
with the rights of Individuals, or even
Of private. Croups Of citizens. TO have
and use intoxicating LIQUORS in their
homes. hut only to nrohihit the sale
of such lionors in nuhiic places These
bora fde social clu1Ns are strictly pri-
to ha'ieve thai any LIQUORS there are
nuhlirlv offered for sale, and have
tPerefore rot deemed it necessary. ror
advisable. TO fornallv Investigate the
workings Of these institutions.
ON the other hand. it is sta ted tia t
there are q. number of eo-called 'Iocker
cInbs" of an entirely different nature.
the nri"'arv object Of which is the sale
nf spirituous 'iouors. Some are said to
he cor7"cted by wholesale Iiolor houses.
at a Fistance. othars nv individuals for
neouriary gain. In these clubs, II is
said, the 1''nS are nominal and the form
ard snn'hiapre of club is ma aintair ad
merely for the purpose of evading the
Law.
To distinguish between the regular
and the sn'rious. as annlied to clubs. is
tor recurring a great deal of time and
the examiration Of A vast amount of
evidence. This Grand Jury having only
few days more to sarve was not dis
n"Sed to make q superficial investiga :
tion. even though if was cIa lined that
the poseession cf a Federal liosnse was
nrima facie evidence of an infraction OF
tho law
IT. Irasmnch as the incoming spring
term Grand Jury is charged with the
duty Of making special inquiry into
all matters ne~tainipR to the conduct
Of the County's affairs and present
ments 70 tho public are required of that
body. ii had been decided AT the time
cf convening that the present outgoing
Grand Jury would take up no matters
other than the regular criminal bust
ness res. presented by the office of the So
llcitor General.
The investigation of the rounty's pris-
on system was the result of inforn1a tion
obtained, at the outset. by accident.
by the Solicitor. who was prisoner
| in The chaingang. To questions asked.
with no nurnosn other than to secure
general information. situation was dis
closed as existing at these convict
camps which surprised every member
present. So shocked and disguised was
this body with the revelations of these
prisoners. that il was the consensus OF
oD1nfon that further inquiry was i'm
perativelv demanded to ascertain the
/ true facts from creditable witnesses
who had l1nowledse on the subject
Not content with almost endless tes-
alike. en1plovees Of the county, the
County Commissioners themselves and
the State Prison Board were s,bnenaed
TO give testimony of their knowledge on
the subject r.
The ignoran nee of the County Commits
sioners on all matters pertaining to the
actual conduct of the prison camps and
the treatment of the prisoners was as
tcnishing. Two of the Commissioners.
Clifford L. Anderson and Tull c..
Waters. were either unable or unwill-
ing to disclose any knowledge of the
true conditions; on the contrary. they
defended the system that had been in
force for a quarter of a century under
the administration of Thomas ]. and
s. II: Donaldson. The other three Com
missioners, S r. Turman, W, T. Winn
and Shelby Smith. acknowledged they
had little information on the subject.
but stated that this was not the result
OF inattentfon. but to difficulties in their
way. due to the Donaldson Influence
over their apponted employees in charge
of the prisoners and camps who ig-
nored any authority other than that OF
the Donaldsons themselves. These
Commissioners stated that efforts had
been made by them to better conditions
which they believed to he bad. from
information which had been presented
to them from the outside. but that
every effort to act. on their part. was
met with the opposition of the Donald
son influence, which was in complete
control. This Grand Jury had com plete
proof Of this fact in the instance of a
specially pathetic case that came before
it-that Of a negro. Otis Spra tIing from
tho Weiauca camps.
This emaciated, weakened black man.
the breast. evidently affecting his res
piration. for. as he expressed it. "he was
short of breath this pathetic creature
bad been whipped innumerable times
he had been whipped three times In one
day. always for the same cause, as
sta ted by him-"he couldn't keep UP the
lick"
This means that In the gang of SHOW
elers, of which he was part, his
strength was insufficient to possibly
keep up with the stronger normal pris-
oners. when loading the wagons.
At the time he appeared before US, his
back was mass OF raw flesh in patches
as large as ones hand, as the result of
the three Whtppings in one day admin
istered a week before. for the sole rea =
eon that "he couldn't keep up the
lick"
So incensed was every member of the
Grand Jury. on this occasion. that the
members of the County Commission,
who happened to be in session in an
other part of the building at the time,
were requested to appear for the pur-
pose of seeing for themselves this act
Of infumanity. which some of the mem
bers had previously denied existed in
the camps. A request was made OF
them by the Grand Jury that this OBJ
iect of brutality, who gave every evil
dence of having been beaten almost to
death, should be removed from the
camp at which he was employed at
hard labor and placed in the hospital
at the Bellwood camp. under tho care
Of the County Physician The Individual
Commissioner readily agreed to this.
making the statement that orders for
his removal would he given that day
\ week later. during the course OF
further investigation of the prison sys-
TEN. it deyeloped that the transfer of
this suffering man to the County Hos
nital where necessary attention could
be given. had never been made IT was
only after further demand and stress
ing the extreme urgency of the case
that anything whatever was done.