Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-04
PUNISH RATHER THAN REFORM
CONVICT SAYS COMMISSIONER

est man In the world and ! can't
stand everything, ! do my best but
they whipped me because I couldn't
do more
Tales Of brutality we're told when
the investigators went to the Adams
vile works, the stretch of road
working
They found p f. Watson there, a
boy whose left arm is useless, dried
and shriveled from the effects of a
gunsh1t wound.
Works With One Arm.
He said that. although the doctor
had said he was not able to handle
shovel guards had forced him TO
work under the Gun with the imple-
ment. and threatened to bea him If
he couldn't keep up with men who
had two good arms. Watson said he
testified before the Grand Jury, and
before that he was water boy. After
he came back, he said, a guard came
to him and said Captain Thomson
had ordered him under the gun again.
81 was whipped once, said Wat
son because ! had blister on my
foot and my shoe was too tight, and
cut IL so | could walk. / was also
whipped because ] complained one
day when it was cold and my arm
hurt. My arm hurts all the time, but
they won't do anything for it,"
Remarks made by the men on the
Adamsviiie works proved the suSp1
cion that had been IN the minds Of
~ l.
eating party-that the camp had been
prepa red for the coming of the inves-
tigators.
Food improved Suddenly.
we knew somebody was coming
to- day" said RUDE Mitchell who is
serving seven-yesr bit, for the food
wa s so per cent better than it usually
is"
Mitchell B. j. Patterson, John by,
Frank Jones, John Beaseley and 9TH
ers told tales of cruelty on the part of
the guards, and Mitchell shed a lit
tie new light on the shooting of Con-
Wet Harris.
The stick these people say Harris
had in his hand when he was shot"
Mitchell said, lis not the one he car
ried. This stick is a big bludgeon.
The one that Harris had was a little
limb broken from bush. and ii
wasn't over a foot long, and no big
ger around than a broom handle. !
don't know what became OF it, but
the one that is on exhibition came
from the camp woodpile after the
shooting"
Frank Jones, rs years old, who has
served nine years OF a life sentence
for murder. said that he and half ID
IL. ~
cause they asked about the dinner
hour, which the rules say they have a
right to do. Among the other men
We're Walt Blackman. John Beasely,
George Brady and Jim Brown.
Bea sely, an old man said they gave
him eighteen lashes. The others got
from seven to eleven.
Jones said that everybody who
tells OF the brutality of the guards
gets whipped.
Objected to Vile Name.
Charley Wood. te guard, drew his
gun on me last summer because | OBJ
iected when he called me a vile name
and threatened to shoot me. | told
him he didn't have the nerve, and he
reported me for whipping. The
'iackman,' however, wouldn't do it"
The men at Adamsville declare that
the new warden, Bob Clark is a good
man, and treats them better than did
Captain Thomson. Aaron Isom, a
new guard, they declare is the best
man who ever held d gun over them.
'Isom treats US like we are hu-
man." said Rube Mitchell, "and he
gets more work out of us than any
other guards, I'd get up at midnight
to do Isom a favor and sometimes |
feel like I'd get up at midnight to
beat some of the other guards"
Nothing was learned of conditions
at Oakland, where the probers
lunched. Commissioner Waters stat
ed during dinner that he thought not
more than two camps ought to be
visited each day, 80 the probers could
go to the works and talk to the men.
Didn't Want to Hear Men.
They don't want to talk to the
men," interrupted Captain Donald
son. If we hurry we can take them
around and show them all the camps
to- day"
Living conditions are what we
want to see" remarked Judge Pat
terson, of the Stae Commission. i've
heard that there are worms in the
food. l want to find out if there are
1t is not necessary to talk to tde
men"