Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-05

| Spots RHers I0e men were NOTkllS,
except in the case of the Adamsville
camp.
II is worthy of mention, and per-
haps strange, that the Belwood camp.
with the largest number of convicts,
has the minimum of punishment and
the maximum of efficiency. II is con-
sidered, and undoubtedly is, the best
camp in Fulton County and one of
the best in the Southland yet only
twelve men were whipped there in
January, as against 80 in Camp Wei
auca, where the eonVicts are surly and
luarrelsome, denoUncing the Jack
man and his strap with bitter invec-
tive.
work ] get" said Captain Jones, of
the Bellwood camp. 81 don't believe
in fiogging except as a last resort.
And even then ! hate TO do it,"
And 1t is matter of common
knowledge that the convicts at the
| Bellwood camp do more and better
work than the conNicts at any other
camp
Except in the case Of the Adams
Vile camp, the five men who made
Yesterdays Investigation" made no
pretense Of making more than SUI
perffcial probe into conditions, con.
tenting themselves with casually in
speeding the living quarters and the
eating places and praising the food,
and questioning such convicts as
were to be found roaming around in
the yard.
Convict Witness lntimidated.
The Adamsville camp was, how
ever. covered thoroughly, two hours
and twenty minutes being spent at
the camp and at the works" the
stretch Of road where the men were
laboring. Even at this camp. how
ever. with the exception of the score
or more whom the guards hustled
into the star chamber session in the
clubhouse and a half dozen or so
long-term men at the works, all
questioning was done with guards
lowering in the offing. Most of the
men were afraid to talk, but those
who did, with one or two exceptions,
told horrible tales Of being fiogged
and of being forced to work when
they were sick. and all manners of
cruelties practjced on them.
With the exception OF the score
who We're in the clubhouse for ten
minutes with the probing committee
and about ten who were interviewed
on the Adamsville works, the Com
missioners did not talk to more than
a dozen, or fifteen at the outside, at
the other FIVE camps. Most of the
questions were asked by newspaper
men.
Here. in nutshell, is just about
what was done during the day by the
Commissioners in their tour of in
vestigation:
Left the Thrower Building at 10
O'Clock and arrived at Adamsville
camp at 10:40. Talked to convicts,
with guards near, posed for pictures,
walked about the grounds. held star
chamber session with convicts. and
left at 11:40 for the works, arriving
there at IL O'Clock. Here the only
real investigating of the day was
fecting stories Left the works at l
o'clock for Oakland City camp.
Probe Mostly Arguments.
Arrived Oakland City camp at 1880
o'clock. Walked into clubhouse and
looked around; had interesting Argu-
ment about newspapers always try
ing to- stir things up; another argu-
ment over whether a criminal is a
mental degenerate; dissertation or
criminology; dinner, leaving at $3.50
without doing much investigating.
From Oakland the probers went to
Rosalind camp and stayed ten min
utes, and negro, Perry Praig. told OF
being whipped two times in three
weeks on his bare back.
Went TO Miner camp and stayed
six minutes, and heard negro tell OF
being whipped for turning over a
Georgia buggy" or a wheelbarrow
Went to Weiauca camp and stayed
twenty minutes; posed for pictures
and heard negro tell of being
I h .-....
the last time when he was stark
naked.
Went to Bellwood and stayed 81
minutes. great deal of it being con-
sumed in sampling food, drinking
coffee and in the newspaper men get
ting the opinions OF the Commission
ers on what they had seen. Walked
, all over the camp, which was very
clean, and saw two gangs of prison
ers come in. he happiest-looking lot
Of any of the camps. There is less
1ogging at Bellwood camp than al
any OF the others too, which ought
to mean something.
! After the investigation was com
pleted. each of the four who stayec
for the finish-Shelby Smith. of thu
County Board, and President Dawson
Mr.. Rainey and Judge Patterson, O.
the State Commission-expres
himself as well plea sed with what HI
had seen, and confident that the sto.
ries of brutality had been greatly ex.
aggerated.
Waters Didn't Finish.
, Tull c. Waters, president OF tn,
County Board, started, but while Ell
. route to the Rosalind camp from tn,
, Oakland camp Captain Tom Donald
sons automobile, in which he wa!
riding, broke down. and Mr.. Water.
was compelled TO abandon the inves
tigation.
PresidentN Dawson stated positivel,
that there Is little likelihood of an,
@ action being taken by the State Pris
). on Commission.
, 1T appears to me-" he said. tina
this thing OF wholesale brutality ha!
+ resolved itself into a question of iso
/, lated cases OF cruelty on the part o
" the guards, and a promiscuous use o
the authority to fog prisoners. Abou
all that can be done is for us to watcl
carefully, and when we catch
p guard being unnecessarily brutal dis
charge him"
: That is substantially what the 9th
err three probers said. Mr.. Patterson
:, remarking that the principal Idea o