Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-04
Continued From Page 6.

fifteen minutes. The probers refused
10 make public the stories told by
the convicts, but one of them, H. D.
F'lemings, whose sentence will expire
in twelve days, told the newspaper
men his story when he came out.
Here it is:
81 am serving my first term he
,aid. Il was sent up for assault to
murder. We are treated little better
than dogs here, although the new
warden. Mr.. Clark, appears to want
IN do the right thing. Guards have
cursed me and applied vile epithets
to my mother, and If l objected l
was whipped l was logged on my
bare skin in June, and to this day l
don't know what I was whipped for.
I've seen guards come into the camp
staggering under the influence Of
whisky. and once l saw guard
drinking. He offered me a drink and
CURSE me when l refused.
Made to Work While III.
"One day last summer ! got sick
during the work and Charley Wood,
stlard who is a brute. wouldn't let me
st down. The next day I laid in. be-
cause | was sick, and the 'jack-man,'
Captain Thomson, came and cursed
me and said there was nothing the
matter with me.
"On another occasion Charley Wood
made me climb down off the bank.
where | had fallen because l was so
sick. and made me get into the cut
and go to work. ! could hardly stand
la hut hA hall
under the gun and made me swing d
shovel.
The day l was whipped-for what
reason | do not know-other men
we're logged for the same reason.
Among them were Guy Forester, Joe
Owens. John Lively and a man we
call Fifteen Cents" whose real name
DO not know. / worked all the day
before. and worked hard, for I've
worked hard ever since I came here.
When we went out on the chain that
morning Charley Wood came along
and stopped in front of us and cursed
and said
Go back into the Office. you -,
and get killed!
Il got seven lashes and Guy For
roster got fifteen. The other men got
from five to ten each"
Frank Huseman, a 16-year-o old boy,
who is serving a two-year sentence
for larceny. showed a hand that was
covered with the remains of bad
abscess He said the guards had
made him work when the sore was at
It's worst stage. with no protection
other than rough and dirty rag.
Ben Cohen said he had been
whipped once during his six months
term for laziness.
God knows" he said, that work
as hard as | can. I'm not the strong
est man in the world and I can't
stand everything. I do my best, but
they whipped me because / couldn't
DO more"
Tales of brutality were told when
the Investigators went TO the Adams
vile works, the stretch of road
where the men under the gun were
working
They found p E. Watson there. a
boy whose left arm is useless, dried
and shriveled from the effects OF
gunshot wound.
Works With One Arm.
He said that, although the doctor
had said he was not able to handle a
shovel. guards had forced him to
work under the gun with the imple
ment, and threatened to beat 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 Thomason
had ordered him under the gun again.
I was whipped once" said Wat
son, because | had a blister on my
foot and my shoe was too tight and
cut 1t so l could walk. I was also
whipped because l complained one
DAY when 1t was cold and my arm
hurt. NY arm hurts all the time, but
they won't do anything for it."
remarks made by the men on the
Evansville works proved the suspi
cion that had been in the minds of
some of the members of the investi-
eating party-that the camp had been
prepared for the coming of the inves-
tigators
Food Improved Suddenly.
We knew somebody was coming
to-day" said Rube Mitchell. who is
serving a seven year bit, FOR the food