The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-22
SAN MOORE IN THE BLACK HOLE.
Julian Hawthorne Tcils Of Prisoner
In Atlanta Penitenttary.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sr: "A
news item In THE Sun this morning
quotes Robert Cameron, just released
from Atlanta penitentiary. as saying.
among other things. that Sam Moore,
"A hier. Is in the back hoe awaiting
transj erence to an Insane asylum. h.v-
ing been adjudgeJ insane by the prison
uuicials
| have mentioned Moore several times
in my articles, but never by name be-
cause I feared TO get him into trouble
at the PRISON. ] knew no man In tho
prison more Intimately than | did him
and respected none more. He is warm
hearted, impulslve, generous and mas
a BRAIN which had he been educated
wouid'have paced him In the front Of
his race-he is a light muiatto. His
force of character Is EXCEPTIONAL; he
overfiows with original and trenchant
thought, he Is fearless and through all
his terrible experiences In the prison
has kept his spirit and self-respect I'M
broken.
With every inducement held out to
him to gain favor and ,eniency by be-
traying his comrades he has steadily
anu ,Onteinptuousiy refuseu 10 Nv SO
and has contributed with other things
to make the officials his enemies. What
10 do with Sam Moore, who knows SO
much more than Il Is expedlent for O
prisoner to know and who declines TO
make himself useful by cooperating with
the authorities, has long been a riddle
with the latter, but Sam himself often
tod me that ne knew they were pan
ming to have him declared insane and
were indeed doing all In their power
to make the charge Justihab.e. This
treatment of prisoners In insane asy-
lums or in some OF them Is even more
brutal. II that be possible, than IN Janis;
and nave little doubt that II Sam be
sent TO one his death from "natura,
causes will not be long delayed.
Consider the case OF this man. When
a mere boy, % years ago, he was con.
fined Tor d.sorderly conduct--a brawt
in the street. He was rul: of the vigor
OF life, a natura. athlete, prone to boy
ish escapades. but never dishonest OF
vicious. During his confinement In
Washington ,l,y he incurred tie enmlty
of another inmate, who announced his
intention OF y, lung" him, mas WAS told
to Sam and a day or two later during
exercise hours he saw the man coming
toward him In q threatening posture
with Knife in his hand.
Sam had already appraised the guard
that he had reason to fear this man,
but the guard scoffed at him. Sam
now, seeing his life in peril, snatche0
up a shovel lying at hand and as the
man made a rush at him brought tho
implement down on his head. the man
fell, struck the back OF his head OLA
a projection and was dead when picked
up. sam, without Influence or n.eAds,
was rushed to judgment and was sem
fenced to die. The sentence was COM
mutcd by Grover Cleveland. ] think. to
| life Imprisonment. He was finally sent
| TO Atlanta.
Life Imprisonment for striking one
| blow in seif-defencs,
His manly Independence in prison.
| nothing worse than that-made him the
| object OF abuse and attack by the ofyi-
Gals. at one time he was shot by ono
of the guards and dragged 10 the hos
ptal room, where he told me. as ha
lay on the floor, the warden entered with
"A revolNer in each hand aud cursed
and menaced him. He recovered, but
b ars the SCARS OF his WOUNDS; l have
seen them.
I There IS no form OF prison discipline
which Sam has not undergone, Of his
twenty-five years In jail. eight years he
informed me. had been spent in the
hole He has remaT kable talent for
! ornamental work IN wood---in,aid boxes
( and the l.ke-and found mental relief In
/ ,ultlvating IL. While | was In the prison
his cell WAS entered ny the guards. HE
work and tools were removed. some OF
he things he had made broken and ne
was forbidden 10 do any more work OF
the kind,
He was deprived OF the Saturday out
ings, forbidden to witness the baseball
games, put In the hole for the slightest
preteXt, and in every manner bounded
to a degree that would have driven most
men insane. and which undoubtedly hao
for its object either HE suicide or the
establishment OF some grounds for COM
mitting him 10 an asylum. He recog-
niZ. q this and fought against IL. but the
.ong years of torture have shaken his
nervous system and undermined his
health and strength. without, however
n the least degree unsctt,lng his rea.
son. In that respect he Is more than q
match FOR the warden or any other off,
Cial in the prison.
During my stay an inspector was sent
10 Atlanta from the Department OF Jus
tiCe TO investigate conditions and cues.
ton prisoners as to abuses. | spoke
Win SEVERN pi int HIlHtltlH whom ne
had interviewed all had but one wore
for him. he was u fraudNnd the iDves.
tigation a farce. lie dined with The
warden and rode In his automobile. DO
fore his mission was over he was re-
called To Washington. possibly because
informal zion Of his conduct had beer
lodged with officials there,
Sam went TO see this man. who asked
him how long II would take him 70 tel
what he knew of The prison abuses
sam replied IL would take him al led s,
one day. the inspector told him he had
no time to hear him, and babe him
put his charges in writing. This Sam
did, though he told me he knew II would
he unavniling; In fact, he was not even
allowed an opportunity To hand in his
narrative, and after the inspector hao
been recalled ne gave the writing &c
me, read il. II was mastery docu-
ment and very compr, hensive. I wished
J to take 1t with me from the prison, bur
, was prevented from doing SO, The lead
ne principle Of prison management f.
that no Information is TO get Out sno
none to get in.