Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-22
Worst Never Has Been Told OF
Federal Penitentiary,' Say FOr-
mer Employees Cruelty Charges
the Most Starting Yet Made,
Warden Is Challenged to Reply to
Accusations in Specified Cases
of Brutal Treatmentj why Was
Probe DroppedP Is Asked.

Warden William H. Meyer and his
deputies at the Atlanta Federal Pris-
on Saturday night were charged with
being responsible for a regime Of bru-
tality surprising any OF the descrlp-
tons of conditions at the penitentiary
as they have been published from time
to time in the various exposures start
ed by Julian Hawthorne, the novelist.
The seven guards who were dis
charged last october by Meyer were
his accusers. They are Oliver Grimes,
NJ r. Cobb. Ben Dunn, ]. A. Baugh,
c. N. Mcclure, C. NJ Rasson and
Charles Evans.
Sick men left to die without medi-
cal care: convicts their minds weak
ened by months and years of impris-
onment, thrown into the "hole" to be-
come raving maniacs other prison.
ers chained like beasts among the
steam pipes in the superheated tunnel
from the power house to the main
building; discipline administered by
the heavy clubs that crush in the Of
Tending prisoners skulls-these are
few of the details of "a picture OF life
at the prison as 1t was described by
the guards.
Worse Than County Camps.
Julian Hawthorne touched only the
mildest of the abuses in his widely
read exposures printed serially some
time ago in The Sunday American, II
the sensational charges of the seven
guards have basis in fact All OF
their charges have been submitted TO
Congressman William Schley Howard
to be filed with Attorney General Nc
REYNOLDS, but the expected impartial
investigation has not as yet material
lied.
Through their spokesman they sub
mitted to The American last night a,
remarkable series of questions which
they challenged Warden Meyer TO an
swer. In them they embodied many
of the charges which have been put in
the hands of the Department of JUS
tice.
PROBE dlleu TO OcNolops
I'VE have abandoned our hope of
the Congressional investigation that
was promised u.s." said the spokes-
man. I'VE have kept quiet UP to this
time in the expectation that disin-
terested commission would come down
here to make a thorough investlga-
ton of conditions at the prison, as
well as to inquire into the real causes
for our dismissal,
Failing in our efforts to obtain a
fair and impartial probe of the prison,
we have decided to bare everything
we know to the public gaze and let
the public be the judge. If the pub
lie. knowing the frightful horrors that
exist at the prison, can not force an
impartial investigation, then the men
at Washington are not our servants,
Worst Not Yet Told.
THE press is our last resort The
Georgian and The Sunday American
have accomplished wonders in ac-
quainting people with real conditions
out there at the penitentiary. but they
have touched only the surface. They
have printed stories of brutal guards
who have dubbed prisoners into in
sensibility; they have told of the In
tolerable sufferngs in the dungeons.
but at that they have not described
the darkest side
Here are the questions submitted
to Warden Meyer:
III you are a humanitarian, why
was Tucker, No 26, prisoner who
had become weak minded. chained in
the intolerable heat in the tunnel
leading from the power house to the
main building instead Of being sent
to the asylum at st. Elizabeth?
Chained Among Steam Pipes,
would a good father keep one OF
his children chained among the steam
pipes. with only blanket on the
concrete floor TO sleep upon--treat-
ment which in fuckers case was fol-
lowed by death after his belated re-
moval to the asylum?
Were you so ignorant Of condt=