Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-25
By Julian Hawthorne


comes in contact with things are they are. No
outsider in Atlanta has ever seen the dun
geons."
G. w, formerly employed in the prison, says
that "the hole near the plumbers shop was
built while Morse, the banker, was in the
prison, for helped build 1t, and the Warden,
with another official was down to see it at 10
in the morning" Speaking of the statement
that the dark hole was no longer in use. he
adds, in his letter to me, You know of the
hanging up in the dark cell of the old English
man, in October''-the month left the peni-
Tertiary. | do know OF it; the fight of this
stubborn old fellow against the oppression of
the prison authorities was the talk of the
ranges just before my DEPARTURE he had done
nothing worse than to use bad language; he
would not give in; and | believe that it was
found advisable at last to release him
The case of poor little B. had less agree
able sequel. He was dying OF diabetes during
the latter months of his confinement; he was
an incorrigible little thief, man of extraordi-
narily acute mind and a sort of saturnine
humorist withal. He had been repeatedly con-
victed and imprisoned. but Il can't let it alone"
he would say. He was plump and fiabby, ghast-
ly pale, with protrduding eyes, very clear and
penetrating. He was ridiculously impudent,
but being so soon to die, as he himself well
knew, none Of the prisoners bore him
grudge. The authorities however thought It
well to discipline him, and he was so repeat.
eddy maltreated by them, and put in the dark
hole. that his disease was greatly infamed and
the end FASTENED. I said something designed
to be encouraging to him shortly before left;
but he fixed me with those singular eyes. and
said II am doomed"
The last heard Of B. was in letter from
n lady who has done much to help and relieve
the sufferings and wrongs of prisoners In the
jail. b is in a dying condition." she writes;
he was severely punished while suffering from
his disease w - she goes on, died three days
after a ten-days' punishment He had to be
lifted from the dark cell and carried to the
hispital by attendants" Upon the whole. one
has grounds for believing that the dark hole
is not fairy tale, and that 1t still exists and
is at work in Atlanta Pententiary, In spite of
the impression to the contrary of the humane
Warden and his officials.
The geography of the places Is, however
obscure, and is known to the elect only; It is
said by inmates of old standing that under
ground passages connect the prison buildings
and lead from one dungeon to another This
sounds romantic, but would be obviously use
full In practice. map of the premises, sur
face and subterranean, would be achieved by
some inspection which really inspects. l. have
not spoken Of some features of the dark cells
as described by men who have experienced
them, because they are so revolving that editors
of newspapers would decline to print them.
Human beings are compelled to endure many
things which the fastidiousness Of other human
beings can not tolerate even the hearing of.
A prisoner named Keegan was killed at At
lanta not long before | was released, not by a
guards bullet, but by means as sure though
slower and more cruel We were all CONVEX
SAINT with his case at the time, but | will quote
the man who knew him and his sufferings most
intimately. Here Is his crude narrative writ
ten to me on prison paper.
William Keegan died In August Of this year
0913) at the Pen. He was first taken sick
with pains In the legs hands and arms, and
went to morning sick CALL but could never get
anything done, because he was a little deaf
and could not hear what the doctor said, and
so could explain no further and he I'm a
very bad fix. They did nothing for him. and
he afraid to see the doctor because he
would have been impatient and would have
sent him to the hole, and then he would lose
time. But he did go up to see him after the
pains got into hiss back also, and he told him
lie would like to get out OF the stone shed;
and the doctor told him there was nothing the
matter with him, but he was only taking and
trying to get out of work-which | know and
can swear to as being not true
III ever there was a sick man. Keegan was
him He told NJ, the foreman about it one
day who told him to have the doctor look him
over, and sent him up one afternoon; the doc
tor looked him over and told him he was only
crank-nothing at all the matter with him.
Soon after he was taken very sick and one
night called the prison nurse to his cell, and
he had him taken to the hospital where he
81.