Atlanta Georgian., 1914-02-28

In Atlanta. as in all large cities thers
are social clubs organized for the bona
fide purpose of supplementing the home
life of their members and visiting
friends. The membership of these
clubs, representing the best CONNER
cial. financial and moral interests OF the
city-those most deeply committed to
the upbuilding of Atlanta and the en-
forcement of law-has. so far as we are
Informed. endeavored to carry out the
true intent and spirit of the laws on
the subject of intoxicating liquors; and.
however much difference of opinion may
arise as to the technical Interpretation
of such laws. we have heard of no dis
nosition to defy them on the part OF
these clubs. but rather manifest effort
to comply with their much -mooted pro-
visions.
It does not seem to us that the in
tention Of existing laws IS to interfere
with the rights of individuals, or even
and use intoxicating LIQUORS in their
homes. hut only to nrohibit the sale
Of such liquors in public places. These
bona tide social clubs are strictly pri-
vatA institutions. We have no reason
to believe thar any liquors there are
nuhliclv offered for sale, and we have
therefore not deemed it necessary. nor
advisable, to formalIv investigate the
workings Of these institutions.
on the other hand. It is stated that
there are number of so-called locker
rlnpS OF an entiretV different nature
the primary object of which Is the sale
Of spirituous LIQUORS Some are said to
he conducted by wholesale liouor houses
al distance. Others by individuals for
pecur'ary gain. In these clubs II is
said, the dues are montreal nd the form
and senhlarce of a club is maintained
merely for the purpose of evading the
law.
TO distinguish between the regular
and the spurious. as applied to clubs. is
In the very nature of the case a mat
ter recurring great deal of time and
me examination of vast amount Of
evidence. This Grand Jury having only
a few DAYS more to serve was not dis
nosed to make n superficial investiga-
tton, even though II was claimed that
the possession Of a Federal license wa
nrima facie evidence of an infraction Of
the law
IT, Inasmuch as the incoming spring
term Grand Jury is charged with the
duty Of making special INQUIRY into
all matters pertaining TO the conduct
Of the County's affairs and present
ments to the public are required of that
body 1t had been decided at the time
~ convening that the present outgoing
Grand Jury would take up no ma tiers
other than the regular criminal bust
ness presented by the office of the So
licitor General.
The investigation of the conntv's pris-
on system was the result of information
OBTAINED, at the outset by accident
from the testimony of witness brought
in the chaingang. To questions asked
with no purpose other than to secure
general information, a situation was dis
closed as existing at these convict
camps which surprised every member
present, So shocked and disgusted was
this body with the revelations of these
prisoners. that It was the consensus of
oninion that further inquiry was i'm
perativelv demanded TO ascertain the
true facts from creditabIe witnesses
who had KNOWLEDGE on the subject
Not content with almost endless tes-
timony of prisoners. white and black
alike. employees OF the county. the
County Commissioners themselves and
the State Prison Board were subpenaed
70 give testimony of their knowledge on
the subject.
The ignorance of the County Commits
sioners on all matters pertaining to the
actual conduct of the prison camps and
the treatment of the prisoners was as
tonlshing, Two of the Commissioners.
Clifford i. Anderson and Tull C.
Waters. were either unable or unwill-
ing to disclose any knowledge of the
true conditions; on the contrary, they
defended the system that had been in
force for quarter of century under
the administration of Thomas J. and
5. Fl: Donaldson. The other three Com
and Shelby Smith. acknowledged they
had little information on the subject.
but stated that this was not the result
OF inattention, but to difficulties in their
way hue " liie lJOlld 'uSOn llIluence
over their appointed employees in charge
OF the prisoners and camps. who ig-
nored any authority other than that of
the Donaldsons themselves These
commissioners stated that efforts had
been made by them to better conditions
which they believed to be bad, from
information which had been presented
to them from the outside. but that
every effort to act. on their part. was
met with the opposition of the Donald
son influence, which was in complete
control. This Grand Jury had complete
proof of this fact in the instance of a
specially pathetic case that came before
THAT OF a negro. Otis Spratling from
the Weiauca camps.
Ihis emaciated, weakened black man.
suffering from a deep-seated cancer in
the breast. evidently affecting his res
plrauon. for. as he expressed It, "he was
short of breath this pathetic creature
had been whipped innumerable times.
Just a week before appearing before US
he had been whipped three times in one
day. always for the same cause. as
stated by him-"he couldn't keep up the
This means that in the gang Of SHOW
elers, or which he was q part his
strength was insufficient to possibly
keep UP with the stronger normal pris-
oners. when loading the wagons
A the time he appeared before us, his
back was a mass Of raw flesh in patches
as large as ones hand, as the result Of
the thrHe whiupings In one day admin
iStered week before. for the sole rea
son that che couldn't keep up the
lick"
So incensed was every member Of the
Grand Jury on this occasion, that the
members of the County Commission.
who happened to be in session in an
other part of the building at the time.
were requested to appear for the pur-
pose of seeing for themselves this act
Of inhumanity, which some of the mem
bers had previously denied existed in
the camps A request was made of
them by the Grand Jury that this OBJ
iect of brutality, who gave every evil
dence of having been beaten almost to
death, should be removed from the
camp at which he was employed at
hard labor and placed in the hospital
at the Bellwood camp. under the care
of the County Physician. The Individual
Commissioner readily agreed to this,
making the statement that orders for
his removal would be given that day
A week later, during the course Of
further investigation of the prison sys-
TEN. IL developed that the transfer of
this suffering man to the County Hos
pital. where necessa ~ attention could
be given. had never been made It was
only after further demand and stress
ing the extreme urgency Of the case
that anything whatever was done.