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


quoted his official permission; there was a
wrangle. ending In appeal to higher Off
cial still. The latter, in the face of the lower
officials personal testimony that he hdd e.
thorized the recess, supported the negro and
the young blacksmith was sentenced to five
days in the dark cell and thirty DAVIS loss of
good time. Discipline must be preserved
Are such conditions as | have described gen
eral? The newspapers during my stay at At
lanta described discussion in local prison cir
cles as to the propriety or eXpediency OF whip
ping female prisoners in the Georgia female
prison mot connected with the Federal Peni-
tentiary), and combining them in the dark hole
The warden of the prison, gentleman named
Mitchell, and his guards, said that women did
not mind confinement in the dark hole, and got
no harm from Though 1t was shown that
after being so confined for day or two, they
were scarce able to stand and wholly unfit for
work. The guards declared that the women
could not be effectively disciplined except by
logging, and threatened to quit In a body if
the practice were dsallowed. Dr. Macdonald
OF the prison, testified that although some
wardens might abuse the power of fogging
and had dashed women on the bare back in
stead of over covering of one garment, as pre-
scribed by the rules, still he favored whipping
for them; he said the of the leather" was
really more humane than the dungeon. Secre-
tary Yancey, Of the Prison Commission, also
favored the lash.
Blackburn said that IL was "a dangerous policy
to give such wide discretionary powers to war.
dens scattered about the State 1t would give
rise to terrible abuses and mstreatment. The
sovereign power of the State should not be
delegated to individuals only remotely ac-
countable. The punitive system should be
carefully guarded and the line of punishment
mapped out, otherwise evils will creep in; no
corrective measures that border upon cruelty
should be used" Representative Smith added
that III nut the To the Nhin IN
women In the hands Of brutal and incompetent
wardens the same crueties and atrocities
which have shocked the civilized world will
be repetaed. Wardens, drunk with power
abuse their positions; they are appointees OF
a system, inexperienced and incompetent in
many cases; chosen, not because of their fit
ness but more likely to repay some political
favor. When good warden is found, It is
more or less an accident. Give permission to
whip, and the public would be Mortified at the
result, If every they should learn the circum-
stances"
That is fine; but the concluding words mean
more than they say, How is the public to
know? II you had a mother or sister or
daughter In that JAIL would you feel entirely
treasured by the declarations in the legisa-
ture of these kindly gentlemen? Would it not
occur to you that when this little furry had
blown over, the warden and his guards might
possibly, and quietly as might be, revert to
what they held to be the only effective means
of keeping order? It is easy, in a prison. to
gag a woman 80 that she not scream and
to take her down to. a secluded place and
there to lay on the leather heartily, with or
without first removing the inner garment Who
is to know or to tell? We are not Russians
to boast of these things openly.
At the turpentine camp at Atmore, Alabama,
35 convicts whose contract had been annulled
by Governor ONeal, were brought to Mobile
October TO- 1913 and placed in the county jail.
All but fourteen had been whipped with heavy
straps loaded with lead and afiidayts were
offered showing that two Of them had been
whipped to death. But Superintendent of
Prisons Riley, of New York, in letter to War
den Rattigan, of Auburn prison, writes: Il
do not believe that any one was ever reformed
by physical torture" This was not the view
taken, apparently, In jefferson City (Mo)
prison. for there, a few weeks ago negro
was given a very hard task each day (says
The Post-Dispatch Of St Louis) more than he
could perform At evening he would be taken
out, strapped to post and beaten with heavy
strap There were cuts and sores all over his
body. Favored prisoners were allowed TO
break rules, while others were severely pun
ished for the same thing The penitentiary
there is described as Small hell entirely
surrounded by masonry and incompetent off.
Gals" Dozens of men were brutaly whipped
for minor offences.
We have all heard about Blackwels Island
New York city, where "beatngs by officials,
and much worse, resulted in the death of a
man." Trustee Hurd found two men In dark
cells, one stupefed, the other hysterical and
sobbing. They had been punished for whisper
ing The dark cells had been ordered discon-
tinued some weeks before. Warden Hayes, on
being asked by the official why he had permit
ted them to be used. replied, We'll, the fact is
I've been so busy | haven't had time to get
round to IT," What is his business?
In Atlanta do not use the leather; we find
the club handler, and some guards are skillfu
in so applying It to the bodies of their patients
that, while the external evidences are negligi-
BILE, it occasions internal troubles which can
be ascribed to natural causes. And there
are indications that do use the dark cell
described by DR.. Macdonald above as more
inhumane than the lash. If this expert be cor
rect he gives us a standard whereby to meas
IRE how inhumane they must be.
/ can not go on, though l have used only a
fraction of my notebook. Moreover | am in
clined to think that the physical punishments
| have instanced not the worst that are
administered in Atlanta and perhaps in other
prisons. Great ingenuity is shown in the ap-
plication of mental tortures, which have their
outcome In insanity but which never can be
investigated by commissions and inspectors
An insane man is safe a dead man--if he
tells tales, no one will pay attention to him
The cat -and-mouse game is favorite with the
inhumane type Of wardens Give your man
alterations of hope and despair, and the re-
suits will reward your pains. Then there
are the insults, the gibes and threats the OBJ
scure forms of tyranny and outrage the degra-
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