Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-30
PRISONER rs
CRUELTY
BEATEN
Foreman of Fulton County Camp
Is Indicted for Shooting
a Convict.

Following sensational revelations
of shocking conditions in the Futon
County convict camps. the Grand
Jury Thursday found true bill in
dieting Captain" Clyde Thomson, a
foreman for assault with intent to
murder in connection with the shoot
ing of ]. n Harris, a prisoner.
curious error invalidated the in
dictment found Thursday, but the
mistake will be remedied The fore
man of the Grand Jury neglected to
affix his signature, but Solicitor Cen
eral Dorsey said he would recall the
jury Friday.
The investigation by the Grand
Jury came as the direct result of the
shooting of j. H. Harris, white con-
vict, by Captain" Clyde A Thoma-
son. foreman of the Adamsville camp,
land the subsequent logging. the next
day. of another convict, James Bran
nan, sent up from Fulton County re-
Gently for five years as a pickpocket
1t is charged that Brannan was given
eight lashes on his barred body with
a heavy leather strap simply because,
In a state of excitement brought
about by the shooting of his compan-
ion. he exclaimed:
That's understanding but cow
ardly murder"
The Adamsvile camp was described
to the Grand Jury by the convicts as
"veritable hell" One of the men,
in his testimony, put 1t this way:
81 was sentenced to the peniten-
tlary and was sent to hell"
Food Unfit, They Say.
The food furnished the prisoners
was characterized as rotten" and
unfit for human beings" and condi-
tions generally were described as al
most beyond belief
In telling of the bathing facilities
for the convicts, one of the men said:
This is a shameful feature OF the
system. The tub in which we battle
is nothing more than half a barrel. in
which a dozen men have to battle In
the same water. We are required to
cleanse ourselves in this way once
week."
Another witness told the jury;
1.-THE food is terrible. Much OF 1t is
decayed, I have frequently seen
worms in the rice and in the greens
We are fed this kind of stuff, and
then II convict gets sick and is I'M
able to work as much as they think
he should he is given a beating"
Sick Convict Whipped.
The big strap with which the con-
victs are logged was described as a
brutal instrument OF torture. Ac-
cording to the convicts, It Is about
four inches wide, an eighth Of an inch
thick. about three feet and half in
length and weighs several pounds
The witnesses told OF two convicts
who had been whipped while i'll, one
of whom swooned when the second
blow was struck. One OF them, Joe
Thurmond, sent up from Fulton
County for short term, is said TO
have tuberculosis. The other Jack
Steart, also Fulton County man. is
said to have been i'll for some time
and unable to work but little.
These two convicts, the witness
said. were whipped because they were
unable to work enough.
The eight convicts were all eye
witnesses to the shooting Of ]. H.
Harris on December 10. They said
that Harris, while chained to a line
Of other prisoners. was ordered by
Thomason to bare his body for fog
ging. and that Harris refused. He
then picked up a small stick, they
said, and drew back as though to
defend himself.
Shoots Chained Convict.
At this Thomson is said to have
stepped back and shot Harris with
out further provocation. The VII
Continued on Page 5, Column I.