Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-31
JURY PROBE
Of bEAT|NGS
DEMANDED
Women Join Movement in Protest
Of Brutality in County Con-
vict Camps.

Indignation against the merciless
f1ogging of prisoners in Georgia's con-
Wet camps took effective form Sat
urday in a demand for Grand Jury
investigation of the whole system in
Fulton County.
Philip Weltner. secretary of the
Georgia Prison Association. signed the
statement, which was to be commu-
nicated to the County Commissioners
! for their action. Mr. Weltner called
for fearless and thorough probe. He
said that the light should be turned
on every phase of convict camp ad-
ministration and that nothing should
escape the Investigators.
Calls FIossins Unoivilized.
He charged that the hogging was
barbarous and uncivilized He asked
that every person who could have any
valuable knowledge on his point
should be called before the jury. The
sensational arraignment OF conditions
was prepared by Mr. weltner from
his association with prison and con-
Wet problems, and sent out under tae
sanction of the Men and Religion
Forward Movement.
Sanitary conditions. the quality Of
prisoners food, the lack of humane
privileges In the prison camps
cramped condition of prisoners quar-
tiers, cruelties OF the guards toward
their charges. the unjustifed taking
away from prisoners of their good
time" marks and other deplorable
conditions are recited at length in the
communication.
Asks Discharge Of Guard.
The report then recommends the
discharge OF all guards found to have
been unjust to prisoners; the aboll-
ton Of male guards at female camps.
the establishment of an honor camp"
for colored prisoners; the abolition OF
chains and the lash, and the working
out OF system whereby prisoners will
be physically mentally and morally
improved
Chief amone the well-known Allan
Ia women who denounced fiogging
and inhumane treatment of convicts
generally was Mrs. Emma Neal Doug
las, long known throughout the South
for her work in behalf of the poor
and the unfortunate.
The atrocities which have come to
light as the result Of the Fulton
County Grand Jury's investigation Of
the Jogging and general brutal treat
ment of Georgia prisoners who are
strung together with ball and -cha In
and driven around like cattle have
astounded Mrs Douglas, although she
has been a close student of prison life
and the treatment Of prisoners in
Georgia for years.
Nothing that 5ould say would
express the cn-.1-mnation / feel for
the brutal. barbarous Anticipated pro
vision Of law tina permits a human
being to be bound hand and foot with
iron and beaten until the blood runs"
she said.
Conditions lneoneeivable.
II IL diHlUSt lnCu0tclNdOie tflhe
such a condition could exist in this
nation that we call civilized; that II
could exist even under cover. to say
nothing Of it's being sanctioned by the
law which is supposed to represent
the result of the combined thought II
the keenest and most just minds in
the Commonwealth.
evidently Georgia has not pronted
by the lesson Victor Hugo gives Us
in the story of Jean Vatican. the
man who was nearly crushed back
into barbarism by the brutality of the
thirteen years he spent in prison for
stealing a loaf Of bread.
When you put a man In prison
and put stripes upon him. shackle
him with iron and steel, brow besl
and abuse him, feed him bad food.
then take him out ans cut his flesh
with a lash because he breaks down
css+inuss on Pace 2. Column L