Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-10
Sen. SMITH
BACKS Up
INQUIRY
MOVE
Holds Discharge Of Seven Guards
Sufficient Ground for Rigid
Penitentiary Investigation.

WASHINGTON, Jan. Sem
ator Hoke Smith has joined Con-
gresham William Schley How.
ard in demanding a probe of con.
1itions at the United States PEN
itentiary in Atlanta. Senator
Smith in his public utterances
consistently has refrained from
any comment indicating his atti-
tude in respect to the prison
scandal, but he made it plain in
letter sent to the Civil Service
Commission that he considered it
imperative that a thorough in
yestigation of affairs at the pris-
On be made.
He cited the fact that seven guards
had been discharged from the peni-
Tertiary in December, and suggested
! that. this was circumstance that
called for an immediate inquiry by
the commission.
This Investigation, If made upon
the demand Of Senator Smith and
Congressman Howard, will be entire
Iy Independent OF any made by the
Department of Justice or by Con-
gressional committee.
Morse Allowed to Gamble.
Charles w. Morse, the ice trust
head. has been brought into the in
vestigation, it became known Friday,
through information given to the De-
partment of Justice that he was ac-
corded every facility to continue his
stock manipulations while in the pen
itentiary, in defiance Of all the prison
rules. and that he was in other re-
spects one of the favored convicts.
Assistant Attorney General Graham
Is conducting the investigation of the
| out of the charges made by Congress
| man Howard. He Is in possession OF
two formal complaints which cite va
rious ways in which Morse is said to
! have been "petted" and favored while
a Federal prisoner.
Additional charges were contained
| in a letter written to the Department
of Justice by Ovid v. Shaw, a for
'mer guard at the prison, who now is
living in Washington.
Shaw represents that he was forced
| out of his job at the prison because
| of the Vaccinations of an unscrupu-
| lous clique the members of which
| preferred charges against him. He
was suspended while the charges were
! being Investigated. he says, and then
after his dismissal the only way he
could get back home to his family was
| through the kindness of the board of
charities
Ex-Guard Names Clique.
The guard named as members
of the clique Captain Tucker, Guard
| Guerney, Guard Evans, Guard Nc
Clure. Guard Cobb, Night Captain
Schoen and others. Shaw told of acts
of unnecessary harshness he had wit
messed on the part of some Of the
guards.
His letter continues:
From April 4, 1919, till Sep
TENDER 10 Of last year excepting
few weeks when | was sus-
pended) | was guarding, during
which time a general complaint
was made by prisoners to me and
other guards about their not hav-
| ing enough TO eat-no sugar and
| their bread raw, One prisoner In
| particular. whose name Is Bun
| yam Bradley (45G, with whom !
| came in daily contact, because he
was engaged in moving grass
| about the warden's lawn and
field where | was guarding pris-
oners, stated that he could hardly
| stand up on what he ate for
brea kfast--a few "grits."
because Of this faction, dis
sension arose among the guards
and suboficials and persons liv-
ing In proximity to the prison
| because they we're dependent up
on the guards for livelihood. in
that they ran boarding houses ex-
| clusively for them, and conse-
ouently the whole prison was
thrown out Of harmony. involv-
ing the murde" ~ Connors the
| prosecution Of Vance and my dis