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

prison tragedies; for even If a prisoner die a.
natural death In prison. he dies with broken
heart and poisoned mind, abandoned, in gray
despair, friendess, shut out from sky and
freedom hearing with dulled ears the changing
of steel gates, seeing the blank walls, deprived
of the sympathetic words and glances of friends
"a miserable unknown death. Silence and
obliteration close over him; and here he lies
On one of the headstones read the name of
Ed Richmond, and the date of his end. He had
not died a natural death, but there was nothing
on his tombstone to show It, I already knew
his story, having heard it from several eye
witnesses.
On the day above mentioned, the guard had
granted his request but after the man had
been absent few minutes, he called to him
to come out. Richmond did not at once re-
spond. The guard called to him again. more
peremptorily, and advanced toward the place
where he was, outside the stone shed building
Richmond as the guard came nearer, mumbled
something; the guard seemed angered, and
stepped up to him, raising his club to strike
Richmond instinctitey put up arm to ward
the blow, and as it descended he caught the
end of the club in his hand. This was the head
and front of his offending, and for this he was
to die.
The guard dropped the club, drew his
volver and shot Richmond four times in the
body. He also fired another shot, the bullet
going through a wooden partition into part
of the shed where some prisoners were work
ing, barely missing one OF them. Richmond
slowly dropped where he stood and lay hud
died on the ground; the guard stood looking
coolly at him. One of the prisoners negro
ran up and took the dying mans head on his
knee others looked on. After while an Off
cial came up and ordered the man taken to
the hospital. But his hurts were mortal, and
in a few minutes he was dead. The men in
the stone shed continued their work.
An investigation within the walls was held,
the guard was exonerated and was still on
duty when | was in the prison. The officials
who had disliked Richmond were relieved of
the annoyance of his presence. There were no
inconvenent newspaper reporters outside. they
never were able to do anything. 1t seems
likely that the guard who killed him would
have done it had he not felt confident that the
higher officials would condone the deed. Per
haps had he been arrested and indicted, he
might have uttered some names; but he was
GENERATED and he has kept his mouth shut
This happened before the date Of Attorney
General Wickersham's visit to the prison, and
therefore before the change in Warden Moy-
ers Ideas as TO the expediency of severe meas
ures in the handling OF convicts. Were the
thing to be done again to-day, It would proba-
bly, not occur out in the open air and sunshine
with persons looking on, but under circuin-
stances OF decent seclusion. The outside pub
lie is becoming little squean1ish about prison
killing
none that is audible, and the prison guards
there are not hampered In their work by the
nacessity of doing II under cover, as they are
here II is question which method Is prefer
able 7 believe some OF our prisoners would
vote for the open way OF killing and torturing
II Is exasperating to be done up" I'm secret in
the dark. stiled and gagged, with no chance 70
die fighting | have no comparative statistics
as between us and Russia, but II would not be
surprising IL our record OF men beaten starved,
poisoned, hung up In chains in dark cells, and