The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-08-24
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WILL BE
DONE TO BRING THE GUILTY
PARTIES TO JUSTICE.
STRONGLY CONDEMN MOB LAW

Governor Declares Ihat liz WOulu
Have Been Impossible to Have Pre-
vented the Mob From Getting
Frank at the State Farm.
After a conference with the prison
commission Thursday at noon Gov
ernor Harris issued statement to
the press upon the Frank lynching,
in which statement he expressed his
deep regret at the occurrence and set
forth that although all preparat ions
had been made against such an attack
it was impossible to put the protect
i've plans into execution and stop the
work of the mob because wire COM
munication had been cut between the
state prison farm and the outside
world.
He cited an incident of several
weeks ago, when prison authorities
were apprised of plans to take Frank
from the prison and these plans were
thwarted by the same precautions
which were made unavailable on the
night of the successful attempt by
lack of wire communication.
Governors Statement.
Governor Harris statement is in
full as follows:
''In view of the great interest felt
in all matters concerning the lynch
ing of the prisoner Frank l have
thought it well to make a statement
to the public explaining as far as l
can the facts that led up to the trans
action and the situation that made it
possible
"Under the laws of Georgia all
able-bodied male convicts are SEN
fenced and worked on the chain
gangs of the different counties or the
public works of the state.
There is a state farm at Milledge-
Vile, primarily intended for the brok-
en- down convicts; those who are
sickly and unable to do service on
the roads; for all female convicts,
and for all boys not over 16 years
of age.
The prison commission may direct
some cOnvicts sent to the farm whose
services can be utilized in the office,
or do other work on the farm, but
generally these convicts are kept up
IF ~ fnc
as long as they are able to perform
the work required of them. Some
times the trial judge sentences a
prisoner to the state farm in order to
avoid hardships of the county chain
gang. This can be done by the pre-
siding judge.
There are some 500 prisoners on
the state farm, counting the women,
boys and other prisoners.
when Mr. Franks sentence was
committed by Governor Slaton to life
Imprisonment he was sent to the
state farm for the purpose of being
delivered to the prison commission
at that point He could have been
sent by the commission to one of the
county chaingangs or the state, or
put to work in the prison, in the dis
cretion of the commission.
Action Not Safe.
The excitement which attended
his entrance in the prison was such
that no disposition that would send
him away from it seemed safe or adj
Visable. AS after events have shown
there was really no gang in Georgia
where he could have been secure. He
was kept at work, therefore, in the
prison as other prisoners, awaiting
any other disposition that might be
found advisable.
The state penitentiary as it is
called, was never built with the idea
of preventing an attack from the out
side
ANY determined body of men
would be able to effect an entrance,
if such an attempt was decided upon.
There was no stockade around the
prison; only a wire fence. 1t was
found cut at the time of the attack,
and could have easily been penetrat-
ed at any ponit.
The vast building was full of win
dows. both in the basement and main
story. 1t was like a dormitory; one
great sleeping apartment, the prison
ers working out upon the farm in day
and occupying the sleeping dormitory
at night. The cots stood side by side,
in easy proximity. This method of