The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-05-16

ed.
The state paid only FIVE dollars per
acre for the land and before it was
sold to the state it was assessed on
the tax books for not more and per
haps.for not as much as two dollars
per acre, SO the county reaps much
more benefit from the advertisement
the farm gives it than it did from
the taxes collected from the entire
holdings, so it is immensely better
for the county to have the entire
$4,000 acres held by the state.
One Of the prisoners-Mr Menden-
hall-was detailed to show us over
the buildings, and we gave them all
a careful inspection-;the kitchen, the
hospital, the sleeping quarters, and
found all spic and span, and sanitary
in every particular.
There are tubs and shower baths.
There is a large auditorium where
religious services are held on Sun
days and moving pictures and other
amusements are staged on Saturday
nights, to which all the prisoners at
tend and the doors are open to the
public
The night we were there an orig
inal minstrel was staged by the ne
gro prisoners. There was no coach
ing and the performance would have
done credit to either Coburn's or
FO'Brien's minstrels.
If it had been staged in New York
or some other big city, and had been
known in advance under what condi-
tons it was undertaken, we doubt
if any hall would have been large
enough to have held the audience and
the criticisms would have been i'm
mense.
Governor Cats said that he never
before had had an hour of such COM
plete enjoyment over any perform
c]AOO AC OtSA dLLCAuGus
Next Saturday night the white pris-
oners are to stage an original play
and so the alterations go on with
moving pictures on some Saturday
nights and on Sunday morning there
is religious services of some sort,
or lecture and Sunday school in the
afternoon.
On Sunday morning Supt. Bitch.
the writer of this article, Mr.. Menden-
hall, one of the prisoners, and Gov
ernor Cats, made addresses.
Governor Cats was at the farm
by accident. He had been invited
to deliver victory loan address at
which it was said 1000 people gather
ed to hear him and the loan was
put over the top
AS the farm is only thirteen miles |
from Macclenny he phOned that he
would be over and spend the night
and he was persuaded to address the
prisoners the next day
His speech was in every way help
full, comforting and gratifying to
those unfortunate enough to be in
prison bonds and his climaxes were
cheered most Justify.
Whateveg Governor Cats may or
may not have done, his appointment
of Mr.. Bitch as superintendent Of
the. prison farm and his endorsement
of the system he has inaugurated
there will be as a star of the first
magnitude to perpetuate his admin
istration and it will grow more re-
splendent as the years come and go.
Mr.. Mendenhall asked the privilege
of speaking and on behalf of the pris
oners returned most grateful and ap-
preciative thanks for the change
that had been inaugurated.
Under the old system hope had
fled and bitterness and despair was
sown in the heart of every inmate;
now the star of hope, eternal hope,
has taken it's place. and the black
pail of bitterness, that had deaden-
ed all sensibilities, has been lifted.
Mr. Mendenhall, whatever his past
may have been, is now regarded as a
model prisoner, he is beloved by all
his comrades in trouble, he speaks
tenderly to all of them, and in speak
ing privately to us, he said that Su-
perintendents Bitch and Brown had
hearts as big as elephants and as
merciful as angels.
In inaugurating the 'honor sys-
TEN" The prisoners are holding up