The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-03-29
MURDERERs HEAD LIST
GEORGIA PEN|TENT|ARY
REPORT OF PRISON COMMITS
SION SHOWS HALF OF IN
MATES ARE SLAYERS.
INCREASE In WHITE FELONS
But Few of the Prisoners Are Wholly
Illiterate and Majority Have Farni-
lies. Nearly 1,OOG Were Committed
To Prison Last Year.


The annual report of the Georgia
Prison Commission for the year 1920,
lust issued, gives many interesting
statistics concerning the penal popula-
ton of the state.
There were in the penitentiary on
January /, 1921, 1910 felony convicts,
an increase of ITO over the number
in 1920. There were 2,616 misdemean-
or convicts, making the total num-
Der OF inmates in the penitentiary 5,629.
OF the male felons 2,415 are negroes
and SAB are whites; negro females
los. and white females IS. The num-
Der of negro males serving INSIDE
meanor sentences is 2,205, while there
are 313 white male misdemeanorS. The
number of negro female misdemeanor
prisoners is 20, and white females %.
During last year 900 prisoners CON
victed Of felonies were received in the
penitentiary, and 153 who escaped
were recaptured. During the year 1913
were discharged upon completion OF
sentences, 100 were paroled and were
pardoned. The escapes numbered 500
and 81 died.
More than one-half of the state con-
victs are serving sentences tor some
degree of homicide Murder heads the
list of crimes with 943, the number
who committed manslaughter is 43/,
and 222 attempted to commit murder.
The number serving sentences for
various other forms of crime is given
by the report as follows:
Accessory to murder H. aiding es-
cape 4, arson Is, attempt TO arson "a,
attempt to rape 48, attempt to rob 10,
attempt to wreck train 2, bestiality 5,
bigamy 20, burglary 597, car breaking
Is, embezzlement 3, forgery o., incest
II, kidnapping 3, larceny 243, whisky
making %, mayhem /, rape az, per
Jury 3, receiving stolen goods I, rob
berry 143 shooting at another 80, sodo-
my 7, wrecking railroad train /.
Majority Are Married.
The Youngest prisoner in the peni-
tertiary is II years of age and the old
est 49, Contrary to general belief,
married convicts outnumber those
who are single. There are 1926 of the
| former and $50 were never married
| y
less surprising to the public is the
small percentage OF illiteracy among
the law breakers. OF the whites 86.5l
per cent. or 481, read and write, 20 read
only and SIS are illiterate. OF the ne
groes COPS per cent, or 1,519, read and
write, 80 read only and 921 are litter
ate.
The report shows that there are in
the penitentiary 7 accountants, l bar
tender, 9 BARRIERS, 2 bankers, 4 clerks,
20 carpenters, "a chauffeurs, 2 dent
lists. Is distillers, 40 farmers, 8 law
yers, IS mechanics, ? physicians, 4
policemen, preachers, 10 statesmen
and 4 school teachers. The others pre-
vious to their conviction We're engaged
in various occupations, OF whom |, l04
were farm laborers, and 903 common
laborers.
One prisoner is serving his thir-
teenth and one his eleventh term
Serving their fourth term are SO, while
100 are serving their third term and
800 their second term.
Since the beginning of the lease
system in 1879 the pumber of felony
prisoners have more than doubled, in
creasing from 1890 to 3,076. At that
time there were only 12l white con-
victs and LOO blacks, as against $50
whites and ESQ blacks at this date,
an increase of $50 per cent in whites
and US per cent,in negroes. The num-
Der of white prisoners have more than
doubled in the past ten years, there
being only 248 in the penitentiary on
June |, 1910. On the same date in
1910 there were $500 negro felons,
which is but go less than at present.
The increase in the penal popula-
ton OF the state has been largely from
counties in which the cities are located.
There has been no increase in crime
in the rural districts.