Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-26
CONDITIONS At STATE
FARM ARE SCORED

At o'clock Tuesday evening in
the senate chamber a meeting will
be held by the senate and house PEN
itentiary committee to hear reports
and consider further the charges
made by certain members of the
committee in regard to conditions at
the prison farm, on which it is re-
ported the impeachment of the three
state prison commissioners may be
asked, and the discharge of ]. E.
Smith, farm warden, Nmay be de-
| manded. Members of the prison COM
| mission-Judge Z. f. Patterson and
E. L. Rainey-will be invited to at
tend the meeting, and have signitied
their intention of attending. r. E.
Davidson, the other member, is out
of the city
The members of the house and
senate committees returned Sunday
from a visit of inspection to the
prison farm at Milledgevil1e, and
Monday the members of the prison
commission were comforting with one
committeeman after another. Vari-
Gus committeeman, including Senator
Campbell, chairman of the senate
committee; Senator Denis Fleming
and Representative Carl Guess of De-
kalb county, expressed their views
more or less freely, while Repre-
sentative A. J. Perryman, Jr., of
Talbot county, chairman of the house
committee, said he would make his
statement at the proper time; that he
did not intend "either to persecute
anybody or to be deferred by any
body" in the expression of his con-
clusions
warden's Statement
In statement Monday morning
over long distance telephone to The
Journal, J. f. Smith defended his
administration as warden of the state
prison farm at MilledgeVille and re-
bers of the penitentiary committees
of the house and senate, who in
spected the farm Saturday and who,
it was reported Monday, may ask for
the removal of Warden Smith and
possibly the impeachment of the
three members of the state prison
commission.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga, July "a.
After a tour of inspection of the
state prison farm Saturday some
members of the penitentiary commit
by Chairman Perryman, declared that
conditions under which inmates OF
the farm are living are in a dis
graceful and deplorable state, and
that a subcommittee probably would
be appointed without delay to inVes-
tigate the institution with view to
immediate Improvement.
This was the annual inspection OF
the prison farm. The sanitarium
and reformatory committees inspect
ed the state insane asylum, and the
Georgia Training School for Boys
good
dition.
The penitentiary committee inves-
tigated food and living conditions
and interviewed many prisoners, as
well as the heads of the institution.
They reported at the conclusion Of
their inspection that conditions are
most insanitary, sleeping quarters
are infected with vermin the food
and water are bad, and the buildings
themselves leaky and badly In need
Of repair
Senator Dennis Fleming said:
eve found the white mems ward
in a very insanitary shape. Every
bed was full of insects and other
wise unclean, while the water FUR
nished the prisoners was very muddy
and had an evil odor.
"Other prisoners declared that they
had been miStreated and prosecuted.
The food served hospital patients
was in a terrible condition. In the
stock room sauerkraut had been al
lowed to run over the floor, ana Inc
place had a horrible odor.
I'm the negro ward of the building,
conditions were slightly better. But
the negro women's ward was infest-
ed with insects and the roof leaked.
'In one part of the building dun
geons were found where women were
Imprisoned for infractions of rules.
The larger dungeons the committee
found we're suitable for combining
prisoners for disciplinary purposes.
Three sweat boxes were discovered,
however. where chains were placed in
a manner to keep the prisoner in a
standing position. These were con-