Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-19
FLORIDA SHERIFF
COT S23 FOR EACH
CONVICT He LEASED

nam Lumber company he testtleC
today before the legislative commit
tee investigating prison conditions
in this state, as the outgrowth Of
the death of Martin Tabert, of North
Dakota.
Sheriff Jones was before the COM
mittee for more than an hour, wi IN
it resumed its hearings today, and
testified that between August IS,
1921, and December 81, 1922, he
transferred to the Putnam camp
total number of 103 prisoners.
He declared that the lumber com
pany had entered contract with the
Leon county commissioners to lease
prisoners, and that he had entered
into an agreement with w. H
Fisher, superintendent of the iun-
Der company, to take all prisoners
convicted in this county to the
camp, for which he was to receive
$40 a head.
Average Profit S23
Sheriff Jones said that Fisher
first offered him SIS for each 7ris-
oner, but he told him that "other
sheriffs in the state were receiving
that much and that I thought L
was entitled to more" Sheriff
Jones said that from one to nine
ftsn1 "a,
here to the lumber camp at time.
He said that it cost approximately
IS a man to make the trip, but his
fees for making the arrest and 9th
err fees brought his average com
pensation up to $23.
Before the examination of the
sheriff, w. w. Baker, counsel for
the Putnam Lumber company. APP
peared before the committee, with
request that witnesses for the
lumber company he allowed to tes
tify as to the illness, death and
burial of Martin Tabert, who it is
alleged, died as the result of a
brutal flogging administered by
Walter Higginbotham, a guard en-
ployed by the company.
Mr.. Baker said that "the Putnam
company has been grossly mlsrepre-
scented in this affair" We have re
Trained from taking the case to the
public press and desire a hearing
before this committee"
Senator-J. -Stokes,.,chairnan4ot
the committee, set o'clock tomor-
row morning for these witnesses to
appear.
Sheriff Jones was asked whether
the contract he had with the lumber
company was kept secret from
other county officials. He declared
that it was made in the presence
of members of the county commits
sion, they saying that 1 had the
same right as any other individ
ual."
Letter for Tabert
IF a prisoner after he had been
leased out desired to pay his fine
VINO would he pay it to-" Chairman
Stokes asked.
HE would pay 1t to the sheriff, "
Jones replied.
AFTER Tabert was sentenced and
leased to the Putnam Lumber COM
pany, did you not receive register
ed letter addressed to Martin Tabert
in care of the sheriff." the chair
man continued.
II have a postiffice box and I re.
ceived a notice that a registered let
ter was in the postoffice for me. I
went to the registered mail window
and they told me there was a letter
for Martin Tabert. I told the clerk
that the party had gone to Clara
and for him to return it to the
sender" replied the sheriff.
Didn't you know that the letter
contained money to pay Tabert's
fine, or didn't you have an idea that
it contained such?" Mr.. Stokes pur-
sued
81 did not"
eff it was addressed in your care
why didn't you open it?''
'I didn't know whether it would
be doing right Or not"
you said the Putnam company
paid you $40 a man. If a man paid
his fine after he was delivered by
you to the camp would there be any
reduction in the fee paid you by the
company"
mo, got mine whether he served
one day or three months" the of
ficer replied.
us it true that you ordered the
postoffice authorities to return all
mail addressed to prisoners at the
Putnam cOmpany?'
No, [ never gave such orders"
did you not tell Assistant Attor-
ney General Crimson, of North Da.
kota, that all mail addressed to pris-
oners was returned to Senders?"
81 did not"
Did you receive a telegram from
Taberts parents after the boy was
sent to Clara?"
mo, I do not recall anything but
the letter."
AS TO Telegram
Sheriff Jones was then shown
letter written by him to an attorney
at Munich, N. D., Tabert's home,
stating that telegram had been re
ceived by him from Tabert's parents,
but that the money order had been
made out in Tabert's name and he
could not get it, therefore the tele-
graphic money order was returned.
The officer said he did not remem-
Der receiving any telegram, although
he admitted that he wrote the North
Dakota attorney the letter. He ex-
planned that he believed he got the
telegram mixed up with the register
ed letter.
Sheriff Jones denied that after the
agreement was made with the lum-
Der company. he issued orders to
his deputies to wage an extensive
crusade against men riding through
Tallahassee Oh freight trains and
those who could be picked up on
yagrancy charges.
He was asked whether he was ap-
pealed to by the American Legion
as the result of the wholesale mum.
Der OF arrests of this nature being
n7Q6p Ioo1o,-o1 lot Ihoin,,