The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-04-12

been completed and the highway 10
Brewron will then be open without
further interruption.
young prisoners arrested for similar
offenses were taken to the county
Jail at Perry, Taylor county. and
there turned over to Carl Johnson,
warden of the Putnam Lumber com
pany camp at Clara. That night the
three were turned over to Walter
Higginbotham, who was in charge of
the company's leased convicts, who
put them in stripes" at camp
across the river in Dixie county.
About 95 leased convicts were there,
of whom 35 were white men, Gardner
said, one of whom was Martin Ia
bert. There were dozen or more
guards over the prisoners, according
to Gardner. He said the guards
changed frequently.
Describes Torture Weapon.
In the first week / was there
was licked with a strap by Higgin-
botham three different times" Card
ner declared in describing his expe-
rience at the lumber camp. The
whip was about four feet long, four
inches wide, and with handle two
or three inches thick. 1t laid the
skin bare from my shoulders to my
knees and l couldn't sleep that night
nor Tor a long tiIHe dltei wal Us,
the pain. When he got through he
said, next time / have to beat YOU
I'll kill you"
Two days later he licked me
again." Gardner went on. HE gave
me about so ticks with the whip this
time. They tore open the scabs from
the first whipping and cut my back
to holler, or he would beat you
longer. uut If hurt so that l couldn't
help hollering.
The third time was couple OF
days later. He gave me 40 or OF
ticks that time. Our gang foreman
a man named Clark. had told him l
didn't throw the mud high enough to
suit Elm. | didn't have the strength
to 60 it by that time
Martin was in the same grading
gang" Gardner declared, referring to
Tabert. "A fellow who had been
there longer than l said Martin was
big and strong when he got there
two weeks before: but he was al
ready sick and skinny when l got
there"
Il have seen Higginbotham beat
five or six men in one night. one
day he beat nearly everyone of the
men in the grading gang, and there
We're more than 20. Seems like when
he got started he wouldn't know
WHeH 10 quit.
"One night we were all lined up to
be counted in before we went into
the sleeping shack" Gardner con-
tinued. igginbotham called three
of the men out of line and beat
them. Then he called, Martin (Tabertl
out. Martin was so weak ne coulu
hardly answer loud enough to be
heard and that made Higginbotham
madden. He didn't move fast enough
and HiSsinbotham leaned over ana
pulled his underclothes off himself
We were ali standing in line about
20 feet away and watched it, with a
dozen guards standing over US"
CONVICT CAMP BOSS
HELD UNDER BAIL
MACCLENNY, Fla, April 11.-John
Roddenberry, convict camp boss at
the turpentine camp of T. ]. Knabb,
state senator, in Baker county, who
was indicted late yesterday on a
charge of cruel treatment to prison
ers. today was at liberty in $1,000
bond. He pleaded not guilty when
arraigned in circuit court and his
.~~o was set for trial at the October
term.
me indictment was the outgrowth
Of charges made by Paul Revere
that he had been flogged while in the
camp. White was convicted In Ala
chula county for vagrancy and leased
to the turpentine camp.
Joe Jones, Jr., sheriff of Baker
county. told the Associated Press to-
night that White was brought to his
Jail February "a from the camp.
Whites condition, he said, was run
down from want of medical attention,
his feet were swollen. his hands were
in bad shape" and 'in 10 days l be-
lieve he would have been a dead man
if he hadn't gotten treatment"
The sheriff said that White told
him he had been forced to work on
regardless of his condition and that
he had been beaten by Roddenberry
He was fed bread and water and
forced to work with negroes, White
was quoted as saying. The boy had
struck two prongs of a rake in his
loot, the sheriff said, but White told
him he had been made to keep on
working. There were seven or eight
scars on his back that looked like
they were made with leather,
Sheriff Jones said.
RCddenberry could not be located
for a statement, but he was quoted
as saying he will be able to establish
that the boy did not receive cruel
treatment. White injured his hands
and feet No Keep from working. Rod
denbeEsv - quoted as having said.