The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-17
FLORIDA SOL l N { ORDERSTATE.-N WIDE FLOGG|NG PROBE
Brutal Treatment of Prisoner Is Described By Fellow
 Convict

TALLAHASSEE, Fla, April 16.-(By Associated Fress.1-The body of Mar tin Tabert. North Dakota youth, who died while serving sentence in camp for leased vonvicts was placed in cheap coffin Tn grave half-filled with water near the town of Clara. today by Arthur Johnson, a former convict, to Assistant Attorney General Crimson and kneeshaw of North Da- kota.
 Johnson, sentenced to serve two years on four charges of illicit dis tilling, declared he was the first prisoner to be taken to the camp of the Putnam Lumber company, where Tabert died. that he prepared the body for burial and later was one of the four men, three negroes and one white man, to act as pallbearers.
 The amended house resolution call ing for a statewide Investigation into the flogging and other casual ties to convicts in both state and county convict camps by Joint leg islative Investigating committee was unanimously passed by the senate following Senator Lindsey's speech. Committee Meets Tuesday.
 The joint committee will reconvene from it's week end recess tomorrow morning. While vested with the au thority to conduct state wide inVes- tigation, 1t was announced today that the Tabert case would first be gone into on the points of conviction, leaS- ing and death as set out in resolu- ton adopted by the North Dakota legislature, which requested the Flor ida legislature to make inquiry.
 Tabert died after he had been f1oc t.ritn ha 10 xY Walter Higginbotham, the camp whipping" boss. Higginbotham was indicted by a Madison county grand jury last week on the charge of first degree murder.
 The expected outbreak in the sen ate over the house resolution failed. Senator Lindsey in addressing the the senate of North Dakota a resolu tion couched in deferential alnguage, asking us to make an investigation.
 o o o
 Welcomed Request.
 T welcome it." continued the speaker, and am proud that they put it in such language because. although what the governor has said is accu- rate, although he is honest in his communication, we all know that he is at a certain peculiar disadvantage in this matter because he has the power of appointment and finally he has the power of promotion as far as 1t relates to the officials of these n- stitutions and the state road depart ment."
 Declaring that the governor stands in a position in which the responsi- bilty is up to him. the senator said that honesty is the best policy-cer- tainly in this situation it Is true to the last degree. And the answer of ho quiries as are contemplated and pro- vided for in the senate resolution will be the effective answer. Let us tell the honest truth about conditions as we find them and do it so we will apply the proper legislation for the conditions as they exist"
 Johnson to Appear.
 Arthur Johnson will appear before the joint investigating committee. He is regarded as one of the most val uable witnesses yet obtained.
 Johnson remembered when Tabert was brought to the camp. He became i'll, he said lost weight "until he was just pack of flesh and bones" un- able to function to satisfy Captain Higginbotham, the former prisoner declared, he was beaten several times and one time twice during the same day, more than 100 licks being admin istered.
 That night after he had beaten Ia bert" Johnson said, Captain Hig- ginbotham lost his job. He shot up free labor house with his pistol. Tabert was in a pretty bad fix. so Captain and Mrs. Higginbotham would not leave the camp because the captain said, If he dies, they surely will blame me for it.
 When the boy died" he continued Captain Higginbotham told me and boy by the name of South Carolina Eddie to get the body and prepare it for burial. We went into the cell house and prepared to remove Tabert The sheets and even the mattress on his bunk were covered with blood and the sheets stuck to the body"