The daily worker., 1931-06-13
Farmer Exposes Forced Convict
Labor in Alabama Lumber CAMPS

Union CONVICT LABOR, nave SOO 10
write a few facts about my expert
ence in the United States.
AS was forced to ride freight
train through the Southern states in
search Of work 1 had this expert
ence. In Evergreen, Ala, five cops
searched the train and caught two
Negroes and myself. They search
every train that comes through in
order to get free labor and to keep
the wages of other workers down.
They put us in Jail and kept us
on starvation rations for two weeks
before we were tried. For breakfast
they gave us two biscuits, spoonful
of grits and maybe little syrup.
For supper about the same portion
of either beans or spinach and a
small piece of bread. I was lucky to
have few dollars to buy something
to eat from the outside.
Landowners Lease Prisoners.
When we had our trial they fined
us $40 and costs, which amounted
to $33 or forty eight days hard labor,
They leased us out to rich landown-
ers after two days in Jail
was handcuffed by the sheriff in
company with a Negro who had been
in the same convict camp before. He
was framed this time for carrying a
gun which he found in a trash pile.
1t was unloaded, rusty and half of
it was gone. We were put in a Ford
car by the county sheriff and his
father and started for the camp.
The Sheriffs Slaves.
We stopped at the sherfff's farm
for lunch. We were given a small
piece Of bread and glass of butter
milk. He ran grocery store there
and had Negro family to do his
farm work. His father lived in big,
fine white house, but the Negro fam
lily lived in shanty more like a
coW-shed. The sheriff kept him in
debt for groceries and what clothes
they wore were those the sheriff had
worn out. They were not allowed to
leave while they were in debt to the
farm owner.
After dinner (so-called) we started
out again and soon saw another Negro
breaking ground. The sheriff called
him over. The Negro acted very
badly scared. He was also in Gebt.
The sheriff threatened to put him
where we were going if he didn't pay
up, though this was impossible.
We went on our way until we
reached the farm, where we we're put
in stripes. Here 1 met an Italian
prisoner who said deputy had
slipped gun in his pocket and
caused him to get three months.
Convicts In Lumber Camps.
At $50 the convicts started march
ing in from work. For supper he
had unseasoned beans and hard
cornbread, baked early that morning.
We had a change to spinach every
other day. We went to bed at 8
p m, but every half hour a guard
would ring a big church bell and
strike triangle at the heads of
our beds to keep us from sleeping. I
got very little sleep for the first
three days. This was to keep us
from being in settled mental state
in the daytime so we would give
thought to how bad we were treated.
The next morning at ten minutes
to four we were awakened. We had
20 minutes to get into our stripes and
shoes and get our breakfast of two
small pieces of bacon, two spoons of
syrup and six hard biscuits baked
the day before. What we didn't have
time to eat we put in buckets for our
lunch and at ten after four we were
on our way to work. Our work was
repairing and Iengthening a tram
way to the lumber camps.
On one occasion in the lumber
camps an Italian strained his back
lifting a rail. He was flat on his
back in bed for three days. The first
morning he was able to go to break
fast the warden asked why he wasn't
working. The guard said that he
strained his back The warden said
to put him in the hot box. To avoid
this the prisoner went to work the
next day.
Hot Box.
The hot box was a place where the
men were put for punishment. 1t
was box in the corner of the room
extending from the floor to the cell
ing with only enough room for
man to stand in it straight. Many
prisoners were put into it. One Ne
gro was put in because he was sick
and not able to work. He was forced
to work and when he came back in
he was put in the box without sup
per- kept there all night and sent
to work the next day without break
fast The second night he was fed
and put back in the box. He was
given breakfast and sent to work
again next day. He wasn't able to
walk for his feet had burst open.
They put him to crawling on his
hands and knees, picking up sticks,
and each night he was put into the
box until he died. Other Negroes
who served their sentences out were
told that other charges were pending
against them and were kept long
over their time and worker hard.