The Washington times., 1932-07-13

Director of the Prison Camp
Where Arthur Maillefert Died
AS Dictated to International
News Service
Copyright. 1882. by international
News SerVice)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, July
13 IN.S.) S.).-Arthur Maillefert
committed suicide. He threat
ened to do it many times. On
the day he died he thought he
never would get another
chance to escape, and that s
why he took his life.
I am an innocent man. I'm 81
years old. married, have seven
children and I've been a law
abiding citizen all my life.
know I did nothing wrong and
I'm willing to go to a jury on
the merits of my case.
Maillefert was always talking
Of escaping. He told me:
Captain, you might just as
well kill me. Damn if 1 can
make my time. I'd rather be
dead than make it. I'd sooner
be dead than make time in the
chain gang"
I said to him:
Jersey" the State of
Florida didn't send you here
for me to kill you. They sent
you here to work and for me
to make a man out of you.
That's what I'm going to do"
He said:
Captain, if you don't kill
me, by God, you're yellow
then"
He talked to me like that sew
eral times-even as far back as
April. He made several efforts
to escape. On May l6, he cut
his chains and jumped out OF
the ditch and ran off. The
guards stopped him.
Cut His Leg Chains
Once he tried to escape be-
fore that. about six or eight days
before May 16. and once after
that. On May Is, he cut his
chains with a hack saw, which
he got from another prisoner
The other two times, he cut his
chains with an axe.
On the Wednesday before ne
died he played sick. I took his
temperature. 1t was SO and his
pulse was 1O6. He was all right
THAT was in the morning. told
him to go get his dinner and
after dinner he would go back on
the road.
That night I put him in the
building with other prisoners
and had DR.. Tiger, camp physl
clan, examine him. The doctor
said he had a good physical body
and was able to do any kind OF
work.
I then put Jersey" in the box
About II o'clock that night ]
went out to the box and l could
hear him cutting on the box. ]
had taken his clothes away, try
ing to locate the knife. When ]
heard him cutting I put a guard
over the boy and told the guard
every time he heard Jersey
cutting to kick on it.
Barrel Over Head
was afraid to leave him in
the building, or the sweat box
told him:
81 got one method left"
I told him:
"T got barrel / want to fix
and put over your head. 1t will
let you walk around for exer-
else SO can see you all the
time. AS long as you have that
barrel on your head you can't
climb the fence or go through
the gate"
So I fixed up the barrel and
put it over his head. He made
fun about having the barrel on
him; he would make monkey
motions and laugh.
So that night I put him in the
box and he got the straps loose
and got his head out. 1t was late
and l didn't interfere with him.
The next morning Friday)
took him out of the box and put
wooden pieces and leather or
top of the barrel so he couldn'
get out of it.
I said to him:
"I'm not doing this for pun.
ishment but just to keep you
here"
He said:
You are going to play hell
keeping me here"
I said:
"If 1 don't keep you here, it
won't be my fault. l will use
every effort 1 can without hurt
ing yOu."
He said:
"YOu can't do it. You have
me to kill"
Hard Rain Ceased
Along noon there came al
exceptionally hard rain. Abou
the time this hard rain ceased, al
old prisoner came running up anC
said:
Jersey is gone"
He said he saw Jersey jumpin!
Q ditch. I looked behind tn
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