The Omaha guide., 1932-12-10
A Convicts Story Of Tie|r Half Acre.

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to one of the ircn cross pieces in
the cell and left him hanging with
his feet just barely touching the
floor. He finally confessed from
sheer pain and exhaustion. Then
they beat him with thongs and left
him to die slowly from the effects
of rat bite.
I had heard tales OF other
prisoners brought there in a
diseased condition and left to die
for lack of medical attention. 1t
gave me the creeps to think about
it.
The car pulled up in front OF
the ponderous iron gates. In a mo-
ment they swung back with a
piercing squeaking sound on their
rusty hinges. and we passed into
the outer court of the jail.
We marched into the diinly light
ed chamber of the police justice.
II took one look at him and knew
that to plead for a lawyer, or to
try to get in touch with friends
would only make my position
worse.
In the light of the arc lamp his
Ipudgy face took on a greenish hue.
He had small blood-shot eyes that
looked out from pockets of flesh.
They were the eyes of the fanatic,
the Negro hater. The fact was he
had been remanded to the county
asylums once or twice because
of signs OF insanity, yet he was
allowed by the citizens of Ports
mouth to dispense justice.
After a few pe~rfunctory remarks
from the policeman with me, he
looked down at me with a heavy
scowl and shouted, Thirty days on
the chain gangl"
Thirty days of wearing stripes,
unloading cars, digging bitches for
drainage, and clearing the putrid
and rotten filth from city sewers.
And Duberry and Smith, the
white guards, ready to lash out at
one for imaginary infractions or
slow movement. I had heard their
favorite sport was to draw the
blood from black backs.
My sentence began. All day we
worked on the gang, and at
five o'clock we were herded
back to jail. The 1ockste,p
started, the guards took their posi-
tons and we marched through the
town to the jail. We were being
shunted back to those dark filthy
sinking holes where as many as
fourteen men were packed into
the space intended for five.
Monday morning-dark clouds
overhead and ominous sounds COM
ing from the Jail. The din of tin
cups and plates being banged
against tables was heard. The in
.cesSant roar and screaming of
angry and sick men; guards run
ming here and there shouting; mu-
tiny was in the air.
Early Glover, a trusty at the jail,
on his way to mail letters, as was
the custom, was turned up by q
stool to the jailer, Charlie Grain.
Grain took the letter, which
was addressed to the governor.
Glover was sent to the prison hos
pita1, his head split from the blow
dealt by Grain. Via the grapevine
route the prisoners heard about it
and we're up in arms. 1t was the
straw that broke the camel's
back. The fight was on.
Late that night order had not
been restored. The men refused to
eat. In raucous tones they de-
manded better food, better treat
ment, work for both white and
colored alike, and they We're hold
ing out, too.
Two days of this and wind got
to the governors ear The papers
played it up. The governor at the
urgent request Of the Portsmouth
Bi-racial Committee, took a hand.
Whites had to work tool The
chain gang system was abolished.
In the investigation that followed,
Hell,s Half Acre was cleaned from
top to bottom. 1t was a banner
day for the town.
--O-
no.- Me-