The Washington times., 1932-07-12
By DETECTIVE WILLIAM
H. GASOUE
(Chlef Investigator for the States
Attorney of Duval County,
Written exclusively for the Interna-
tional News Service

(ChIef Investigator for the States
Attorney of Duval County,
Written exclusively for the Interna-
tional News Service
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, July
u (I.N.S.).-The death of
Arthur Maillefert in the Sun
beam convict road camp was
first reported to me as a
suicide. 1 investigated it as
a routine suicide case but my
investigation revealed that
Maillefert died from torture,
inflicted by the camp guards.
That boy was punished so
cruelty and inhumanly it could
only have resulted in his death.
Whether his torturers deliberately
intended to kill him is question
for the jury to decide in the muir
der trials of George w. Courson
and S. M. Higginbotham. the
guards charged with his murder.
Beaten and Starved
He was beaten, half-starved,
forced to wear a 45-pound barrel
for 48 hours before his death,
placed in stocks that drew blood
from his ankles, strapped into
sweat box and chained by his
throat to the roof. It's a wonder
he lived under that torture as long
as he did.
When I reached the convict
camp, I found Courson and other
guards had his body dressed ready
for burial. They had placed a
black suit on the body. A collar
and necktie hid the lacerated
throat. Socks covered the bloody
ankles.
In Hurry to Bury Him
They were ready to bury him.
Courson told me the State would
provide a plain coffin and there
would be no need to embalm the
body. He seemed in a hurry to get
rid of the remains. The Captains
own story was that the boy had
hanged himself by stretching his
body out at a As degree angle,
thrusting his feet to the rear of
the sweat box and in that way
bringing all his weight to bear on
his chain-encased neck. The
guards insisted the youth had
been we'll treated, but committed
suicide.
I finally found a prisoner who
told me the boy wao wearing
stocks in violation of law when
he was put into the sweat box.
With stocks on his feet, he
couldn't stretch his body at a
45-degree angle. The stocks held
him rigidly erect until he col
lapsed. and then the chain would
Strangle him.
Hidden Stocks Found
I found the stocks hidden in the
brush. These stocks were two
half-inch boards, in which small
holes had been cut through which
the youths legs were thrust. Then
the two boards were ma ed to
cross-pieceS in such fashion
that the stocks had to be sawed
from the boys body to get them
off. after he was dead.
I{took the stocks with me. The
next day 1 returned to the camp,
and had myself placed in the
sweat box by Captain Courson in
the same manner in which he
had put Maillefert. I wore the
stocks. 1 had him put the chain,
dangling from the roof OF the
sweat box, around my neck.
The stocks chafed my legs, al.
though l wore regular suit and
Malllefert had been naked. When
1 dropped my body. the chain
frightened around my throat.
Bad With Door Open
If I had fallen asleep or faint
ed, I would have strangled. When
I stood perfectly erect, the chain
didn't bother me. They left the
door of the sweat box open; if
it had been closed, in the broil-
ing sun, l believe would have
Smothered in very few minutes.
This punishment was all right
for few minutes but it would
have been terrible punishment to
be chained up there for hours,
with the door closed. 1t was
murderous torture to keep a man
chained like that overnight.
1 then procured warrants
charging Captain Courson and
Higginbotham with second de-
gree murder.
The coroner's jury met few
days later and returned verdict
charging both with first degree
murder. The grand jury later in
dicted both on the same charge.
They will be tried in September.
TRAVEL 6 52 600 MILES