USA > Florida > Florida, 1513-1913, past and future; four hundred years of wars and peace and industrial development > Part 26
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Another view contemplates the Seminoles as aggressors, for dec- ades disturbers of the peace of Florida, delaying its development by their ravages and murderous forays. It considered that the tribe was being treated with more consideration than its due when they were allowed a home, even in that part of Florida which then, it was believed, could never be of use for the purposes of industrial development.
SEMINOLE RETICENCE
Without undertaking to judge between these two views, a descrip- tion of the Indian occupants of Florida today is interesting. In all recent history of the state, the Seminoles have kept aloof from con- tact with the whites. The taking of the decennial eensus among them has been a difficult undertaking, but there are believed to be about four hundred members of the tribe. Many efforts to civilize them and to bring to them the benefits and comforts of civilization and even of religion, have been received with seant cordiality. Apparently they prefer not to be molested by efforts to eivilize and Christianize them. They have received, but have profited little, by attempts to edueate them. No Government reservation has ever been set aside for them in Florida, but under an Aet of the Legislature of 1913, an Indian Commission was created to investigate and to secure relia- ble information regarding their affairs. There is already an agent of the National Government among them and a station at Fort Myers, so that it appears that they are looked after at least as well as are other wards of the nation in other parts of the country.
The Episcopal Church for years has had a resident missionary
BILLY BOWLEGS, A PRESENT DAY CHIEF OF SEMINOLE INDIANS IN THE EVER- GLADES
Believed to be a direct descendant of the famous Chief Bowlegs, leader in Seminole wars
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among them. Bishop Gray, of the Southern Diocese of Florida, has been a frequent visitor among them, preaching, advising and coun- seling them, and with a resident representative of the Woman's Na- tional Indian Association, the Seminoles have not been deprived of any influence that might lead them to Christianity and civilization.
AVERSION TO CIVILIZING INFLUENCES
Buildings have been erected for their use as church and school houses, and efforts have been made to give them technical education. Blacksmithing, gardening, sewing and other household arts have been open to them and their material progress has been fostered as a stepping stone to something better. A few of their women have learned to operate sewing machines, to use gasoline stoves and a few ordinary cooking utensils. Rifles and knives are their weapons.
But the Seminoles do not adopt the English language, nor have they appropriated as their own any of the teachings laid down by spiritual advisers. They seem to have selected from what was offered them, what they liked best and what they think they need, and the rest has gone unappropriated.
This proffered aid from various sources has been at their com- mand for years, and it has never been withdrawn; therefore, it must be concluded that the efforts to civilize the Florida Indians have been somewhat of a failure. The history of the red man in America would indicate that it is likely never to be a success. For centuries he had a continent in undisturbed possession in which to work out his own salvation. Yet with all this opportunity he has never achieved by himself any advance in art, literature, music, or even in a written language. Even his law is but tribal custom. It is to be noticed that the Seminole is making none of these attempts for himself. For nearly three hundred years he fought to retain his hold on Flor- ida, and he resisted attempts to remove him to the western reserva- tions provided for him. But he is asking nothing from Florida today, and there is no indication that he feels the need of anything that the state could give him. He has never been a factor in its development. With rare individual exceptions, whatever education he has received from friends has been merely an unsuccessful experiment, for as soon as he returned to associate with his tribe, the veneer of civiliza- tion usually has speedily worn off.
In his religion the Seminole is at least consistent. He reverences the Great Spirit-Soctomassee-who sits above the clouds, and who
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takes care of good Indians when they die. Locosomo, the Spirit of Evil, roams the swamps to tempt and lead astray.
SOCIAL CUSTOMS
There is no wedlock outside of the race and the marriage cere- mony consists of a public declaration. The bride has been "raced for" at the previous Green Corn Dance, which takes place during the week of the June full moon. She is given such a start in the race that she is not caught if she does not care to be. The children belong to the mother and she may decide the fate of a cruel husband or of one who neglects her children. The children are taught the strictest obedience to and respect for the aged. The married women only are permitted to wear the girdle of disks across the breast, made of silver coins and hammered to extreme thinness.
The women are lithe and well formed. They dress in gaudy cali- cos. The waist and dress skirt do not always meet at the waist line, leaving exposed several inches of red skin clear around the body. The hair is worn in a knot at the top of the head and banged over the forehead. The men wear a queue, which is a mark of dignity and they must not appear before their chief without it.
Her necklaces of beads represent to the Seminole woman every- thing that is worth while to her. The mother begins by putting a string of these glass ornaments about the neck of her baby girl. As the child grows older, string after string is added until she carries several pounds of them. When the woman passes middle life she begins to take them off, until but one necklace remains, and then the squaw is too old to work. She is called upon for nothing. She lives with the different families of the camp, always befriended and well cared for. The sick and orphans are treated with special care.
SEMINOLE WOMEN
The women have the reputation of being clean, industrious, and are said to be models of chastity, departures from virtue being pun- ishable by death, inflicted by the squaws themselves. An offender is taken from home, tied to a tree and left to her fate. The skeleton is never removed from the tree but is left as a warning to possible future offenders. They bury their dead near their settlements. They speak of them as "gone to the Great Spirit." Of their religious beliefs and forms, whatever these may be, but little is known.
A SEMINOLE CAMP
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The home-making, if it may be called that, devolves upon the squaws. They cook, wash, plant and gather the crops and when the camp is moved, the women carry everything but the rifle. In their half cultivated fields, they raise corn, pumpkins, potatoes, peas, chick- ens and hogs. They are expert fishers and kill what game they need for their own uses, probably paying very little attention to Florida's complex game laws. It may be said of the Seminoles, however, that they do not wastefully slaughter game, but kill only what they may need for their own maintenance. It is said that they continue to hunt and kill egrets for the much coveted plumes. The demand for the plumes of the bird is a strong temptation to violate the law.
VANITY A TRIBAL INSTINCT
The men dress in anything but artistic fashion. A crude mixture of gaudy colors or an occasional ready-made suit accentuates the Sem- inole's inability or his unwillingness to assimilate readily anything that belongs to the white man. The men dress in ready-made cloth- ing, what there is of it, a shirt and vest with red bandanna handker- chiefs. The shirt is unconfined, the vest is worn in the usual way, and the highly colored kerchiefs are attached to the person wherever they will show to the best advantage-around the neck, around the arms, through the buttonholes of the vest and sometimes torn into strips and stitched, with many rows of colored threads about the lower end of the shirt.
The head dress is an elaborate hat or a turban, the frame of which is made of bamboo twigs and covered with fold upon fold of bandanna handkerchiefs. Occasionally trousers are worn and frequently, well made moccasins and leggins of deer skin.
The usual camp is composed of five or six families, under one head. Each family in the camp has its own palmetto-thatched hut, the floor of which is two or three feet above ground, made of rough timbers and covered with deer skins. Three sides of the hut are thatched, the fourth being left open for light and ventilation, but a canvas curtain is provided to exclude rain and cold.
PICTURESQUE LANGUAGE
With all their unprogressiveness, the language of the Seminoles has contributed largely to the nomenclature of Florida. Words from their language have been applied to rivers and bays and various loca-
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tions throughout the state, which will remain for all time as a memory of the original inhabitants of the great peninsula. Probably these Indians are the superior of all other Indian races in America, the best physically, intellectually and morally. The Seminole is healthy, industrious in his own way, moral and just. He is kind to his women and children, usually honest, proud and devoted strictly to tribal cus- tom as it has been handed down from his forefathers. He treasures the memory of the great Chief, Osceola, whose descendants are high in the scale of Seminole aristocracy.
He is in nobody's way, he is inoffensive, the tribe is not multiply- ing as rapidly as it is decreasing; and the remnants of the once great nation are decidedly picturesque from an ethnological viewpoint, and as a vanishing racial type.
CHAPTER XXVIII CONVICT LEASE SYSTEM
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SYSTEM of leasing the labor of the state's convicts to the highest responsible bidder exists in Florida. A No story of social conditions in the state that omitted reference to it could fairly be considered complete. It is the outgrowth of circumstances that surrounded the labor supply question and of conditions peculiar to many southern states in years gone by. It has been abolished or modified in some of these commonwealths, but it remains in Florida. It is but fair to say that its continued existence is against the best sentiment of a large majority of Florida's citizenry and that, as a state institution, it is likely to be abolished at the expiration of exist- ing contracts, or as soon thereafter as provisions can be made for the proper care in other ways of the state's criminals.
The inauguration of the system in this state was based upon three preliminary facts :
First, in the great peninsula state, as everywhere else, it is recog- nized that the best results to the public and the highest moral and physical interests of the prisoner himself demand that he be employed at steady, systematic and productive labor.
Second, in Florida, as in other southern states, climatic and industrial conditions require that the convicts be worked in the open air to the largest possible extent.
Third, in Florida, also as in other southern states, the larger pro- portion of the prisoners are negro men, usually ignorant and unskilled to perform any but the simplest forms of labor and but little that requires any considerable exercise of intelligence.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEASE SYSTEM
In her earlier history Florida cared for her criminals and her insane at the State Farm at Chattahoochee. The mentally deranged were separated from the moral deficients and the expenses of main-
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tenance were met, in part, by the labor of the prisoners themselves in the state-owned fields. The growing population of the state and the increasing demands upon the capacity of the institution at last made necessary the expense of its enlargement, or something else.
There was a call for labor far greater than the supply in some parts of the state, especially for the development of the phosphate mines which became commercially important about 1890. The result was a proposition to sell the convict labor. Its acceptance would bring an income to the state instead of an annual deficit, and eventu- ally the state's prisoners, white and black, male and female, were transferred to lessees who employed them in the phosphate mines and in turpentine and lumber camps throughout the state.
The leases were made under rather loosely drawn contracts, which prescribed the hours of labor, the guarding, feeding, housing, cloth- ing and the treatment to be provided by the lessees. The right of inspection at all times by state officers was reserved. In spite of these provisions, the character and inclinations of individual employers and guards too often determined the conditions in which convicts worked and lived, and it is not surprising, in the light of later expe- rience, that the system made possible some, even many, abuses. It was said that five years in the phosphate mines was equivalent to a death sentence.
REFORMING THE SYSTEM
Occasional reports of abuses in the convict camps aroused public sentiment for a change of the system itself and eventually for its abolishment. The State Legislature in the late 90's inaugurated a reform and subsequent enactments have modified former conditions almost beyond recognition. And with these cnactments have been taken the preliminary steps toward the establishment of a state farm, where at first the female and invalid male prisoners, and ultimately all the state's prisoners shall be cared for by the state itself and where the labor of the convicts, so far as possible, shall make them self-sup- porting. The farm at Chattahoochiec has been given over wholly to the care of the insane and this class of the state's charges has been forever separated from the criminal element. Already fifteen thou- sand, six hundred acres of excellent land in Bradford county have been purchased for the purposes of the convict farm, and it is intended that the necessary equipment shall be added as soon as legislative appropriations shall become available.
The present delay in carrying out this plan is due largely, if not
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entirely, to the large expense involved in the undertaking. The change means the loss of an annual income from the leased prisoners of about three hundred thousand dollars and substituting therefor an expendi- ture estimated to be between eight hundred thousand and one million dollars for the enlargement and equipment of the farm, besides an annual outlay from state funds of many thousands additional for the care of the prisoners, aside from the income from the farm created by their labor. Florida is rich today mainly in its undeveloped resources and its expenditures for the present must necessarily be upon a more modest scale than may be afforded by some of the sister states.
PROPOSED LEGISLATION
The State Legislature at the biennial session of 1911, passed a bill abrogating the lease system after December, 1913, the expir- ing date of all existing contracts. It also provided that the convicts should be worked upon the public roads of the state, following the plan adopted by the State of Georgia. This bill was vetoed by Gov- ernor Albert Gilchrist, then the executive of the state, who pointed out certain defects which in his opinion, would defeat the purposes sought to be accomplished. The Legislature also declared by reso- lution that no further leases of the prisoners should be entered into before the gathering of that body, in April, 1913.
METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION
The administration of the penal system of Florida is committed to the Board of Commissioners of State Institutions, which is com- posed of the Governor, the Secretary of State, the Comptroller, the Attorney-General, the State Treasurer, the Superintendent of Pub- lic Instruction, and the Commissioner of Agriculture. The last named is made the administrative and executive officer in charge of the state's prisoners. The successive occupants of the office have been progres- sive in their prosecution of these duties. Without exception, it is believed, their personal convictions have been against the system and for its abolishment, while as officials they have used every means in their power to ameliorate the conditions under which the prisoners worked until another system should be established.
Their ideas have involved recognition of the fact that, although convicted of crime, a prisoner has still an immortal soul and is pos- sessed of certain inalienable rights which no authority of law may
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take way; that while the primary purpose of punishment is for the present protection of society, an essential feature of it should be made the possible reform of the criminal for the protection of society in time to come and for the moral betterment of the criminal himself; and that the infliction of punishment in a spirit of revenge upon the evil doer and tending to degrade him to lower levels in the moral scale, reflects a baleful influence upon society itself.
PROVISIONS OF PRESENT CONTRACT
In recognition of these principles the form of contract under which the prisoners have been leased provides, item by item, for their humane treatment, for reasonable hours of labor, sufficient and whole- some food, comfortable and hygienic housing and clothing, and generous medical attendance. It has provided for a most careful inves- tigation of the characters of the sub-lessees of convict labor; it has insisted upon the highest recommendations as to the personal char- acters of the guards and others who have the immediate care of and contact with the prisoners, requiring an oath from each for the faith- ful performance of duty; and it has established a system of most thorough and frequent inspection of all hospitals, camps and stock- ades where the prisoners may be confined or worked. Whatever abuses may have crept in, have come in spite of the strenuous and continued efforts of the Commissioner of Agriculture and his execu- tive staff to prevent in the administration of an honest contract.
All the state's prisoners at present are leased to one corporation, The Florida Pine Company. This company, in turn subleases to other individuals, persons or corporations which employ the labor in the turpentine camps; a few are worked in lumber camps, but no longer are they required to work in the phosphate mines. The com- pany's affairs are directed by men of high moral character and busi- ness responsibility, whose administration of their duties, it is only fair to believe, is guided quite as much by the instincts of humanity as by economic principles. The company by its agreement with the state becomes a quasi partner in this important public duty, and it works in entire harmony to enforce the proper treatment of these wards of the state.
HUMANE PRINCIPLES RECOGNIZED
An outline of the contract existing between the state and the com- pany will give an understanding of the convict lease system and its administration in Florida today.
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The term of the contract covers the calendar years 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913. By its provisions the company has charge of the prisoners from the beginning of their respective terms of sentence until they are discharged from custody by the expiration of their sen- tences, by pardon or death. It receives them at the county seat of the county in which they have been tried and convicted and it trans- ports them at its own cost to the receiving camp near Ocala, where is located also the Central Hospital. Here each prisoner is exam- ined by the physician in charge of the hospital, as to his mental and physical health and his ability to perform "reasonable labor." This physician is appointed by the state and paid by the company. His decision is final and if the prisoner is pronounced fit for such work, he is assigned to a sub-contractor who sends him to the turpentine camp or the lumber mill.
The company's physician also makes a thorough physical meas- urement of the prisoner similar to the Bertillon system, noting weight, personal marks and peculiarities. He has made two photographs, one front and one side view of the face, and these are filed with the name, the record of the crime, the term of sentence and the serial number which each prisoner bears. A copy of these records is for- warded to the Commissioner of Agriculture at Tallahassee. Females and invalid males are exempted from the general provisions of the lease and are cared for as described later.
CAMP EQUIPMENT
At the camps where the prisoners are kept and worked, suitable buildings for their accommodation must be provided, as approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture. Proper ventilation and sanitary surroundings are insisted upon and where it is possible, flowing water is carried to every part of the camp for domestic purposes, for bath- ing and for flushing closets and sewers. In practically all the camps in the state this water system has been installed, inasmuch as steam power or windmills are available for raising and distributing it.
It will be borne in mind that no female prisoners are allowed in the camps or stockades, which simplifies greatly the care and disci- pline of the male convicts. It is provided also that the white and negro convicts shall be kept separate in their eating and sleeping, and that they shall not come into contact in their working hours.
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HOURS OF LABOR
The hours of labor are regulated by the provision that the con- victs shall not "be worked or made to labor before sunrise nor after sunset, nor more than ten hours in any one day, or be made to work on the Sabbath day, provided that the lessee may, if agreeable with the prisoner, make an arrangement for doing of extra work by such prisoner at a reasonable compensation," the terms of each individual agreement being approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture. It is the custom in many of the state camps to stop work at noon on Sat- urdays, giving a half-holiday each week in addition to the rest on Sunday.
Each prisoner must be furnished with a separate bed not less than three and a half feet wide and six and a half feet long. Each bed must be equipped with a good mattress and pillow, three pillow cases, four sheets and two pairs of blankets. The contractor is required to have on hand at all times for each prisoner in his charge not less than three suits of clothes of the regulation striped pattern, three suits of underwear, two pairs of shoes, two nightshirts and one hat. Every prisoner is compelled to wear the prescribed stripes. Ample toilet and bathing facilities are provided and each convict must take a com- plete bath at least once each week, besides bathing his hands and face before each meal. He is allowed and encouraged to take a bath as often as he desires. For this purpose a large bathroom is equipped with substantial tubs, towels, soap and a plentiful water supply.
The contractor is required to employ for each camp a physician of "skill and ability," to visit the camp whenever his professional serv- ices may be required for the treatment of the prisoners.
TRACKING ESCAPED PRISONERS
For the safe keeping and care of the prisoners the lessee must employ a captain of guards and a "yard man" in each camp or stock- ade. In addition, a guard corps of not less than one man for every five prisoners, worked in the woods, must be maintained, and one mounted guard and two well trained bloodhounds for every twenty- five prisoners, worked in the woods. Each member of the guard force is armed with a Winchester rifle. He may be employed only after a rigid investigation of his character, substantiated by testimonials and after subscribing to an oath for the proper performance of his duties. His appointment must be approved by the Commissioner of Agricul-
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ture, who has also the power of removal. No guard may permit a prisoner to approach him nearer than thirty feet and under no cir- cumstances is he allowed to strike or in any way to discipline a pris- oner. His duty is to report infractions of rules to the captain of the guard. Punishment may be administered only by the person ap- pointed for the purpose.
CULINARY DEPARTMENT
The "yard man" is a sort of housekeeper for the camp within the stockade fence which surrounds it to the height of twelve to sixteen feet. His duties include the ordering and inspection of all food, super- intending its preparation for the tables, planning the bills of fare which must be abundant and varied, a constant supervision of the dining and sleeping quarters and of the kitchen and laundry, to keep them always clean and in sanitary condition. He also has charge of the vegetable garden which must be kept up to provision the table of each camp.
In case of the escape of a prisoner from the custody of the lessee, he is required to use every means for his recapture and the company must offer and pay a reward of one hundred dollars for his return to camp.
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