Remembering Suwannee: Convict leasing system, Part 3

Eric Musgrove Contributor This week, we will continue looking at some of the stories related to the convict lease system and Suwannee County. The main source of this material is the book "American Siberia" by J. C. Powell, captain of the convict camp for many years. We left off last week with some gruesome details of what the convicts endured (or brought upon themselves) while they were incarcerated. As mentioned last week, convict life was brutal, and some would resort to violence to attempt to escape. Powell mentions one such event in his book. It involved W. J. (Winder Josephus) Hillman, later a captain of the convict camps before moving on to greater things. He was Suwannee Coun