▁" capt ain ", ▁ ▁John ▁Rod den bury , ▁was ▁ind icted ▁for ▁cruel ▁and ▁in hum ane ▁treatment ▁by ▁a ▁Baker ▁County ▁grand ▁j ury , ▁but ▁K nab b ▁was ▁not ▁charged ." ▁ ▁On ▁May ▁ 9 , ▁ 1 9 2 3 , ▁Th el ma ▁Franklin , ▁a ▁social ▁worker , ▁former ▁school ▁teacher , ▁and ▁wife ▁of ▁the ▁Glen ▁St . ▁Mary ▁post master , ▁test ified ▁before ▁the ▁joint ▁committee ▁investig ating ▁reports ▁of ▁brut al ities ▁inf lic ted ▁on ▁conv ict s ▁in ▁Florida . ▁She ▁gave ▁her ▁testim ony ▁while ▁sitting ▁directly ▁across ▁from ▁Senator ▁K nab b ▁in ▁the ▁court ▁room , ▁and ▁described ▁what ▁she ▁had ▁observed ▁as ▁a ▁neighbor ▁of ▁K nab b ' s ▁tur pent ine ▁camp . ▁She ▁told ▁the ▁committee ▁how ▁a ▁man ▁called ▁" W arden ▁Thompson ", ▁employed ▁by ▁Senator ▁K nab b , ▁ ▁had ▁shot ▁and ▁killed ▁Mary ▁She ff ield , ▁an ▁African ▁American ▁woman , ▁and ▁her ▁daughter ▁at ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁conv ict ▁cam ps . ▁She ff ield , ▁who ▁cut ▁Thompson ▁before ▁she ▁was ▁s lain , ▁was ▁to ▁have ▁appeared ▁before ▁the ▁committee ▁as ▁a ▁material ▁witness . ▁ ▁As ▁subsequent ▁testim ony ▁before ▁the ▁committee ▁revealed , ▁residents ▁of ▁the ▁area ▁near ▁the ▁conv ict ▁cam ps ▁were ▁aware ▁of ▁their ▁bad ▁conditions ▁and ▁of ▁ab uses ▁by ▁the ▁over se ers , ▁but ▁some ▁officials ▁involved ▁in ▁local ▁politics ▁were ▁able ▁to ▁avoid