| Summary: | At the time this letter was written, Oates was serving as the state prison inspector. In it he reports on conditions in the Chilton County jail, where there are twenty-five prisoners (six white men, eighteen African American men, and one African American woman). Everything is fine in the facility, except that the woman inmate seems to have tuberculosis: "Mr. Adams called on Dr. Gragg, County Health Officer, who advised him that he had the case under treatment and was making every effort possible to establish a diagnosis." Oates also reports on conditions in the county almshouse, where there are twenty-two white residents. Though the keeper is overseeing the facility with "energy and activity," there are still problems such as disrepair and overcrowding: "The crowded condition of this alms-house warrants the erection of another building for the white inmates and some provision should be made for the Negroes."
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