Famous Makeover
Forrest Turner was probably the most
famous escape artist we ever had in Georgia. He escaped
from prison thirteen times . He was rough and tough and
considered dangerous when he was on the loose.
At the time he was in prison Georgia was featured in Time,
Life and Newsweek magazines as being inhumane in its
treatment of prisoners. It was reported that they were
beaten with rubber hoses, were chained, were put in cages,
wore stripes, and were improperly fed.
Mr. McCullough, who lived with his family in Fayetteville,
had been a prison guard where Forrest Turner was a
prisoner. Turner told Mr. McCullough that when he escaped
he would come after him. I knew members of the McCullough
family and they always lived in fear when Turner was on the
loose.
My friend Eugene Hewell told me about an episode his family
had with Forrest Turner. He was a baby at the time but
could remember part of the encounter. His father was head
of Farmers and Merchants Bank when Turner and an associate
robbed the bank and took Eugene’s family hostage in their
home. Fortunately Forrest Turner was captured with no harm
to any of the family members.
Former Governor Ellis Arnall told a story about when Turner
had escaped at a time the Governor was scheduled to go out
of the state. He received a phone call from Turner the
night before saying that if he left town he was going to
kidnap his children. A police guard was stationed at the
governor’s home and they caught Turner.
When Governor Arnall came back, he went down to see Turner
where he was in solitary confinement. Governor Arnall told
him that he was either going to kill him or he would have
to reform and become a decent citizen. Governor Arnall said
he meant what he had said because Turner had threatened to
kidnap his children.
From that day on, he reformed. He never escaped again and
became a good prisoner. Later he became a very successful
businessman. He lived in Decatur and made dentures for
dentists. He did a lot of good, going all over the United
States speaking about life in prison and the opportunities
you had when you got out if you were a model
prisoner.