My great-uncle, John A. Singleton, was the captain of Camp E within the Louisiana State Penitentiary back in the 1920s and '30s.
He was killed by the infamous Charlie Frazier during a 1933 prison break. The story made front-page news across the country. My family has held up Uncle John as a hero for as long as I can remember.
While visiting his grave in Roselawn Cemetery some years ago, I noticed another headstone adjacent to his bearing the inscription “Johnnie Lucille Singleton. Born Jan 9, 1912. Died Nov 17, 1923.”
For years, I’ve searched old newspaper records trying to find out more about this little girl, only 11 years old when she died. Almost by accident, I stumbled upon an article from the April 6, 1924, New Orleans States newspaper. The subtitle of the article referred to Johnnie as the “Angel of Angola.”
Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly called Angola, would seemingly be no place for a sweet little girl. That Uncle John allowed his family to live on the grounds is surprising, considering the types of men (and women, at one time) who inhabited the 18,000-acre facility.
The reporter, Andy Ojeda, himself somewhat of a legend, captured a rare moment in time at Angola as he penned: “And today those convicts will tell you what a heavy loss they suffered in the death of little Johnnie, who was their friend and whose childish intercessions oftimes was the restraining hand that saved them from severe punishment for infractions of the rules of the farm.”
Another character in the story, J.L Tyler, an inmate, who in his previous life was a physician, cared for Johnnie.
“There is hardly a man at Angola who would not go to the limit for Captain Singleton,” Tyler commented.
The chicken-or-egg question rears its head — was the captain’s heart changed by his daughter? Or was the daughter’s affection toward the inmates a result of observing her father’s actions?
Ojeda, in his interview of Doc Tyler after Tyler’s pardon, uncovered more about Capt. Singleton and the men he oversaw.
Ojeda learned of a six-piece band in Camp E. But surely the state of Louisiana wouldn’t fund such foolishness?
The captain paid, out of his own pocket, for the instruments. He was planning to buy more instruments for the band, but his personal finances had been drained in trying to care for the final hospitalization of Johnnie Lucille.
Perhaps having his sweet little girl nearby softened the heart of the career corrections officer, and in turn, a kindness was shown to men who had strayed from the straight and narrow path.
Ojeda offered a possible clue: “Even at that tender age, little Johnnie felt and appreciated the many acts of kindness shown her by the convicts. And thereafter she was their champion and they hers. She was also their inspiration for a turn back to paths of honor.”
I doubt I’ll ever know the full story of the partnership between this remarkable man and his incredibly special daughter. But I’m proud to know that, even for just a brief moment in time, they changed the atmosphere of a terrible place.
— Singleton lives in Livingston
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May 16, 2021 at 04:00PM
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Human Condition: She was only 11 years old and known as the 'Angel of Angola' - The Advocate
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