Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-02-20
:, FEBRUARY 90, 1868.

FEBRU AIRY 30,
gagging, tying by the thumbs, and what is callet
the s'Blind March" The latter is peculiar to thi
institution. A dozen or more convicts who have
infinged the rules, rearrangedin single file, blinc
folded, and, with their hands upon each otherE
shoulders, compelled to follow their leader at O
rapid pace over such broken and uneven surfaces
as are calculated to put them in constant fears Of
terrors yet to come. The result is that when one
man tumbles down, the rest follow like pile Of
bricks, while the crushing of corns, tho barking Of
shins, and the abrasion of the historic heel is well
calculated to cause abdominal curses, not loud but
deep. The spectacle is amusing to the observer,
but no fun to the culprits; and it has been found
to be an innocent and effectual mode of checking
much disobedience u. 49, -.. go
The costume of the prisoners consists Of q jacket
and trowsers of heavy woollen MATERIAL with late
ral broad black stripes, and shirt Of coarse cot
ton, on the back Of which are printed the words
South Carolina Penitentiary," and the number Of
the convict. &c.,. '..s....5 ...-.-
On entering the institution, the clothing of the
convict is taken from him, washed, numbered and
laid away, to be returned to him at the expiration
of his Imprisonment. He is then, himself, put
through q scrubbing process, and donned in the
prison garb his hair is cropped his cell is assign
ed and according to his ability or strength he is
appointed to hisproper department of labor. Some
are sent to the quarry, which is two miles distant
up the canal. These are generally the most frac.
tious; and with ball and chain, under guard, they
perform the work of blasting and getting out the
heavy masses of rock, transferring them to the
canal boats and shipping them to the foot Of the
inclined plane already described, where the cars,
with their ponderous contents, are caught up and
carried under the shed where the leveing, chip.
ping and dressing is done. Others of the convicts
are engaged in shoemaking; clothing is also made
in the establishment, and arrangements will prob
ably be made before long, by which the fabrics
worn by the convicts will be woven in the institu
ton. ...;' -r... f. s.
The food consists of bacon, soup, molasses and
corn and wheaton bread bread which is equal in
all respects to that which is supplied in the best
hotels of the country, the bakery being under the
supervision ola competent baker, who is specially
employed for the purpose. Coffee is part of the
diet of thoss-who suffer from debility or disease
Proper medical attendance is furnished to the
convicts but thus far the generalheath ofthe pen.
itentiary has been good. Only seven deaths have
occurred although many of the eonvicts when re-
ceived have been so sick and emaciated that they
were fit subjects for hospital At present the con-
victs are as burly looking body of men as can be
selected. - .r .:......-. ....... .......
.. ...s........ DAILY LABOR. .-.... ....
The work of improvement is continually going
on and, as far as possible the convcts are requir
ed to build their own nest, without outside assist
ance. Much of the iron work is done by convicts.
Nearly all of the stone cutting the care Of large
garden, the charge of large number Of pigs and
hogs, which are destined soon to become pork, and
the general police of the enclosure-al this devol
yes upon the convicts, and the task is well and
faithfully done, There is no department which is
not hn,,r1 urdar tho nf MainnI Ian--rha-nena-
bines, with his skill as an engineer, an unusual o.
mount of administrative ability. .....
As soon as practicable, it is proposed to introduce
mechanical power of various kinds, to which the
adjacent water power will be applied; and it is un-
derstood that the machinery now in the State works
at Greenvile will be removed to the penitentiary
for the purpose. The institution will then be in
condition to turn out implements of labor, in wood
and iron, and such other work as can be put upon
the market for SALE It will thus soon become a
seEsupporting concern. ID.
THE RESULT IN DOLLARS.
Already, expenses, by reason of convict labor,
have been materially reduced. This labor is daily
becoming more valuable Many Of the stone-cut-
ters are now worth s21 per day, while the average
value is one dollar per day. The cost Of maintain
ing these prisoners is only about fortyeght cents
day, of which fifteen cents covers the cost Of sub
sistence
The total outlay thus far for materials, building
apparatus, temporary structure, &C., has been
$7O,9Ol 10, but the cost to the State sabout $780,,
900, so that it may be safely estimated that be-
tween $1,000 and $4,000 has been absorbed by dis
count on the State bills, in which most Of the pay
ments were necessarily made
From November II, 1866, to December 81, 1867,
the cost of provisions was a. 9l9.SO, and of cloth
ing, shoes and bedding $3,976.74.
On July l, 1868, the convict labor will entirely
supersede hired labor, and, with the Improvements
contemplated by Major Lee, the institution will
soon become source of income to the State.
CONCLUSION.
During the year 1867 there were in confinement
two hundred and twenty-three prisoners, of whom
eighteen were pardoned by the Governor, five were
discharged at the expiration of their sentences, six
died and three escaped On January 18th, 1868,
there remained one hundred and eighty-seven pris-
oners, of whom twenty-nine are whites and one
hundred and fifty-eight are blacks
With such an array of facts concerning this insti-
tuition as we have presented, there can be no ques
ton thatit is likely to become the most important of
the kind in the Southern country. 1st. Its gene
raj plan, arrangement and management are based
upon the best models which the country affords
2. Its location upon the banks of a stream whose
water power is almost unlimited, affords advanta-
ges for manufacturing purposes certainly not sur
passed by those of any similar institution, and,
therefore the State is likely to derive benefit from
this hitherto new and untried system Of punish
ment, in the double sense that it will not only be
selfsupporting but will supply want that has
been experienced ever since the change from the
former condition of affairs.
What may be the effect of this enterprise, al
though penal in its Objects upon the prosperity of
Columbia is yet to be determined. Possibly the
development of the remarkable water-power Of the
Congaree River and the adjacent canal, in its ap-
plication to the manufacturing purposes of the
xl,k IL