Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-01-29
The Penftcnttary svytndie.

We do not IllQh lttdG any GIG VIII A'l0 H'N"
official connection with this dirty transac'
ton, from the Governor, who signed the
bonds, to Col. Heck and Mr.. Pruyn, WHO
received them, can wash their hands OF the
pollution. A more shamefaced, dlsreputa-
BILE svipdle was never perpetrated.
A Committee of the State Senate, com
nrised of Senators LOVE, Democrat, and
WE1KER and BURNS, Radicals, appointed
to investigate this transaction, have visited
the proposed site for the PeniteDtlary anu
the adjacent part Of eight thousand acres
and their report has been submitted TO the
Senate. 1t appears from this report that
the T,eoislatiye committee to locate Pen
itentiary, purchased site IN the vicinity
of Lockwood, on Deep River, OF twenty
five acres. They also purchased t,c0 other
tracts of land, one containing nearly seven
thousand acres, and the other one about
thousand acres, separated screrN mtles tF0"'
each Other, and the nearest point OF either Is
distant at least ten miles frOm the site =
There is nothing to recommend 'the site
except its fine water-poWer. There are
uldtcIleIo IVA DA>0 "ON'Ni>N
upon any part of the purchase except an
iron mine, not open to any extent. and Its
value entirely unknown. 4 famous min
eral spring was found upon the purchase,
where convalescent cOnYictS might pleas
antly spend the GO heated term y should the
State make suitable preparations for their
comfortable entertainment. The Commit
tee could discover no evidence OF
quarry of granite CT material OF any sort
suitable to erect the necessary buildings.
OF the eight thousand acres, SIX thou
sand six hundred and fifty are what may
be styled pine barren. This land has 10
marketable value. The timber upon this
tract is almost all worn out turpentine TIM
Der. Tho ton timber has all been eXhaus-
ted. 1t is so remote from market, being
from three to ten miles from the river, that
it will not pay to convert it into lumber.
est would probably not sell for ten cents
per acre" 1--WE quote from the report, "and
so worthless was it in the Judgment OF its
former owner that he was about to parcel
out in small tracts and convey it Us gift
very small tax there was On If, when it was
sold to J. n. Heck, Esq, by being at
tached to other tracts for sixty cents per
acre. No one of the committee who made
the purchase for the State were ever nn
this tract Of six thousand six hundred and
fifty acres Of land for which they paid
S83, 125."
Another thousand oi this eight thousand
acres, separated Serer0! miles from the tract
just mentioned, has on it q mill seat Oh q
small stream, with water sufficient to run
grist mill part Of the gear. \ smal! part Of
this tract has some value as farming land.
This land was sold Il few days before the
sale to the State for s., 600 The State
paid SO, 500 for it. The remaining three
hundred and sixty acres alone, OF all the
eight thousand, reaches to the river, and
this only to the extent Of one hundred and
fifty yards.
There are valuable mines and quarries
ADORE and Jel0,p these purchases, but to
convey them to the proposed site, the dams
and locks on the river will have to be re-
paired by the State or wait their repair by
the Deep River Manufacturing Company.
It will cost the State many thousands Of
dollars to get a,p to the coal and sand stone,
and d0lcn to the iron ore and granite
Now, to show collision between the par
ties, in which the immaculate Superin-
tendent Of Public Works cuts a conspicuous
figure. Dr. Mckay sold to Col. Heck, &C.
cording to Col. HIS own confession, for
the Deep River Mining Company, 1850
acres of land for Sc, 600. This land is sold
by Heck to ono E. J. Pruyn for $56, 900,
and Pruyn sells to Superintendent of
Public Works Harris, and the Legislative
Committee, for 100000. No deeds passed
until all tie bGtLeS lad been c0nSun7n2a!9d.
Pruyn, on the 9th of November, takes
bond from Heck to make title. About the
9th of November Heck gets deed from
DR.. Mckay, who was glad enough to sell
his worthless land at IS cents an acre. On
the Sd of October Pruyn sells to Harris
and the Committee, for the State, at
1OO,OOO-$12 80 per acre. On the 10th
OF November, Harris gires Pruun an order
S'S "So L'ot q JOf t,UUp tEtU fICCh an
order for S56, OO0
It seems that DR.. Love, OF the Commit
tee, proposed to Pruyn and Heck that il
they would cancel tho trade, the Committee
would not even SO to look at the pur-
chase. This YVES repeatedly refused. AS
late as the 18th of January the proposition
to rescind the land trade was declined.
1t is rumored that there has been much
false swearing before this committee, and
that resolutions would soon be offered in |
the Legislature expressing want OF con-
hdence in the superintendent of Public
Works, and asking him to resign. Much
excitement seems to exist in Raleigh in |
regard to the disclosures of the report.
On the morning after the report was read,
DR.. LOVE and Mr.. WELKER, Of the COM
tee, were found in ugly caricature on one of
the mantles of the Senate Chamber.
Such is brief history Of this disgrace
fnl affair. The facts show how much col