Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-08-22
THE ALBANY PENITENTIARY.

other cases reported on Dy Whltley Will douot'
less soon receive Executive consideration"
THE ALBANY PENITENTIARY.
A reporter of the New York World has re-
Gently visited the Albany penitentiary, where
the prisoners from South Carolina, who were
convicted of violations of the enforcement
act are confined, and describes at length the
conversations he had with several of the pris-
oners, among them Mr.. Samuel G. Brown, of
York county. The conversation is thus re-
ported:
Samuel G.. Brown, of York county, S. c.,
was one of the prisoners interviewed, and to
him I said:
"Tell me your case, how you came to be
here, and what you have to complain Of"
"The greatest hardship of which I COM
plain is being arrested for being ku-klux
when never belonged to the Order at all.
My family are left in very destitute condi-
ton"
"What family have your"
81 have wife and three daughters and two
sons. My wife and daughters have no one to
look after them; and there is my stock and
farm all left to ruin without attendance"
"When were you arrested p
II was arrested on the 10Th of October,
1871, and by the advice of my counsel
pleaded guilty, which was very foolish
thing to do, although a gentleman here yester:
day-Colonel Whitley-told me that he did
not believe me when I said was innocent /;
yet such is the fact. 1t was on the 26th of
December, 1871, that my counsel pleaded
guilty for me, and I am sentenced to five
years"
did you have no connection with the
klan?"
"I knew of the Order, and I attended one
meeting of the klan, and that was the hold
they had on me, and that was the reason
plead guilty"
"For what purpose did you attend that
meeting; did you intend to join the klan ?"
"No, not at all. had a double purpose in
going there. wanted to save the life of a
young man who had in drunken frolic let
out some of the secrets Of the Order, and also
to induce my son to resign his position as
chief of the klan."
"Did you succeed?"
'I did in both objects. My son resigned,
and saved the young mans life." ,
"That was all the connection you had with
the klan."
"That was all. I never belonged to it i;
never approved Of it. had two sonsA both
members Of it, but never was"
"Were your sons arrested?'
"No; they got off; theyleft the State
~Where are they how?'>
+ ri don't know where they are now. I
think they have left the United States. Since
I have been imprisoned my family have writ
ten to me that they had heard from them on
the 12th> of May last, but they did not say
where they were."
THE PRISON.
The correspondent furnishes the following
description of the penitentiary, which he says
appears to be well-arranged and excellent
institution of its kind, and the prisoners from
South Carolina appear to be treated as we'll
as is to be expected, "excepting, of course,
that by being confined in penitentiary, they
are made to endure Imprisonment with hard
labor instead Of imprisonment alone, which is
the limit of the punishment prescribed by the
act"
There are four1arge shops, in which shoe
making in all its branches is carried on; and
this is the only manufacture, except that the
women and very old men are employed in
making camel -bottomed chairs. There are at
present six hundred and twenty-five prisoners,
of whom ninety are women. The institution
belongs to the county, but they receive State
prisoners from certain counties of the State
when the sentence is five years or over-as a
prisoner sentenced for so. long term is a
source of profit to the institution, his labor
being more than an equivalent for his board.
! 1t also receives United States prisoners from
Washington, Virginia and West Virginia,
North and South Carolina and Alabama.
The prison costs nothing either to county or
State, being entirely selfsupporting, with a
surplus to spare at the end of each year. 1t
is conducted on the silent system altogether,
the prisoners not being allowed to converse
either while at work or in their cells. There
is fine school-room attached to the building,
where all who wish can 60 for two evenings
out of the week, the only requisite for admis-
, sion being the good conduct of the applicant.
EThere are at present sixty-fve regular atten-
\ dants at the School, of all ages up to sixty
years. The aim is to take the most ignorant
and teach them to read, write and cipher, so
that on leaving the institution they may be
able to get a living honestly. They are al
lowed to write letters to friends every four
weeks and to receive all letters which may be
sent to them. These are distributed every
Sabbath morning, and every four weeks their
friends may see them if they so desire. Their
friends are allowed to send them any little
delicacies they may wish to, and great many
do send to them canned fruits or other fruit
in their season, &s. s.E Once in year they get
a roast turkey dinn8, and on the fourth OF
July and on thanksgiving day grand blow
out is given them. Coffee every morning,
with bread and mush, comprises their break
fast. For dinner, three days in the week
they have fresh meat, soup and vegetables
with bread. One day in the week pork and
beans, and two days salt beef and vegetables
On Saturdays they luxuriate on fish chowder
the component parts of which are, for the
present crowd, fifty pounds of fish, one hun
dred and fifty pounds ofpork and three bar
rels of potatoes peeled and sliced. Food to-
the mind is provided as we'll as for the body
and from large and we'll stocked library tht
prisoners are allowed to draw book each
Sunday, returning and exchanging it on tn,
next Sabbath. The only newspaper allowed
to be seen by the convicts is the New Yorl
: Ledger, as there is never any news in it, ant
the stories are considered harmless. In charg
of the library and of the hospital is Majo
l. Hodge, one of Grants defaulting pay-masters