Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1875-09-23
For the Advertiser.
,t'ha N?d1af;atd .yojl-

At the requestot Coroner I. P. Carroll,
acting Sheriff, a Committee of citizens,
insisting of McssrS. NJ. Lebeschultz
+. A. Sandland, d. r. Durisoe. L. Keese,
Jesse Jones and Richard Lundy, and
with Z. Reese as Chairman, inspected
the County Jail to-day.
The Committee found the Jail in de-
lapidated condition. In the second story
of the building, there are five prison
rooms, of which, only two can be used
at all and both of these are insecure,
needing repairs about the door frames.
The doors to two Of the other rooms are
without locks. The fifth room in this
s,ory is used as place of deposit for
the State guns. The door to this armory
seems to be securely locked, and the
Committee was informed by the Sheriff
that the key had been taken to Colum bia
by Col. L. w. Parmele. Two of the
window frames in the second story are
loose from decay, and ought to be repair
OIL at once.
Ii the third story, there are four cells,
and only one of them is tit for use-the
lock to this, however, does not work
well, requiring too much time TO unlock.
The door hinges to one of the cells were
not fastened with screws, as in the case
of the other rooms, and the butt of one
OF those heavy hinges has been forced
out OF its place and used by prisoners
fer tearing away the thick ceiling beneath
a window, so that they might get at the
bricks, and thus easily pick hole III the
wall OF the jail and make their escape.
The remaining hinge may be used in
like manner. Let these hinges be secur
ed by taps and screws. Nearly every
blind To the Jail windows is outot repair.
AS the day has been rainy, the Commit
tee saw that the Jail leaks badly i'll one
place. Only one door to the lower story
eau lock. Even the Iron Gate in front
OF the Jail is insecure-several of The
upright bars being loose aud easily ta-
ken out of their places. One of the
abutments in the brick wall inArear Of
that escaping prisoners may use the same
as ladder. Just as this point the bro
ken bottles have been removed from the
i.,p OF the wall Those holes should be
filled with brick and the broken bottles
silot;'.l ,c replaced.
On Thursday last, about sun set, Ras
Mtand Lang Goodwin, both accused
OF nur2er. escaped through an opening
in the brick wall Of the Jail under
window in the third story. The COM
mittee is unanimously OF the opinion
that if the County Commissioners had
Kept the Jail in repair that those pris-
omcrs would have made their escape.
On Wednesday last, Benz. Snipes es-
capped from prison by being allowed en-
tirely too much liberty by Albert Jack
son, the iailer. In extenuation of Jack
sons fault, however, it is alleged by the
Sheriff that DR.. w. D. Jennings recon-.
mended that Snipes should be allowed
t. take exercise on account Of his health,
which is very precarious. Snipes had
been sentenced to nine months impris-
onment for assault and battery, and sew
cn mon hs of his term had already been
spent i'll prison.
In conclusion, the committee holds
t!,at tits the bounden duty of the County
Commissioners to repair the Jail without
delay, furnish the Sheriff with guard ; or
romove the prisoners to some secure
Prison.
z IlEESE, Chairman,
Edgefeld, s. C. Sept. is, 1875.