The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-02-02
THE STATE PENITENTIARY.
SI1RTLTNG DISCLOS UItII,S
or PAST FRAUDS,

Il ~ ~ - 4 1t-4 - 1<tO$
Report Of the Investigating Committee
--How Public Funds were Suuander-
ed--A Precious Butch Of RaSculs.
From The Ne,rs a,ul CJuricr.
The report Of the Commission to
examine into tho condition and man.
agoment Of the charitable and ponal
institutions Of the State, so far rs it.
refers to the penitentiary, is rich in
evidence that, from the end of the
administration of the first suporin-
tendcnt, Mr. Thomas Leo, to the
beginning Of the term of the prcs-
ont superintendent, Colonel Par
mole, those in charge Of the institu-
ton, rs suporintenlents and direc..
tors, amply deserved incarceration
within its wallis. During the whole
of the period referred to, which in
cludes the administration Of Stol-
brand and Dennis, as supcrintend-
ents, tho Commission is unable to
find u single account or bill rom
dored, or voucher of any kind for
the disbursement Of the immonse
sums OF public money which wore
spcnt Oil account Of tho pcnitcn
tlsry and for II great part of that
. period there wcro no books or other
, permanent records Of the institu-
ton.
The report gives, in detail, d
number Of
| QUESTIONABLE TRANSACTIONS
during the term of General Stol-
brand, which may be summarized as
follows: lst.. In 1872 General
Stolbrand borrowed from Gov. r.
K. scott for tao uso Of Of the peni-
tentiary 5000, for which no hy-
pothecatod $4,000 in treasury
warrants, allowing Il discount on tho
loan of $1O5 with an express under
standing that tho loan was not to be
enforced until the institution was
i'll funds. Scott, however, sold half
tho warrants ut thoir taco value, to
the treasurer of II lland county,
paid over $4,000 to Mr.. Hardy Solos
mon to the credit Of tho pcniten-
tiary, and retained tho remainder us
So much clear profit. The Commits
sion recommend that Governor
Scott DO made to disgorgc. I'd. In
1871 General Stolbranu bought
from Mr. Hardy Solomon n batch of
worthless machinery at cost of
-, ,9O3.35. which he charged to the
penitentiary at $G,48O. The ma
chincry was mover used 3d. From
the books Of Mr.. Hardy Solomon it
appears that the total charges made
by him against the penitontiary
during Gen. Stolbrand's administra-
ton were &42, ,049.55, while Oh the
books Of tho penitentiary the insti-
tuition is charged, and General
Stolbrand credited on Hardy Solo
mons account, with $75,17075 4th.
Genoral Stolbrand deposited with
Hardy Solomon both his personal
funds and those of the institution
over which he presided, alike to
his personal account, and on Solo
mons books thero arc numerous
entries to the credit Of
"JoINT pRoEITs,"
which Solomon explains as q COM
mission to Stolbrand for the use Of
the funds
Having thus shown up the dough-
ty Stolbrand, the Commission next
pay their attention to the noble
Dennis, and begin with tho astound-
ing assertion that they find his
administration ''marled by frauds
and Irregularities not surpassed in
any othor department. of tho public
service" This seemingly bold
declaration is fully snbstantiatod By
the details which aro given. Th1co
precious camps, Noaglc, Nash
and Haync, wero the directors with
whom Dennis had to deal, and this
worthy qual tette soon proved them-.
selvos superior in fraud to any Of
tho Villains whom they had in their
care. They signalized their entry
into office by q scheme for swind-
ling the State by furnishing bricks
worth So q thousand and charging
$50 thousand for thom. But this,
being rather slow, was improved Oh
by supplying only small quantity
| Of briclzs an1 obortrinor for than, tu,I>