The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-16
THE G.. & A. RAILROAD CONYICTS.
the Oversecr, Intcrvicwcd-IIc denies
that they have been Iistrcatod.
4AbJcriue Press and Banner.

John Rich, overseer of all the convicts q
work on the Greenwood and August.
Railroad. Mr.. Rich has been in the EN-
ploy of the road ever since the com
mencement of the work, and for sixteel
months has held the position which b,
now holds. He is therefore perfectly
conversant with all the facts in reference
to the treatment of the convicts. Aftel
some preliminary remarks, we asked
him to make statement concerning tht
convicts now at work on the Greenwood
and Augusta Railroad, to which he re-
piled:
"Well; do not know what informa
tion you desire. l will answer and ques
tion you may ask"
Question: presume, Mr.. Rich, tha
you have seen the comments of the news
papers in reference to the treatment o
the convicts now at work on the Green.
wood and Augusta Railroad.
Answer-Yes have seen what the
Ne,os and Courier and the Register have
said, and I pronounce their statements in
the main untrue.
@. In what particular are they incor.
rect?
A. I refer particularly to the incorrect.
ness of the report in connection with the
statement that some twenty-five or thir-
ty PRISONS were returned to the peniten-
tiary last week. None Of them were
blind or speechless when they left camp,
but three of them were in a prostrate
condition from general debility. The
authoritirs of the road objected to the
sending of these three back to the peni-
tentiary from the fact that they thought
they were unable to make the trip.
@. When did you receive the last lot
of prisoners?
A. About the first of last April.
@. What was their condition?
A. Bad indeed. Many of them were
broken down, diseased and totally unfit
for service. Out of the seventy-fve
hands received at that time there were
not more than twenty-five good hands.
Others did some work, while very con-
siderable number did not work at all.
Among this lot who did US no good was
McGarvey. We didn't want him back.
The Board of Directors had done all they
could to get him pardoned. He never
worked, and finally died of grief.
O. About how many did no work?
A. Twelve or fifteen of the last lot did
no service at all. They never pretended
to work, and about twenty-five others
have never earned their food.
@. Who excused these men from SER
vice; you, or the physician?
A. l did it myself. 1t was plain that
many of them were unable to work. 1t
wasn't in them.
@. Did the convicts have sufficient
medical treatment, and proper nursing
when sick?
A. Yes; DR.. Thos. J. Maclee, one Of
the best physicians of Edge6eld County,
an old army surgeon in the Confederate
service, visited the stockade during
April, May and June. Since then the
stockade was moved. DR.. Merriwether,
an excellent physician, now has charge
of the sick. He visits them twice day.
The sick are waited OH by the GONZALES
cent convicts. We have plenty Of medi-
cines. They are administered by white
man, whose duty it is to give general
supervision to the sick.
@. With what diseases are the conYicts
more generally effected?
A. Except the chronic cases, there were
more cases of diarrhea and scurvy than
anything else. There were few cases
of fever. The scurvy was produced dur
ing the extreme dry weather, when it
was impossible to secure vegetables. We
we're compelled to feed principally on
dry peas, bacon, bread and molasses.
@. Is it true that one hundred and
| twenty-five out of two hundred have
died?
A.. No, sir. I can not, however, from
memory give the exact mortality. 1t
was very great, though.
! @. How do you account for that great
mortality?
A. In consequence of so many diseased
hands having been sent to us from the
penitentiary instead Of healthy and able
bodied men. Some of the best workers
now on the road are of the first lot, who
were strong and healthy when they came
| to us, and have done work continuously
from that time to the present.
Q. Why did you not at once return the
| diseased hands to the penitentiary?
A. Because the State authorities had
| notified US that they would not receive
them back or exchange them?
@. 1t seems, however, Mr.. Rich, that
you have just sent back a number. How
| is this?
A. 1t is true that we have just sent
back lot of our sick. The State author
tiles made special order in this instance,
which order had long been desired by
| the Railroad authorities.
@. What is the present physical condi-
ton of the convicts?
A. Very good We have now only
about fifty, all of whom are doing work
on the road, with few exceptions. Three
or four are doing duty in camp, cooking,
| cleaning up, &c. We have no sick now.
| Two in the yard are complaining, but
they are about able for duty.
Q. Have the State authorities visited
the stockade, and if 50, how often?
A. They have been there four times.
Colonel Parmele was there in August,
1873; Col. T. J. Lipscomb in August,
1879; DIR. Trezevant came few days
later. lie came, it is said, at the sugges-
ton of Colonel Lipscomb. DR.. Pope
came in September last. These are the
only visits which we have received from
any State officials since we commenced
work. Colonel Parmelc expressed him
self as we'll satisfied. He gave US great
praise for cleanliness, prison manage
ment, and the condition of the hands, al
though the mortality was nearly as
great at that time as it has been at any
time since. The other visitors made no
expression in my hearing.
Q. How are the prisoners confined at
night?
A. They are kept by shackle chains at
tached to a long chain running the whole
length of the stockade. They sleep on q
plantform covered with straw, and have
blankets. The sores of which the news
papers are making SO much complaint