The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-11-12

that we have no serious sickness among
our ~convicts and that they are all working
splendidly except four or five feeble, ones un.
. Se e,15 Ss1 IL left n,' U.s. ;vd 1t s st tb's hard tn1dt1 that xn we
grading Is nearly completed and when our
taxes have just begun TO be collected
in every township along the line from Green
II the road is to be suspended as will be the
case temporarily at least If ell the ~convicts are
to be taken away except eight, for 1t is mockery
to offer to leave US only eight with which TO
moraitzed In all probability and thereby great
~ embarrass us, but doubtless the three city
experts from the capital and their al:
and our railroad taxes, too. If possible. Yet
or no convicts our road shall not prove
O failure and our stockholders and friends may
rest O. >Sured of this.
IF we or our agents nave abused our trust In
the convicts. the Slate has our
heavy and valid bond upon which to sue for
damages. Besides, she has he law and can In
dict and punish us. We have her consent TO
use the convicts by act of the Legislature and
we also have her contract in writing. through
her officer and agent to the same effect and we
intend TO stand upon our legal rights, until
either the legislature repeats the act granting
as the labor or until the courts shall order us to
the convicts.
cause a medical committee. consisting ofthree
and skillful physicians Of Edge
field. to wit: Hon. H.. A. shaw, now O member
of the legislature, E. M. Burkhalter and q. ..
Merriwether, have this day reported after care
full Investigation, that the health OF al our ,np, con on
whole of them are capable OF performing the
ordinary labor required OF the ordinary LABOR
er,-except six who are resting IN the yard
not one in the hospiAi and only one death du-
ring the last month, from heart disease, OF q
convict formerly injured On the Edgefeld and
Trenton railroad, whence he was returned TO
the penitentiary as worthless, bu' was deemed
-z,-L 80 hn unnf IN Eh1F road wv fa4l
confident that the narrowing experience we
have acquired will prevent us ever having any
more scurvy among our conyicts.
been preferred against either us or our agents In
the public prints, we say boldly once ano
for all, that we invite impartial investiga
tlon by the courts or by o committee OF the
legislature. Our self.respect as men, to say no.
thing OF our pride of character IS citizens,
would nave prevented us from intentionally
wronging or permitting the convicts TO be
wronged. Moreover, we nave had ana Sill nave
In treating the convicts we'll, so as TO get our
road completed. For these reasons q just OF
generous man would think the terrible sickness
d stressed our feelings and embarrassed our en-.
tcrprise without also making us the recipients
of Wholesale and undeserved abuse.
More convicts died In the penitentlary last
railroad, and about as many died In the peni.
Tertiary last year Rs have died on our road. we
have also been reliably informed that the gen.
eral symptoms Of the disease which has proven
so fatal to the conyicts on both the railroad and
have been identically the ~same-general
debility ,eruptions and dropsies OF the lower ex.
tremities, alternating with chronic diarrhua
which are attendant symptoms Of .scurvy, &C
cording to all the medical books.
Now. as the health OF the onv:ct In the pen
itentiary this year has been exceptionally good
and as the. health 9f our eonyicts mas peer
enty.five we received without medical eSamt'
nation in April last, the public can draw is own
Inference as to how the mortality ceased sc
suddenly in the penitentiary and why 1t broke
out, so alarmingly on our road Immediately al.
When so many ~'convlcts died in the peniten.
tiar., last year, no clamor was raised In any
quarter concerning 1t, but when only about the
and died too Of diseases contracted in all prob
ability to a large extent in the penitentiary, or
in the Jatls before being sent to us, q great hue
and cry is heard alkoyer the land.
from tile penitentiary on the 9th ofSeptember
1877. and as our own surgeons examined eacl
one before receiving him, they were FOR the
most part g very healthy lot Of laborers, among
counting several who were killed for trying tc
escape during the first eight months that We
had them. say up to May, 1878.
But after we obtained q second lot or I!
|G0nVlCLS oil Tx GlQ Vi pluJt 1910 ilO Nt
and mortality among them soon develo, ped at y
fearful rate and when we got still a third batrl
of forty more, December the 9th, 1878. the NOR
tality again swelled to an undue proportion
However, 1t is but the simple truth that when
we received the second and third patches o.
c~onyicts above mentioned, Mr.. Parnlele, tht
then superintendent OF the penitenuary, siren
uously objected TO our taking them, because al
he said most OF them were badly discussed anC
would die on our hands. We unfortunately
failed TO heed his counsel IN our eagerness u
get labor of any sort. They have died as he pre-
aicted they would In great numbers, but th'
last lot of seventy-fve received from Superin
tendent Lipscoinb OH the eth of April, 1879, bav'
died ut q far more appalling rate. conslderinf
the time we have had them, than any or tn
In August, 1878, Superintendent Parmele Wis
tied our Slockade No. 8 at O time when Their
was nearly as much sickness ana as man.
deaths among the convIcts as there were u
Stockade No. 8 In August 1871, when Superin
perintendent Parmele highly praised the gen
eral plan of our stockade as we'll as OF our man
agement of the prisoners, both SICK wei
SAYING we were d ing a better part oy the con
yicts In our temporary country quarters thai
he could do for them in the permanent quar-
ters OF the penitentiary. Although our stock
| AIDE No. s in It's appointments and discipline /
almost a duplicate anso OF St0SEad ae s Snne Wn ntsnS saae
Parmele in 1878. yet Superint ndent Lipscom|
was not satisfied with anything he saw u
Stockade No 5 IL 1879.
In submitting this statement Of facts TO tn
public, we claim that If mistakes have beef
made they were unintent onal.
2. That convicts have alw8ys been well fed
and generally well clothed.
3. That the secretary's minutes show that Tn,
directors have Issued every order and used al
due vigilance TO prevent cruelty, hardship o
inhuInanlty.
1. That the mortality vas due largely to pre-
vlous condition Of convictt, and TO disease be
,,n-, tI,n pnln IF nQAinIna
That the convicts have been attended b.
physicians who are the peers or any In tn
6. THAT the hospital treatment was as good a
could be given to manacled p Iisoners,. an
equal to that received by the ordinary Lahore
OF the country.
AS a large number Of newspapers found spac
to publish severe attacks on our management
Of convicts, we hope their sense Of justice will
induce them to publish this response.
p. II. BRADLEY, President,
CD. TILLMAN. Vce-PresiG't,
A. NJ. AIKEN, Secretary,
K. w. LITEs,
w. X. BRADLEY,
A. b. KENNEDY,
r. H. MIDDLETON,
JESSE STONE,
w. l.. PARKS,
JOS. MERRIWETHER,
E. NJ. BURKHALTEK,
G. w. NIXON,
J. D. NEEL,
J. &. MAXWELL,
B. REYNOLDS, Jk.,
J. N. DENDY,
S. B. HODGES,
J. IT. PARKS,
J. L. PRESLEY,
r. Finley.