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

1US Leg SUCe VI tne W.
Augustn Rdilroud Dtrect0rs-
Hoo the COssOicts Haze. Been
Cared For-Ihe True I1aOdTd-
ness of the Penitentiuay Investt-
CATION.
SToCKADE No. S.,
On asrEswooo 4 AUGUSTA RAILROAD.
EDGEF1ELD County, ): C., Octr -, 1871,
TO the PuRh:-So many horrible charges OF
work On the greenwood and Augusta railroad,
have lately been published In the newspapets,
that tho undersigned Board Of directors OF sala
road feel it due to the public, to themseives s tn1i
to the employees OF the road, to make the loi-
lowing plain statement Of facts
It is sadly true that during the little over TWO
years that the convicts have been at work "
our road, about half Of those we had in charge
bave died, but II is also true. that about nall o.
all their deaths occurred the five next succeed
ing months of the present year, dating from
of %convicts from the Penitentiary and we are
sorry to have to add, that we,now uelieve most
of them died of scurvy, although undoubtedIy
very many OF the dead convicts likewise nau
syphilis and other chrontc diseases.
At each Of the stockades established on our
road every reasonable effort has been made oy
the board to provide for the comfort aud healtn
ing. Every stockade has had q good spring or
we'll of pure water. A large yard has been en-
closed for exercise Of the sick commodlous
prison pens nave DeGQ e[GCLeQ, aIlOGllck oSPet.,
Ate structure for a hospital has been built, still
another cabin for commissary stores put up,
another for a guard house, yet aonther for the
superintendent besides two large tents lor oo va,
bread. peas and such other vegetables as couia
be had in the neighborhood have been the US
ual diet of the well c%onvicts, but they nave also
colIards. etc, by the barrel or wagon load, and
lemons by the box, while -four, rice, chickens,
milk and other deli 'aeies have been inrnisiea
pany and by the neighboring citizens. Many
and many q box of tobacco has been served 70
the we'll convicts and whiskey has been freely
we ascertained, on The 10th day Of August last,
that they had kcurvy, since which time they
have also been supplied literally with ripe
fruit, vegetables fresh n meats a., u.s. pure cap apple and s'n as-
tention have also been given, to the cooking
and q regular diploma lied practising phy-
slcian has been employed to attend to the SICK
tiers, night-tubs, ETC.. has been studiously 90
served. An abundance Of medicine, SHOES,
clothing, blankets, etc., have always been KEPT
on hand, except once or twice IN summer when
We have been a little short OF clothing, and
convicts has had three suits OF clothes.
The convicts may have been pressed some,
work, but ordinarily they have not Deen over
worked and have oftener worked less than ten
hours a day than they have worked the iull
ten hours. AS b Euic IucS uhSo V hoo 'SoS'
than an hour for dinner and rest In winter, and
from two to four hours In summer according TO
length OF the day. or the heat Of the weather.
The superintendent, overseers and guards nave
never abuse the ~convicts habitually or even
in particular Instances to our collective or indl-
vidual knowledge, and some one or more OF me
directors, who reside at short1nterval All along
the line Of road have almost daily and frequent
ly several times q day, either visited the STOCK
ade where the convicts were kept for the TIM
or the railroad where they were at work. NO
one but the superintendent or mead oversess
they only with a strap, and If scars are TO be
found on the heads or persons Of any Of thecon-
yicts we have had III charge los Is alleged by
some sol isa al they the H have Been inflicted by our en-
pioyees. except, perhaps. In one OF two instances
for an attempt TO revolt or escape. 1et, a.
though such has been our general treatment,
the sickness and mortality as before stated,
has been very great, especially during last
summer and spring. That scurvy was the
most fatal disease hardly admits OF dou6' ana
although we had the best medical attention IN
the neighborhood OF each stockade and al,
though numerous country physicians visited
each Of the Stockades No. 3, 4 aud B, Where
nearly all the deaLhsihave occurred, yet we were
not informed OF the presence or scurvy unu
the 18th August last, when II was discovered IN
most of the ~cOnvicts by u medical committee
consisting Of Drs. J. c. Maxwell, q. M. Burk-
halter ana =: G. Merriwether: That 1t was
scurvy which produced most Of the mortality
is proven by the fact that as soon US the prison
err were treated and dieted for scurvy, there
was almost an instantaneous change lor tne
better and only one death has occurred irom
disease ut this stockade during the last mo.th
and only two other deaths as we are informed
have happened among the twenty-five convleIs
returned by US TO the penitentiary on the Dotn
Septem, er, nearly all which twenty-five were
rapidly convniescing at the time Of their de-
parture for Columbia.
The scurvy OF course was greatly aggravated
during the past summer by the utmost univer-
sal and protracted drought In this part OF the
State. preventing us from supplying the con-
yicts with the fresh vegetableSthey wou!u navt
otherwise received. On The 9Th day OF april
last our company received seventy.fve con-
victs from the penitentiary ,Dhho.t any 1nentca'
examination by our surgeon and that many o.
those convicts as we are Informed were alllcteo
with syphilis, dropsy, general debility or otnel
constitutional diseases, which rendered them
unit for grading q railroad and made them
easy victims for the ravages Of disease. Al
though our written contract called TOT seventy,
seven under fifteen y7ars OF age and Others
having syphilis, epilepsy, etc. We 90 no'
charge that those convicts were the picked IN
salids OF the penitentiary; bat 1t Is not reason r. ~ n
selected by the overseers In the penltentlary
to be sent to US, particularly when we were &c
clad to get any, that we took all who were Of
ferred without inspection or examination
Among them were undoubtedly several who
had been returned to the penitentiary as Wo17h.
less by other lessees. II e or our employees
have been guilty Of a wanton abuse OF our rus
we have taken q strange way OF exhibiting It
The late investigation which has been had by
the peniteutiary authorities into the causes 0,
the mortality among the copvic 8 on our rond
BRADLEY and at our OVID expense. This the
Superintendent Of the Penitentiary. & n. -
Idpscomb, admits In his report to the Board o,
Directors Of the Penitentiary. givlhg an &C o
2lst of August last. In that eport, which pears
date end OF September, 1879, he says he came To
Inspect our convicts, in consequence or "haVlns
President OF g.. & A. r. r., stating that a great
deal of mortality and sickness existed among
the convicts leased TO that company
h Surgeon Of the Penitent!ary. pr: Ireze-
want. never visited our convicts until the 18th
day of August, when he was ordered TO 90 so
BY superintendent Lipscomb, yet both OF these
officers, II we are correctly informed, had been
tors Of the Penitentiary as far back as the 2nd
Of April last to visit every convict camp 10 the
state. Why did the Superintendent and Sur
geon Of the Penitentiary slumoer oyer disc n y
Ignorance o the fearful mortality among our
convicts, because regularly every month the
Superintendent Of our road, Id. Cahill, maze
o report to Gen. Lipscomb of time lost, or work
ed BY each convict as we'll as OF the list OF the
sick or dead since his last monthly report
The Superintendent and Surgeon OF the penl,
Tertiary ought to be and doubtle s are skilled
in the best methods to treat convicts ut WORK
on railroads and II either Of them had visited
our road In the spring or early summer MS
suggestions would gladly have been put into
practice. perbap, to the benefit Of the convicts,
particularly If Il had been impressed upon US
as II has been since, that all prisoners long con.
lned are predisposed to scurvy. when AZ last
Superintendent Lipscomb and Surgeon Treze-
want did make reports on our treatment OF
%conyicts, those reports contained sucn charges
that our company was summoned 10 appear
before the Board OF Directors OF the Penltentla-
nv to answer these charges.
On the 18th day Of September our Presldent,
Vice President and superintendent did appear
before that Board and made q thorough show.
ing in written answers and by numerous
certificates of gentlemen and ladies near the
tockad and line ofour railroad that the bur-
den OF the charges was without foundation.
Yet as the substance Of those charges has been
published In the newspapers, we respectfully
submit that 1t would be but fair to publish the
answer to the charges also. Let all the charges
| and all the answers therefore go TO the world
together and we DO not fear being. acquitted or
any intentional guilt or gross negligence In our
treatment Of the convicts. Fair play is O jewel
and both sides ought to be heard. AS a result
of the investigation by the Board of Directors
OF the penitentiary on the 18th Of September 1t
was agreed by and between the Penitentiary
Board and by our Board throughits President,
General Bradley, that DR.. Pope, hospital stew
ard of the penitentiary, and DR.. T. j. McKio,
who had been the surgeon in charge Of railroad
Stockade No. 4, should make a thorough exam
~ination Of oil the c~onvicts on our road, both
sick and well and order such Of them back to
Columbia as they deemed advisable, because of
treatment in the permanent hospital IN the
a., ~ - o,r fapnp ornr nv hocpifol on the rOnd