The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-11-26

would require O tough constitution, I should
summer with long hours or work. The
weather ut tho time of my visit warm for
November, but very much cooler, OF course,
than in June, July. August or September,
and the men at hut hour In the afternoon
showed no signs whatever Of exhaustion
from the days work. / attempted to'ap-
.prOach the guard, but he warned me first not
10 cross the line OF railroad, and then not to
come near him. being very civil withal. A
few yards further down. the other ~convicts
were at work, being differently divided One
portion was Storytelling dirt into barrows, and
the other wheeling 1t To the head Of the en-
bankment II turning 1t out as directed by
n convict. A guard also stood over these. I
was out of his sight, but within the view of
the barrowmen. each OF whom us he came
out called to me In Il low tone and petitiOncd
for chewing tobacco. crhis gave me Il home
like feeling, and made Inc imagine myself
for the moment ut the corner of Broad and
Meeting Streets In Charlcston.) Some of the
mcn mt work talked among themselves for
some time. and quito an animated converse
ton seemed to be springing up until the
guarn called oHt: stop that chatting there!'
Then n silence cnsued, broker only by the
humping and shovelling. the climbing OF the
shackles. which all wore, and the %grunting OF
one or two pickmen, who signallcd each
stroke by that vocal exercise. One convict
once or twice suggested. with n touch Of the
hat, thai 1t was time to knock off, which
proposition was ignored by the guard. l had
met ..
CAPT. AH1LL
on the road near the work. He was direct.
ing two con icts In the arrangement OF sOme
being in much awe of him. 1 saw no strap
about anywhere. a mile or SO nearer Au'
gusta found Mr.. r. II. Middleton, q director
OF the road, with whom 1 talked ut consider.
.II@ I-n,tI. 80, AI1 N,yytn
though a strong friend and director OF. the
road, he Is u man OH whose veracity I would
be willing to stake my life, and all who know
him coincide in this opinion. The only
thing / can imagine that would weaker his
testimony Is hat he bears humanity and
Kindness written upon him so plainly that
no one but q blind MAJ would dare to prac
tlce cruelty on any living thing in his pres
ence, where he had power TO prevent or pun
ish. Hc stated that he
HAD SEEN TWO coNvIcrs SHOT
by the guards. One had run of, was swim
ming the Savannah River, and gave no heed
to the repeated commands to halt. Another
ran when q number of ladies were present
broke through them and made tor the woods
He had gone Il half mile when shot. Both o
these men were shackled, but they slipped
the shackles up on their legs so as to inter
fcre with them very slightly. He knew thai
before the man was shot In the chain Capt
Cahill had information that an organization
was beingtformed among the remnants OF the
famous Ned Tenant gang Of negroes for thu
purpose or
ASSISTING THE coNvIcTs TO ESCAPE
en- anasse. He himself had this information
and had conveyed 1t to Capt. Cahill previou:
to the shooting. Mr.. Middleton had known
Of several convicts dying suddenly. He hat
frequently seen them carried back TO TIT
stockades from work on filters, but had never
seen any Ill treatment. Saw only a strap usec
for punishment. Had visited the convicts a
work very frequently Mt the stockade. Knew
McGarvcy to have been a desperate character
Knew that he had once escaped from camp
and on another occasion succeeded In scaling
n fifteen foot stOclinde, having been left on
under II tent in q supposed dying condition
Knew that he had on one occasion tied hi
hands and legs up tightly TO feign dropsy
Two or more OF the c%onvicts who died wert
supposed to have poisoned themselves.
asked him II he knew anything OF an ALLEGED
beating to death Of q man by Capt. Cahill. II
| which he replied that the man alluded TO hat
! died of n congestire chill. The next day .
| visited the new stockade In company will
Mr.. Middleton, und spent the morning there
talking and looking over books and papers
The result OF the death roll, in figures, has al
ready been given. Among the causes o
one OF grief" one Of "grief ut recapture,''
and another Of crock hurt received at Penl
tertiary" Two are set down to paralysis
several each to congcStive chills. pneumoni;
and consumption, and a large number p q
chronic dysentery, diarrhPaa and dropsy. Bel
Davis is put down as having
DIED OF 'soMBTuISG,"
and several others nre recorded rs havinl
been victims OF the same indefinite aiauy
Several are also charged TO general debility
1t strikes me that the convictS' charge thi.
Capt. Cahill entertained q special Srudg
against McGarvey is In n measure susttine'
by the entry regarding his death In the rec
ord; in which 1t Is said, with Il glaslly hu
NOR savoring OF brutality, that he died Q
mcanness or something" Several are said +
have died of syphilis.
A LETTER OF WARNING.
Can't. Cuhill showed Inc q letter, EVIDENT.
authentic, from Il convict, since dead, nance
W. G. Smith. dated April L., 1873. This warn
him that McGarvey, Perry ,HaIuiiton, McMlI
Ian and John Luther, cOnvicts, are uiScussin
various plans for escape, including one 10
the murder Of the Oversecrs and guards, an
are unIy awaiting u good chance. \ prefl0u
letter from the same maj warns him OF III
general intention Of the men TO rise ana e.
cape at the first favorable opportunity,
was subsequent 10 the reception OF tNis lctte
that the man was shot In the chain. Cap
Culili says, having received that ana MI
Middlctom's warning, he was on the alert. an
us the squad was marching home one eve
ming one man was seen 10 stop ana pull Dlch
on the chain with force. he repeated thl
twice. after being warned, and on the last &c
| C.tSlot III tilS ttiiS SteIP'e $500
siiorcls simultaneously, as II signaling q
acting by ~prcconcerlcd arrangement. II
says he rode up calling, III he IS In revol1
shoot him - and tho guard Tired and kille
him. He seems to regard the act rs Justifiu
blc. The warnings lie had received ccrtalfl
p~ullintc, but l do not think they can DC r.
garded AS cXcusins, the hoot1nS OF Il chalne
and shackIed prisoner. Ono Of the chic
grounds OF the defence Of the railroad is tia
much Of the mortality was due 10
THE UNHEALTHY STATE OF TIE CONVICT
I'm the last lot tof 10 received from the Pen
| Tertiary. Some persons even charge that III
linvnliuS were all picked rom Lhc listllutlo
land sent 10 the road, ana thereby account ~
! the diminished death rate IN the latter; Inc
went 10 work about the Sth OF April. Til
lirst one died on the 3Jth, after having don
six days work, OF IL congcstirc chill. Non
died In May. Six died III June, on the Is
18th. 18th, list, I'D and I'D, having done =
%, 20, II. II and ) days work respeCtiyely
seven died In July, on the "a: "a, "a, In, lot !
81, 30, A, . and ~ days work. Thirteen die
in August, on the lst. lst, I'd. l,h, 18th, 2itt
18th, 9th, 18th, 9th, 9th, 18th and 18th, havin
done 10, 40, Z, u, ~, 30, 30, ~, 80, a, 30, 40 una
tcinbcr, on the ii, 18th and0th, having done 81
10 and 10 days work. Three of the 20 WEI
shot on the 18th OF April, having worked
days, on the 9th Of May. having worked
days, and Lewis Hinton shot IN the chuln} Q
june lOtn, NAY HIS MothCo ou"yS'
noted thut Hinton had only been ;Dlc |
work Is days In more than two months, u FAC
which tends 10 confirm the convlcts stor
that whcn he fell in the chain 1t was froi
sickness. These figures are taken from Cap
Iuhill's time.boOk. George Mcmillan. "
IL. McGarvcy and Perry Hamilton, tlirsc q
the men spoken of in Smiths letter OF warn
ing, died, the W first on the 18th of Angus
and the latter on the ID September, hayin
worked %, - and 30 days respectively. I'll
last lot Of seventy-tivc, therefore, died