The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-16
THE G. 6 a. RAILROAD CoNyrCrs.
The Other Side OF tho Quostion-NTr. Rfeh,
the Overseer, Interviewed-IIo denies
that they hnve been Mistreatcd.
Ab1erine Press and Banner.

Ao0es'He tiess and Banner.
We had ca,l yesterday from MFR
john Rich, overseer Of all the convicts al
work on the. Greenwood aud hueusts
Railroad. Mr.. Rich has been in the em.
ploy Of the road ever since the com.
mencement of the work, and for sixteen
months has held the position which he
now holds. He ia therefore perfectly
conversant with ell the facts in reference
70 the treatment of the cnnvicta. AfteY
some preliminary remarks, we asked
him to make statement concerning the
convicts now ut work on the Greenwood
and Augusta Railroad, to which he re.
piled:
"Well; I do not know what informa.
ton you desire. ! will answer and ques.
tion you moy ask"
Question: presume, Mr.. Rich, that
you haze seen the comments Of the news
papers In reference to the treatment of
the onvicts now at work on the Green
wood and Augusta Railroad.
Answer-Yes; have seen what the
Ne 3 and Courier and the Registe, have
sad, and pronounce their statements in
tie main untrue.
Q: 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-
tty prisons were returned to the peniten-
tiary last week. Mono of them were
blind or speechless when they left camp,
but three of them were in PROSTATE
condition from general debility. The
authorftirs of the road objected to the
enndipy re fhoo1 tt,soo ho, ~
tentiary from the fact that thcy thought
they were unable to make the trip.
Q. When did you receive the last lot
of prisoners2
A. About the frat of last April.
Q. What WAS their condition.
A. Bad indeed. Many of them were
broken down, diseased and totally unfit
for service. Out of the seventy.five
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 oil they
could to get him pardoned. He never
worked, and finally died of grief.
Q. About how many did no work.
A. Twelve or fifteen of the last lot did
no service at ell. They never pretended
to work, and about twenty-five Others
have never earned their food.
@. Who excused these men from SER
vice; you, or tho physician?
A. l did it myself. 1t was plain that
many of them were unable to work. It
wasn't in them.
Q. Did the convicta have sufficient
medical treatment, and proper nursing
when sick?
a. Yes; DIR. Thos. J. Mackee, one of
the best phyaicians of Edgefeld County.
sn 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 q day.
The sick o.e waited Oh by the GONZALES
cent convicts. We havo plenty of medi.
cines. They are administered by O. white
man, whose duty it is to give O general
supervision to the sick.
q. With what diseases are the eonyicts
more generally effected7
a. Except the chronic caseg, there were
more cases of diarrhea and scaryy than
anything else. There were few cases
OF fever. The sourvy was produced dur
ing the extreme dry weather, when il
was impossible to secure vegetables. We
were compelled 10 fued principally on
dry peas, bacon, bread and molasses.
@. LIS it true that one hundred and
twenty-five out of two hundred have
died?
a. No, sir. can not, however, from
memory give the exact mortality. Il
was very great, though.
@. How do you account for that great
mortality?
a. In consequence of 30 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 ut 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?
u. 1t seems, however, Mr.. Rich, that
yon have just sent back number. How
Ia this?
A. 1t is true that we have Just sent
back @ ic:: &C oar sick. The State author
tiles made special order in this instance,
which order had long been desired by
the Railroad authorities.
q. What is the present phyeical condi.
ton of the convicts?
A. Very good. We have now only
about fifty, sill ofwhom arc doing work
on the road, with few exceptions. Three
or four are doing duty in camp, cooking,
cleaning up, &C. We have no nick now.
Two in the yard are complaining, but
they are about able for duty.
Q. Have the State authorities visited
the stockade, and if 80, how often?
A. They have been there four times.
Colonel Parmele was there in August.
1873; Col. Il. j. Lipscomb in August.
1879; DIR. Trezevant came o few days
later. He came, it is said, at tho sugees-
tion 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 Parmele expressed hin.
self as we'll satisfied. He gave ua 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 anv
time since. The other visitors made no
expression in my hearing.
@ How are the prisoners confined ut
niggh.2
A. They are kept by shackle chains St
tached to long chain running the whole
length of the stockade. They sleep on
plartform covered with straw, and have
blankets. The sofes of which the news