The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-11-20

~-S -.-N os a~OPsSuiOGt, AOIUt no says nD
came to inspect our convicte, In conse-
quence of Having received q letter from
Gen. 2. III. Bradley, President of G. & A.
Il: r., stating that great deal of NOR.
tality and sickness existed among the
convicts leased to that company.n
The Surgeon of tho Peniteatiary. DR..
TreEevant, never visited our conyicts
until the 26th day of August, when he
was ordered to do so by Superintendent
lApscomb, yet both of these officers. If
we are correctly informed, had been COM
manded by an order of the Board of Di-
tectors of the Penitentiary as far back as
the 22nd of April last to visit every con.
yict camp in the State. Why did the
Superintendent aud Surgeon of the Pen.
itentiary slusnbeg over dischgrging this
duty so long? ?,6 They could not plead
Ignorance of the fearful mortality apoug
our Aconvicts, because regularly er6ysp
month the Superintendent. of our Road.
| J.J. Cahill, made report TO Gen. Lips.
comb Of time lost or work d.by each con-
'yict ss well as OF the list of ihe sick or
dead since his last monthly report, The
Superintendent and Surgeon of tho PEN
itentiary ought to be and doubtless are
skilled in the Best methods 10 treat con-
victs at work ON railroads, aud if either
of them had visited our road in the
spring or early summer, his suggestions
would gladly have been put into prac-
tice, perhaps, to the benefit Of the con-
victs, particularly if it had been impress
ed upon us as it has been since, that all
prisoners long confined are predispcsed
to, scurvy. When, at last Superintendent
Lipscomb and Surgeon .TrezeyaEt. did
make reports on our treatment of con-
victs, those reports contained euch.
charges that our company was summoned
To appear before the Board of Directors
of the Penitentiary to answer those
charges.
On the 18th day of. September our
PRESIDENT, Vice President and Superin:
tendent did appear before that Board and
made thorough showing in written an
swers, and by numerous certificates of
gentlemen aud ladies near the stockade
| and line of our railroad that the burden
of the charges was without foundation.
| Yet as the substance Of those ctarfes
has been published in the newspapsrs.
we respectfully submit that IL would be
but fair to publish the answer to the
| charges also. Let all the charges and oil
the answers, therefore, 60 to the wcsld
together, and we do not fear being &C.
quilted of any intentional guilt or gross
negligence in our treatment of the con-
yicts. Fair play is q jewel, aud both
sides ought to be heard. AS q result OF
The Investigation by the Board of Direc-
tors OF the Penitentiary on the 18th of
September, it was agreed by and between
| the Penitentiary Board and by our Board,
through its President, General Bradley,
that DR.. Pope, Hospital Steward of the
Penitentiary, and DR.. T. j. McKie, who
had been the Surgeon in charge of rail!
road Stockade No. 4, should. make a
| thorough examination of all the convicts
ca our road, both sick and well, and order
such of them back to Columbia as they
deemed advisable, because of being unfit
to work on the road, 'or for better treat
ment in the permanent hospital in the
city than our temporary hospital on the
road afforded. Those physicians selected
twenty-five convicts to be thus returned,
and they were promptly returned at the
expense of the company, although several
able bodied ones were taken from work
on the railroad without complaining of
being sick at all. Several others rapidly
conyalescing on the sick list under treat
ment for scurvy, and who would soon
! have been ready forSlebor on. the road, in
opinion of{a number of physicians, in
cluding two of :ha undersigned, who saw
| them the day before they started for
\ Columbia, were also included ia thg
twenty-five before mentioned, while four
or five obviously feeble ones were left on
| our hands. Oneof those twenty-five
convicts sent to Columbia died on the
road and another one shortly after. arriy-
ing in Columbia, but ;s tiiisy. NofI, too
feeble to be removed thither, it was no
fault OF our company, as. DR.. Pope, who
represented the peniteltiayy, q when re-
monstrated with, said carry then, no
matter ifthey should die on the road, he
| would take the responsibility. 3.ss =
After carrying out the wishes of the
Board of Directors (of the Penitentiary.
we hoped our troubles were over, and
that we should be permitted to proceed
With our road prosperously, especially as
appropriate treatment for scurvy mad not
only improved the health and strength of
! tie the remaining cnnEieta. hnt their spirits
also. Judge then of our surprise when
on the 9th day of October Superinten-
dent Iipscomb and n !. B. NJ. Taylor, of
| Columbia, turned - OF the stockade, in
spected the same .l,.d tho convicts with
out giving any notice to our President,
Surgeon or Superintendent, or saying q
word ito their object. We never knew
their purpose until General BIadieyi re-
ceived on the 10Th day Of October last q
copy of u resolution OF the .Fieenfitahtiary +
Board, passed at q special meeting of the
Board, when only go members were
present, ordering US to Immediately re-
turn all the REM ming c0E.victs at work
for us except eight, in conformity with
the recommendation Of DIR. Taylor, dated
9th instant. From l;this It would seerA
that tharAs svvAe "a SpsirA 1fn s,taeis3 i,t x Z :.
| railroad entirely, and have all the con-
/ vic.ts returned to the penitehtiary, either
| TO be supported In idleness at the expense
4 of the taxpayers or to cut canal and
| build factories, as well as operate them.
| for She benefit of Columbia, at the ex.
1 pense of the fesE of tho State. It is true
| the Greenwood and Augusta Railroad is
on the extreme western verge of the State,
| bat iE is an important link in fh6 raiIrnad
/ eystem Of the State, as IL will be prac-
tical extension of the Port Royal Rail-
road, especially when completed to Spar
! tanburg and also to, Anderson, rs it will
be in time and connect our greatest sea-
! port, Port Royal, with the great North
west. Therefore, all, the people in wcs-
tern Carolina are deeply concerned in its
early completion, particularly the conn
ties of BeAufoft, Colleton, Hampton.
| Barnwell, Aiken; Edgefield, &c. Now
that we have no serious sickness among
our convicts, and that they are all work
ing splendidly, except four or zfTe frttbii5 4 81
ones unaccountabiy lefb us, itseens hard
that NO should have to quit work at this
4 juncture, when our grading is nearly
\ completed. and when our fSfailfoarl taxes
| have Just begun to be collected Id every
township along the line from Greenwood