The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1880-01-09
sIcKEEIRG RRvELATIoNs.
Treatment Of dte Cdao;cts--I Iahan,an C,w.
eity and Neqtect.


sIcKEHIRG REvELATIoNS.
Treatment Of he Cdau;cts-- Iahan,an Cru
ely and Neglect.
The following are the reports of the su.
perintendeDt aud surgeon of the State Pen.
ltentiary as to the treatment Of the convicts
leased to the Greenwood and Augusta Rail.
road Company, which were called for by
the Senate at its recent session, and by that
body ordered to be printed:
THE REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT LIPS.
COMB.
COLUMBIA, s. c., Sept. 9, 1879.
To the Chairman and Board Of Directors,
| =. s. G. r.:
.GENTLEMEN-Having received a letter
from Gen. p. III. Bradley, president of the
Greenwood aud Augusta Railroad, stating
that great deal of mortality and sickness
existed among the convicts leased to that
company, conferred with the chairman of
tho bOard,5 showing niGf the letter. He in.
| strucsed me to 60 over there aud make an
inspection of their condition, and at my
suggestion he instructed me to take DR..
Trezevant, the surgeon of the institution,
with me, to see what could be done to ame.
liorats their condition.
DIR. Trezevant and myself appointed tho
morning of the 21st of August to 90 on
the inspection. On the night of the 10th
received tho attached note from DR.. Treze.
want, saying he could not 60, and proceed.
cd by myself on the morning of the 21st
l met the Hon. A. p. Butler, one of the
board of directors, in Augusta, Ga, about
IL o'clock the same morning, We left i'm
nediately for tho camp on the South Caro-.
lima side, in Edgcield County, about nine.
teen or twenty miles distant, which we
reached about p. NJ.
found in one end oc the stockade nine
sick men chained on what was intended to
be straw bed, but the straw was too thin to
do much good could not stand the awful
st,nch and had to direct the guard to un.
chain them and bring them out in front of
the stockade l found them in deplora.
BILE condition, all of them complaining of
venereal diseases, swollen limbs, Sc. then
went to the so-callcd hospital, where found
three sck-two white men and one black
man. They had some straw TO lie upon and
were all chained. They were all covered
with Yermip and fleas-so much so that |
was forced to leave the room. l don't SEQ
how it was possible for we'll man to exist
in these places, well treated, much less sick
man with no treatment, or SO little that
regarded it as none. They had no change
OF clothing, no shoes, no covering of any
description that l could see. They repor.
ted that they had had no medicine aud no
medical treatment except one dose of pare.
Goric ie9' 'he three days preceding, aud their
ss;.ss.Sf b E.SSwas FAY bacon aud bread. Il
SEs.-sEir - q :, - =. srs1
were at work on the road, about a mile or
nile aud half distant. l found about sew.
cnty-fiye men ut work on the road, clothed
in the Penitentiary stripe that had sent
to Gen. Bradley about five weeks before
1t was so late that could only look at their
condition generally and postpone the inspec-
tion until next morning
went next morning TO where they were
at work, called the roll and inspected them.
! L found great many of them complaining
of veuereai diseases and swollen limbs, and
almost all with scurvy. They were very
dirty in person and clothing-having no
change; some of them said they had not
washed for weeks. l saw 10 blankets or
bed clothing for them to lie upon or cover
with
heard great and loud complaint about
the cruel treatment Of convicts by Capt. j.
j. Cahill and his guard. One of them, W.
H. McGarvcy, No. 3,125, showed Col But
Ter and myself scars upon his head which
he said were caused by blows from stick
In tie hands OF Capt. Cahill, and persons
outside gave the same information. Capt
Cahill himself, in reporting those that were
dead, informed me that the guard had shot
one while in shackles and fastened to the
gang chain, claiming that he was in revolt
We heard that Cahill had ordered the guard
to shoot him.
The convicts were generally in such bad
condition that deemed it my imperative
duty to send the surgeon of this institution
to see them.
The sickness and mortality being so great
L heard that some of the directors of the
road had resigned and DR.. II. j. McKie,
their surgeon, had ceased to visit the con-
victs professionally. | was informed that
ne had refused to continue to treat the con-
yicts because his prescriptiors were not
t!!!cd nor his orders as to treatment and
nourishment carried out
! l returned TO Columbia OH Saturday, the
23d, and sent DR.. Trezcvant to make sim :
liar inspection on the morning of the 25th,
as will be seen by the following order, ap.
proved by the chairman of the board, copy
of which | append. His detailed report
will accompany this paper.
On 9th September, 1877, they received
100 convicts ; On 18th October, 1877, they
received convicts; on 31st October, 1877,
they received 2 convicts on I'd May, 1873,
they received 65 convcts on 9th Decen
/ hnr 1913 thnr