The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-08
Ne,ps and Cn,rier

Nebs ana COiFifT.
The following are the reports of the
superlntendent aud surgeon of the State
Penitentiary as to she treatment of the
convicts leased to the GFeenwood and
Augusta Railroad Company, which were
called for by the Senate at its recent ses.
sion, and by that body ordered to be
printed:
THE REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT LIps.
COMB.
COLUMBIA, s. c., Sept, 2, 1879.
20 d tni 2. eAa'''Ae'' and Board q Directors, $.
GEETLEMEN-Haying received let
Ter from Gen. p. H. Bradley, president
of the Greenwood aud Augusta Railroad,
s.ating that gnat deal OF mortality aud
sickne. existed among the convicts Ieas.
ed TO that company, conferred with the
chairman OF the board, showing him the
Letter. He instructed me to go over there
and make en- inspection of their condi-
uon, and at my suggestion he instructed
me 70 Take DIR. TrezevGnt, the surgeon Of
the institution, with me, to ses what
could be done to ame!iorate their contii.
ton.
DIR. Trezevant and myself appointed
the morning of the 21st Of August to 20
on tho inspection. On the night Of tie
10th ! received the attached note from
DR.. Trezeyant, saying ne could not go.
and I proceeded by myself on the morn.
ing of the 2lst.
Imet the Hon. A. P. Butler, one of the
board of directors, in Augusta, about II
o'clock the same morning. We left in
mediately for the camp on the South
Carolina side, in Edgefieid County, about
nineteen or twenty miles distant. which
we reached about o ?. IT.
TUpnd in ore emu OF the stockade riine
sick men chained OH what was intended
to be'a straw bed, but the straw was too
thin TO do much good. / could not atand
the awful stencil, and had to direct the
guard TO unchain them and bring them
out in front of the stockade. / found
them in deptorable condition, all Of
them complaining Of venefeaI diseases,
swollen limba,, &c. then went TO the
&c. called hospital, where I found three
sick-two white men and one black man.
They had some straw TO lie upon and
we're all chained. They were all cover
ed with vermin and feas-so much 80
that ] was forced to leave the room. I
dom see how it was possible for a well
man 70 oxist in these places well treated,
much ,ess a sick man with no treatment,
or 30 little that I regarded it as none.
they had no change OF clothing, no
shoes, no covering of any description that
l could see. They reported that they
had had no medicine and no medical
treatment except one dose of paregoric
1.-THE three days preceding, and their nour-
ishpent was fat bacon and bread. Ileft
the camp and proceeded 20 where they
were at work on the road, about o milo
and half distant. found about sew
enty-five men at work on. the road,
clothed In the Penitentiary stripe that 1,
had sent to Gen. Bradley about fivo weeks
before. 1t was so late that could only
look ct their condition generally and
postpone the inspection until next morn.
ing.
1 went next morning to where they
were ct work, called the roll and inspec-
ted them. found great many Of them
complaining of ,venereal diseases and
sWolien limbs, and almost ali, With scnr-
w. They were very dirty in person and
clothing having no change; some Of
them said they n;l1 not lrs1sd W e fnr 1ys5aJ.
l saw no blankets or bed clothing for
them to lie upon or cover with.
heard great and loud COMPLAINT
about the cruel treatment of convicts BY
CaIssy 8. J. Cahill and his guard. Ofie of
them, ". II. AcE5 Carney, No. 2.i25.
showed Col, Bu tier and myself scars npoii
MS head which he said were caused by
bloEfs from q atiei in the, hanCla of Can't.
Cahlli and peTsous a.itaide gave the
saiiIe ani0Elnati ton. Capt. Gassssi Y hinlself,
,n porting these that were dead, aia.ss,
s.ass : s,ssszs s,..s.
willis in shackles sId fastened to the
gang chain, claiming that he was in re-.
volt. We heard that Cahili had ordered
the guard to shoot him. !, > ,7' q
Ihe conyicts were generally in Buch e
bad conS.tton that deeme6 is my i'm,
perative d aty, to ssnd the surgeon OF this
inssitltioL to see them. S., :. q
Tho 1,5Gness and mortality being so
great, i heard that some of the directors
of the road had reaigued, ard DR.. Il. j.
McKie, their surgeon, had ceased to visit
the convicts professionally. / was in.
formed thae he had refnaed to continue
20 treat the convicts because his 5nres
scriptions were not flied nor his orders az
to treatment and nouIishment carried
out. - !,
i returned to CcclaaashH::s. ofs Saturday
the 25d, and sent Dr. Trezeyant To make
o similar inspection ON tho morning ne
she 18th, as viii be e5en by. the following
order, approved by the chairman Of
The board, q copy OF which ] ap.
pend. His detailed reportWill acconpa-
ny this parer.
On 25thI September, 1877, they receive
ed 100 conyicts; on 18th October, 1877,
they received 8 convicts; on 3lst October,
1877, they received convicts; on I'd Nav.
1873, they received So convicts; on 9th
December, 1878. they received 40 con.
yicts; on 9TH April, 1879, shey received
70 convicts; making, in all, 28b conBiots.
OF this number 19 were returned 60 tho
Penitentiary before took charge, 38 ca.
eaped, Ii we're discharged, 2 pardoned,
and up to August 1st. according to re-
ports submitted by Capt. Cahili, there
we're 90 deaths / found when went
fhera that 81 had died r1i,n yvare nnt "a
ported, the most of them In August,
making total of ia deaths.
All ofwhich is respectfully submitted.
q j. LrpscoMB, Superintendent.
THE REPLY or DR. TREzKvASF.
COLUMBIA, S. o., August so, 1879.
|. C5t. n. j. Lipscost6 Superintendent SostSh
Carolina PssFisestti1gy
DEAh SIR--In obedience to your and
Director Shields instructions, I pgo-
ceeded to Edgeield County to inspect
inc tJniitivti % Tho SsSSi zs 7s,f un
the Greenwood and Augusta Railroad.
reached the stockade on Monday af.
ternoon, the 25th, and Immediately pro-
eeeded TO the said inspection. found
l. n. Al. N - ~