The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-01-03
THE HIRED CONFLICTS.

| Hno Augusta Hhllroad--Tho Horrible
Causes Which Account for tho Mortality
OF Forty Por Cont,
The following are the reports Of the
superintendent and the surgeon of the
State Pcnitentiary as to the treatment
| of the convicts leased to tho Green
wood and Augusta Railroad Company,
which were called for by the Senate
at its recent session, and by that body
ordered to be printed:
Report of Superintendent Lipscomb,
COLUMBIA, S. c., Sept. 2, 1879.
10 INC Chai'1man and Board Of d.
a'ectors, s. G. P.:
GENTLEMEN-Having received q let
ter from Gcn. =. II. Bradley, president
OF the Greenwood and Augusta Rail
road, stating that a great deal of NOR
tality and sickness existed among the
conyylcts leased to- that company, 1
conferred with tho chairman Of the
board, showing him the letter. He
instructed me to go over there and
make ali inspection of their condition,
and at my suggestion nc instructed
me to take DR.. Trczcvant, the surgeon
OF the institution, with me, to see what
| could be done to amclioratc their con-
dition.
| DIR. TreZcvant and myself appointed
the morning Of tho 21st of August to
60 on the inspection. On the night of
the goth l received the attached note
from DR.. Trczcvant, saving he could
not go, aud [ proceeded by myself OH
the morning Of the 21st.
met the Hon. n. p. Butler, one Of
| the board of directors, in Augusta,
Ga, about II O'Clock the same morn
ing. We left immediately for the
camp on tho South Carolina sido, in
Edgefcld county, about nineteen or
twenty miles distant, which we reach
ca about 8 p. nj.
found in one end Of the stockade
nine sick men chained on whit was
intended to be Il straw bed; but the
straw was too thin to do much good.
could not stand the awful stencil and
had to direct the guard to unchain
them and bring them out in front of
the stockade. found them in a de-
plorablc condition, all Of them COM
planning Of venercal diseases, swollen
limbs, &c. I then went to tho So
called hospital, where I found three
sick-two white mcn and one black
man. They had some straw TO lie
upon and were all chained. They
were all covered with vcrmin and
flcas--so much so that / was forced to
leave the room. don't see how it
Was possible for a we'll man to exist in
these places well treated, much less a
sick man with no treatment, or so
little that regarded it as none. They
had no change of clothing, 10 shoes,
no covering ofnny description that
could sec. They reported that they
had had no medicine and no medical
treatment except one dose of paregor-
lc In the three days preceding, and
their nourishmcnt was fat bacon and
bread. left the camp and proceeded
to where they were at work on the
road, about mile or a mile and half
distant. l found about seventv-fivc
men at work on the road, clothed. in
the Pcnitentiary stripe that had sent
TO General Bradley about five weeks
before. 1t was SO latc that I could
only look at their condition generally
ana postpone tho inspection until next
morning.
I went next morning to where they
were Mt work, called the roll and in
spccled them. l found a great many
OF them complaining of vcncrcal dis
eases and swollen limbs, and almost
4il with scurvy. They were very
dirty Ill person and clothing-having
no change; somo Of them said they
had not washed for weeks. / saw no
blankets or bed clothing for them to
lie upon or cover with.
heard great and loud complaint
about the cruel treatment of conyicts
by Capt. j. j. Cahill and his guard.
One Of them, w. II. McGarvev, No.
3,l25, showed Col. Butler and mysclf
scars upon his head which he said
were caused by blows from stick
III the hands of Capt. Cahill, and per
sons outside gave tho Same informa-
ton. Capt. Cahill himself, in report
ing those that were dead, informed me
that the guard had shot one while in
shacklcs and fastened to the eanp
chain, claiming that he was in revolt.
we heard that Cahill had ordered the
guard to shoot him.
! The conVicts were generally in such
a bad condition that l deemed It nv
imperative duty to send tho surgeon
OF TINS institution to see them.
) Inc sickness and mortality being so
great, heard that some Of the dircc-
Tors OF the road had resigned and DR..
L; d. Mckic, their surgeon, had ccas-
ca TO visit tho cOnvicts professionally.
l was Informed that he had refused
to continue to treat tho convicts be-
cause his prescriptions were not filled
nor his orders as to treatment and
nourishmcnt carried out.
l returned to Columbia on SATURDAY..
the 23d, and sent DR.. Trczovant to
mako n similar inspection on tho
morning of the 25th, as will be seen
by the following order, approved BY
the chairman of the board, a copy of
which append. His detailed report
viii accompany this paper.
On oath September, 1877, they re-.
coived 100 convicts; on 18th October,
1877, they received convicts; on 31st
October, 1877, they received 2 con.
yicts; on I'd May, 1873, they received
90 convicts; on 9th December, 1878,
they, received 40 convicts; on III
April, 1879, they received 70 convicts {;
making, In all, 285 convicts. OF this
number Is were returned to the Peni-
tcntiary before l took charge, 80 es-
capped, II were discharged, z pardon
cd, and up to August 1st, according
| tn npfo 81 4. ~