The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1880-01-09
sICKENIRG REVELATIONS.
Treatment Of the Lnhuman Cru.
ety and Ncqicct


sICKEN1NG REVELATIONS.
Treatment Of the Conoicts-Mhunsam Cru
ely and Neglect.
The following are the reports of the su-
perIntendent aud surgeon of the State Pen
itentiary as to the treat ment 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. e. r.:
GENTLEMEN-Having received letter
from Gen. p. Ii. Bradley, president of the
Greenwood and Augusta Railroad, stating
that great deal of mortality and sickness
existed among the convicts leased to that
.coTpany, / conferred with the chairman of
TIC G"afd,, showing niin the letter lie in.
strue!ed me to go over there and make an
inspection of their condition, and at my
suggestion he instructed me to take DR..
Irezevant, the surgeon Of the institution,
with me, to sec what could be done to anne
liorate their condition.
DIR: Trezevant and myself appointed the
morning of the 21st of August to go on
the inspection. On the night of the Goth
received tho attached note from DR.. Treze-
want, saying he could not go, and l proceed
cd by myself on the morning Of the 21st.
met the Hon. A. p. Butler, one of the
board of directors, in Augusta, Ca, about
II o'clock the same morning. We left i'm
lnedia,ely Tor tho camp on the South Caro-
lima side, in Edge6eld County, about nine
teen or twenty miles distant, which we
reached about p. NJ
found in one end oe the stockadc 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 uu-
chain them and bring them out in front of
the stockade. l found them in dcplora-
BILE condition, all of them complaining of
venereal diseases, swollen limbs, &c. l then
went to the so-callcd hospital, where l found
three sick-two white men and one black
man. They had some straw to lie upon and
were all chained. They we're all covered
with vermin and feas-so much so that
was forced to leave the room. l don't see
how it was possible for we'll man to exist
in these places, we'll treated, much less q sick
man with no treatment, or so little that I
regarded it as none. They had no change
of clothing, no shoes, no covering of any
description that could see. They rcpor.
ted c:at they had had no medicine aud no
medical treatment except one dose Of pare
gorio it7t The three days preceding, and their
Ii XII 81, was ias bacon and bread. Il
49, mn j.
tS'e-c at work on tho road, about mile or a
I lslc aud hail distant. found about sew
cuty-fiye men ut work on the road, clothed
in the Penitentiary stripe that 1 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-
ton until next morning.
went next morning 10 where they were
at work, called the roll aud inspected them.
l found great many of them complaining
OF yenereai diseases and swollen limbs, and
almost all with scurvy. They were very
dirty in person and clothing-haying no
change; somo of them said they had not
washed for weeks. 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 Capt. j.
j. Cahill and his guard. One Of them, w.
Il. McGarvey, No. 1925, showed Col. But
ler aud myself scars upon his head which
he said were caused by blows from stick
Ia Sd0 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.. Il. j. McKie,
their surgeon, had ceased to visit the con.
yicts professionally. was informed that
ne had refused to continue to treat the con.
yicts because his prescriptions were not
! f!led ..ar-hil orders as to treatment and
| nourishment carried out.
returned to Columbia on Saturday, the
23d, and sent DR.. Trezevant to make sim
liar inspection on the morning of the 25th
IS 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 24th September, 1877, they received
100 convicts On 18th October, 1877, they
| racaivod z cony;of, np o1 % n,tnbor orr