The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-11-24

returned to work as free hand for Mr..
Gregg, and in a very short time was
taken down with fever aud came uear
I losing his life.
/ HOW THE CONVICTs ARE HIRED.
| Having given an idea of the construc.
ton Of the stockade and the means en-
plOyed to insure the safety and health of
the convictes, it may be we'll Just here 20
tell in brief how the particular convicts
alluded to have been hired. Mr. Wm.
Gregg, az everybody knows, is working
one OF the largest phosphate mines in the
State and employs very large number
Of hands. Mr.. Il. S. Pringle has for sey.
eral years past been connected with Nr.
Gregg in business. Finding that labor
could not he procured sufficient TO meet
the demand, Mr.. Pringle after several
months labor succeeded in obtaining
one hundred and twenty-five convicts
from the State under lease for one year
from February last Mr.. Pringle under
the leaso pays $40 apiece per month to
the State for the convicts, and clothes
them, feeds them, furnishes medical at
tendance, medicines and guards them.
Mr. Gregg, in turn, employs them from
linn. Two out of the whole number
have died, ona of consumption and the
other Of epilepsy, both chronic diseases.
Three have escaped, but these escapes
occurred shortly after the conyicts were
first obtained and before az full means
had been provided to guard against es-
cape rs are now in force. Mr. Pringle,
under the lease, gives bond Of $4,000
to the State for the safe-Eenping of the
conyicts.
THE PRICE PAID
the State and the cost Of taking care of
them really amounts to moro than free
labor can be produced for, the advantage
IN the convict labor being, however, that
it can be relied upon when it il needed.
The testimony of all the gentlemen ell
gagged in phoshate digging goes to show
that the free laborers rarely work more
than three days out Of a week, having no
ambition beyond making enough TO keep
them with a plenty to eat. The main
cost of keeping the convicts, next to their
food, is the cost of guarding them. Mr..
Pringle employs sixteen guards, all
young white men, under command of
captain, assisted by sergeant. These
men all get salaries and are fed and
housed.
TIE LAW AS IT STANDS
directs the board of Penitentiary Direc.
est responsible bidder whether within or
without the walls of the Penitentary.
The phosphate industry has assumed
such gigantic proportions as to render
the usual supply Of labor inadequate 10
meet the constantly increasing demand,
and as il is not practicable to employ ali
the convicts within the walls of the
Penitentiary, it will be seen st q glance
that there is, perhaps, no employment in
which they could be engaged that would
yield tho State larger net revenue, and
in the case of the conv,cts leased by Mr..
Pringle, they could not be treated more
humancly under tho circumstances.
They work ten hours day, and are we'll
clothed and fed, as above shown. Mr..
Pringle has just obtained a large lot of
heavy clothing, which will b, given out
as soon as tho weather warrants it, togeth-
er with wooden.sol and iron -soled
shoes for spading.
THE CoNvIcTs
go every morning from the stockade to
The rock fields, which lie between the
stockade and the washers, which arc Eve
miles off, on the banks Of the Ashley
River. Mr.. Gregg expects to wash
$4,000 tons of rock this year against
$4,000 tons last year. He employs 470
hands, $50 of whom are free laborers, and
100 the convicts leased to Mr.. Pringle.
Among the convicts, who are all ragroes,
are acyeral Charleston negroes, convicted
at different times for various offences.
Denry Davant, alias Vicky, Allen Brown,
ilu ha th
are all fat and hearty and much moro
comfortable than whom they sought a
| livelihood by petty stealing about the
streets of Charleston. In conversation
with these men aud others, they all said
that while they had to DO square days
work, they had nothing to complain OF
SO far as their treatment was concerned
They all said they were comfortably
housed, and had an abundance of good,
healthy food. Many of them expressed
the intention Of remaining st the same
kind Of work when their terms had ex.
pired.
| NOVEL SIGHT.
Thisaccount would bo incomplete with.
out line or two descriptive of the ap.
pcarance and treatment Of the convicts
on Sunday when they are all kept within
the stockadc. They are first compelled
to bathe freely ali over. They are then
given clean underclothes, two men being
employed all the time in washing for the
encampment. They are then given
breakfast and are allowed to amuse
themselves as they see fit. There arc
among the convicts five duly commis
stoned ministers of the Gospel, who hold
service, preach sermons and exhort theil
fellows TO seek salvation with great unc
ton. Last Sunday the Rev. Samue
Wright Convicted of grand larceny al
Columbia year ago. preached the ser
mon from the text: "Go to the ant, thou
sluggard" After service he was called
up by Mr. Pringlo and asked what he
had been sent to the Peuitentiary for, ant
he replied II was s'cused of cotton, sah.'
1t was subsequently shown that sur
| prisipg number of them had beer
"s'cused of cotton" In the evening ,
number Of them having good voices die
some very good singing, and altogethe
they seemed as happy aud contented q!
they could be.
TIE VISIT
"a ..e works was very pleasant one an,
established very clearly the fact that con
sicts can be employed with profit to th'
State, and ut the Same time be treateG
not only humanely, but kindly and com
fortably.
THE LADY OF THE WHITE HoUa,
WELL KNOWN IL EDGEFIELD.-"Pres
ident Arthur's maiden siater is 20 preside
over the Whito House. Miss Arthu