The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-08
THE STATE PENITENTTARY,
A Model Institution For tho Correction cg
Crime.
Charleston .Ncus and Cvu,.ier,

deal Of interesting news. There are to.
day 7S9 convcts under sentence, of
whom oS are females. In the institution
i6l prisoners are gathered. Of those
l5l are at work on the Columbia Canal
100 are employed in Dibert's shoe facto.
ry inside of the Peuitentiary yard and
2l0 are working in and about the institu.
ton under the immediate direction of its
officers.
WHERE THE CONvICTS ARE
OF the 22S cnnvicte who are leased 20
outside parties Ut are at the phosphate
diggings of RS. Prinple, 48 are digging
phosphates under Cahill e. Wise 81 are
worked by A. j. Twiggs on tho George.
town and Lanes Railroad, Al arc leased
hy the Greenwood, Laurens and Spartan.
burg Railroad, and 25 are engtyed ut
The plantation Of John G.. Seegers near
Columbia. The contraote with Messrs.
Pringle and Cahill & Wise arc for 15O
hands each and the 1876 men needed to
Till these contracts must be supplied az
soon as they can be had. These contracts
already made take precedence OF the de.
mands of the canal A year ago to.day
there were 730 convicts under sentence
to the penitentiary. The increase In the
number Of o0uvicts during tbs Iazs year.
M appears to-day, has been 50, but ell
though the number shows an increase the
terms of convicts lately coming in have
been much shorter than they used to be,
Indicating moro mcrcifui sentences or
sLIGnTER OFFENCES.
So far during the fiscal year beginning
November lat there havo been one hun.
dred and ten discharges of convicts by
expiration Of sentence, ak pard0ns, seven
escapes, eight deaths, FIVE recaptures and
two transfers to the Lunatic Asylum on
account Encouragement Of mind. There
will be forty-three discharges from service
this month, and there are not many ad.
missions. If Berkeley justice were to
prevail throughout the State the inutitu.
tior would soon be empty. There are
only three seriously i'll convicts now in
hospital, and in each case their disease
was developed before they were turned
over to the Penitentiary authorities.
THE NEW PRISON HOUSE.
Work ia now progressing steadily on
the new prison building situated immedi.
ately south Of the one occupied by the
convicts now held in the institution,
The foundations Of this building were
laid before the Democrats took control of
the Penitentiary, but work on it WAS sus.
pended and only recently resumed
Looking forward to the time when all of
the convicts shall be employed about tho
place to which they were sentenced 1t has
seemed judicious TO complete this build.
ing, which will double the accommOda-
tions now had. The new building will
be of the same size as the present one
and il being constructed Of the ha,ne
materials, granite and iron. It will be
five stories high, each story containing
fifty cells, twenty-five opening on each
side, east and west. Two stories have
already been completed with twelve cells
of the third story. 1t is expected that
the entire building will be ready for oc-
cupancy in two years. Four convict
stone. masons are now working on it and
fourteen hands in the atone shcd are
shaping granite blocks for it's construc.
tion.
sTOREHoUsE AND A FEMALE PRISON
A branch track Of the Columbia and
Greenville Railroad runs up along the
southern wall Of the Penitentinry yard.
Into the middle of this wall brick
building will be constructed 100 feet long,
5S feet wide and two.stories high This
is designed to fill requirements which
have existed for long time. The frat
door will be used as storehouse for the
commissary of the institution. The cara
will run UP to the platform in front Of it
and the very expensive hauling Of sup.
plies will be dispensed with. Thssecond
story will be divided into sixty cells for
the accommodation Of the. female pris.
oners who will thus be kept in aiffsrem.
part Of the yard from the Others. It
will also contain the prison laundry
rooms. The lumber for the building is
now on the grouud, and the building will
be. erected gs soon AS thu IailIDal trans.
ports the, bricks required from the old
Penitentiary brick yard, FIVE miles from
the city. There are 10000 bricks there
now belonging TO the institution and
100000 morein the yard. These will
supply the requirements Of the Peniten.
tiary for a year. The brick yard men.
toned, was bought 8 few yeara ago by
the board for $500 to furnish the brick
needed for tho massive, wall around the
grounds, which has cow been completed.
Having subsegved its use, it was sold the
other day to Mr.. Frost Walker for 5000,
the steam engine and stockade being re-.
served. It was a profitable investment.
"a GREAT VEGETABLE GARDEN.
The brick wall which has lately been
completed around the grounds of the
PenitentiaYy is a'tremendous affair which
impresses ever Sisitor. II snirounds
some twelve &C; "a which are eontsin-
ed all the buildings and workshop4of the
prison. Six acres on the northern side
of the enclosure have been taken hold of
by Mr.. J. A. Sigh, the captain ofithe
guard, and transformed from red clay
hill aud gully into q level and productive
farm of enticing aspect The work has
been done with "convalescenw labor, OF
light work hands. An abundant supply
of staple vegetables has been raised for
the mess Of the convicts all the yeat
round. Last year, for instance, 100
bushels of sweet potatoes we're raised
on part of the land amp 500 bushels
are still on hand. There are
now growing one and half acrea oil
onions, one acre of Irish potatoes, one
acre of turnips, 5000 fall cabbage plants
10000 spring cabbage plants, three.
eighths of an acre of English peas and 9
quarter Of an acre Of Strawberries.
IN THE YARD,
nestled under the north wall, is probably
the largest hotbed in the State. It /.
$50 feet long by 4 feet wide, and contains
$780, 900 young cabbages, quantities oi
young tomato, radish and lettuce plants
and even few Aowers. TIE garden ia a
| credit to Capt. sligh's agricultural ability
and his thoughtfulness. The supplies oI
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