The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-07-16
THE C0NvICTs.
AN ofic,ai Report at Las. on Major
Twigss's Camp.

-. .oAt-'sh AtcpoEC AZ 1@bet on h1EiOE
Tvigss's Camp.
- 'ainbid Correspondence Nem, and Courier.
The folloTisE statement aud CORES.
Pondence comprise the official record of
the Savannah Valley Railroad convict
Investigation:
On the 10th Of June Col. J. @. Has.
kell informed the Governor of reports
which he had heard in Abbsville OF
cruelty to the conyicts employed on the
Savannah Valley Railroad. These re.
ports were to the effect (D that at least
one convict had died in consequence of
brutal whippings by the guards; (2) that
the convicts were overworked in viola.
tion OF law, and (3) that there was OK.
cessiye mortality among the convicts,
showing that great wrong was being
done. Governor Thompson directed the
Superintendent Of the Peniteutiary to
investigate the charges, to examine per.
sonally into the general condition al
the c0nvicts, and to report fully she
result of such investigation aud exami.
nation.
AS soon ms the report Of the Superin-
tendentiwas submitted Governor Thomp
son sent an agent to Georgia with re.
QUESTION for the arrest Of jackson, the
guard who was charged with cruelty
beating the convict, Henry Porter, men,
toned in Col. Lipscomb's report. The
Governor was informed that jackson had
returned to his home in Georgia. The
affidavit Of Col. Lipsccmb upon which
the reqnisitionl was based charged Jack.
son with assault and battery with intent
to kill. The agent left Columbia on the
22d of June, the day on which Col
Lipscomb's report was submitted to the
Governor.
He returned on the 1st of July with.
out having arrested jackson, but with
information which induced the Governor
to believe that second effort would re.
suit in his capture. BY direction of the
Governor the agent returned to Georgia
on tue I'd instant. The publication OF
the reports of the Superintendent and
Surgeon of the Penitentiary has been
withheld until this time, lest the making
known of their contents might delay Il
not prevent the arrest of Jackson. AS
the publication Of these reports cannot
now affect the result Of the efforts which
the agent of the Governor is still making
for the capture of Jackson the Governor
permits them to be published.
The report of Col. T. J. Lipscomb,
Superintendent of the South Carolina
Penitentiary, as submitted to Governor
Thompson, has been given to tha na1lic
to-day, and is rs follows:
To His Excellency Hugh S. Thomp.
son, Governor of South Carolina-Sir: !
have the honor to report that in obedi.
ence to your communication of the 18th
inst, / proceeded with DR.. Pope, physi
clan OF the Penitentiary, on that day to
visit the convict camp of Major A. J.
Twiggs, on the Savannah Valley Rail.
road, in Abbeyiile County. On reaching
Abbeville @. n. that evening, I had a
conversation with the gentlemen named
by Col. @. j. Haskell in his communi-
cation, and was shown q note from q
gentleman in the neigbborhood stating
that the convict reported to have been
so severely whipped had died on Sunday
morning, the 1Ath inst. Mr.. M. L. Bon
ham, Jr., acting for Solicitor Orr, on
this information insti ucted the coroner
to go to the camp and hold All inquest.
The body was eXhumed and the inquest
held in my presence on Thursday morn
;Dg, and attach hereto copy of the
finding Of the jury, together with the
certificates of the two pbysicians who
were sworn and testified. AS will be seen
by the certificates, it was found on inves
tigation that Simon Daniels, the man
who had died on Sunday, died from
natural causes. DR.. Pope viewed the
body also and concurred In the opinion
of the other physicians. found, how
ever, that one man, Henry Porter by
name, had been most cruelty beaten, and
I requested the coroner to take the entire
jury to the camp and make a personal
examination of his case. which he kindly
did, and for myself I must say that
have never in my. life seen n human
being more brutally beaten. Besides
Henry Porter, Frank Smiley was the
only man who had been severely beaten,
although four others showed slight scars
All the convicts claimed that their whip.
pings had been inflicted by one A. w,
Jackson, who had been left in charge ol
the camp In the absence of Mr.. @. M.
Carroll, the regular; overseer, and I am
credibly Informed and believe that the
said a.. w. jackson is responsible for
all of this cruel treatment. / have,
therefore, sworn out warrant for his
arrest. In justice to Mr.. Carroll who
was In charge Of the camp when we
arrived, i wonid say that he was anxious
that that the inquest should be held. NO.
only on the body Of Daniels, but on all
Of the others who had been recently
buried. ] woi,ld also state that DR..
Taggart told me that Mr. Carroll Has
uniformly kind to the conYicts, and neves
cent them out to work until reported &c
for duty by him5 and he (Dr. Taggart)
had visited the camp every day since
they had been there except about four
days, all of sth sconyiets lat The camp
aud also those recently returned to the
Penitentiary regard Mr. Carroll as their
friend, and speak in high terms of his
Kindness, although MIR. Carroll, himself,
admits that he worked thsn more than
the Ten hours Per day allowed by law.
These c6liviets arc not working under
the recent Acs of the Legislature, and
therefore the guards are not of my ap.
pointment, but since my return i have
notified Mr.. Carroll That fie must comply
with Section 2, $50 Of the Revised Stat.
;ntes, governing tho hours of labor, DO,
and haze sent him b copy Of the section.
While there I cautioned him that he gas
marching his hands too fafs To their 1crk,
/ tbetween two and one.fialf rad three
miles. He explained by saying that he
could not get q sufficient supply Of pure
water for the conyicts any nearer to the
work, and further said that Tin about ID
week d time he Would Hnish she work he
was now on; and would move nearer 10