The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-29
RUMORS CORRECTED.
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PENITEN-
TIARY sHowES HOW CoNVICTS
ARE TRATED.
Their Treatment rs Humane ns the
Circumstances will AllOw--The
Evil Reports Corrected and the
Prison Authorities set Right Be
fore the Public.

circumstances will AlIOW..-Th,
Evil Reports Corrected and th'
Prison Authorities set Right Re
fore the Public.
Columbia Register.
The following article, which appeased u
the last issue of the ibbcriAc Press ana Hd,!
ucr. seemed to The Register reportcrto to constr
tute proper matter for investigation;
Is 1T TRUE ?-oCTRAGEOrS SCANDAL.
Reports Of cruelty to convicts in the Stat
pcnitcntiary are in the q r. 1t Is said that
young white woman who violated some o
the prison rules was tied, stripped and beat b,
the guard or other person authorized or Ii
cenSed to whip helpless prisoners.
Will our Columbia brethren of tho pres
thorities to tie. strip and bent prisoners9 I
not the custom, will they state IL an eXcep
tion was made in the case OF the young wo
man, or will they state If the report Is fnlse
We know nothing of the truth Of tn
report and ask the question that 1t may b.
verified or that the rumor may be corrected
Such rumor, If untrue, should be correct
If true, then the practice of the prison OF
ficials should be corrected.
If innocent, we know the prison authorize
will be glad to give the fullest evidence or tn
fact, even from the testimony OIL the conVlct
themselves.
The reporter called upon Colonel Lipscomb
the Superintendent Of the Penitentiary, at tn
institution yesterday afternoon and presentet
for his inspection the newspaper clipping
printed above.
The Colonel was positive that nothing Of TIN
kind indicated in the article had been done u
his knowledge, and turned the scribe over I.
Captain Sigh, Captain of the Guard, for any
further information on:.the subject possibl
to obtain.
The Captain said that there was not n wore
Of truth in IT, that they
HAD NOTHING TO CONCEAL,
and he was very glad the reporter had seen fl
fered to facilitate such an investigation b,
any and all means in his power.
Accordingly the Register representative wa
taken
INTO THE PRISON YARD.
where the male convicts were just being form
ed In line preparatory to being marched u
their cells for the night "
He then crossed over to the building devoted
to the female prisoners, whose quarters ar
away from and entirely separate from those o
There are at present but forty-eight femal
convicts serving terms in the penitentiar.
and last night on the occasion OF the reporte
visit there were but twenty-fourin the prison u
the balance being out at the farm. Iher'
are
ONLY TWO WHITE WOMEN.
in the penitentiary, and as the report OF cruel
ty given In the article in the Press and Bdnne
Is Specially referred TO as having been inflicted
on q white woman, these two prisoners were
the special subjects Of the reporters inqui
rier
He was permitted to see the two by them
selves away from their convict companlons
and not in the presence OF any OF the penlten
In reply to questions the following state
ments were made by these women to the re
porter:
THE woMEN's STATEMENTS.
My name Is Bell Hutchins. l am from Wal
halla, and am serving term OF fifteen years
for arson. Came here this timo about 1873
Was here once before for grand larceny. Have
never received auy punishment during pres
ent time except being put in blind cell two
sundays First time 1t was for slapping col
Sed gTs face bv 0a
In reply TO the question if she had eve'
known Of white woman being whipped ir
the prison, she stated that she had notdurinl
her present term. Knew OF one VINO nae nae
been whipped when she was In before. Sht
was whipped for writing TO a colored man
She was Whipped inside her clothes for she
the woman whippedO told her SO.
The other white prisoner said her nane was
May Robinson. She came from Cheraw ant
was serving q three years sentence for adul
terry. She had never been punished. Hat
never known OF white woman being whip
ped. No one had ever spoken cross WORD u
her. Had known Of colored women getting
whippings but they deserved them. Slit
knew Of no case lately.
TIE FEMALE CoNvICTs' QUARTERS.
This concluded the examination and the re
porter was shown the rooms occupied by tht
female prisoners: all sleep in common
room, which Is, however. large and airy, ant
kcpt,very clean and neat Tables for eatlng
ETC., are provided. and the wash-rooms, dress
ing and retired rooms. are all partitloncd OF
by themselves ssizeable room adJoinlnt
the dormitory is used as hospital ward ant
it was furnished with the necessities for tht
care Of the sick.
FURTHER FACTS
about the character of punishment inflicted
in the penitentiary were FINISHED by Captain
Sligh, who said
no WOMAN WAS STRIPPED
to the waist or otherwise when whipped. 1r
every case the whipping was administeret
over the clothes, and In every case oy hlmsel
or the sergeant.
The reporter was shown the alleged instru
mcnt Of torture with which the women art
whipped. = is narrow,
INNOCENT LOOKING STRAP,
about three. fourths of an inch wide and eigh
teen inches long, and appears to be apart
o brldle rein. II is fastened in wooden han
die OF homo manufacture, about two-thirds a.
long as the strap.
Captain Sigh said he would defy any one
to show any mark made OH woman in the
penitentiary by whip.
The reporter next inquired as to how male
convicts are whipped when they commit
sufficient breach of discipline to warrant thai
punishment. Captain Sigh stated that wher
he assumed his connection with the institu
ton the mode Of whipping was to use CATO
ninc-tailS, and prisoners were given ms many
AS seventy ty-fvealashes. He had advised Col
LipScomb to discontinue such punishment q!
he considered it brutal, and he had himiel
cut up this old implement VI punishment
The male prisoners were now whipped Will
4 strap similar to that used on the women
but broader. They were not stripped TO tn(
waist, but Mt the waist, the whip sbcing laid
on the bare back. The maximum was fineer
lashes, and usually not mere than five or tel
were applied.
When kcd how many male convicts on ar
average were whipped each year. or, month
the Captain could not say but said the mum
Der was large. That the penitentiary was like
n large school Of very had boys and every day
there was the necessity for the intiiciion o
this species Of punishment on some Of the In
mates He added that none were abused, o
whipped sufficiently 10 in any way inlurt
thcm and repeated his first statement tha
the prison officers had nothing TO conceal
What they did, they did under the law, in
proper and legal way, and only did 1t when
was necessary.
Thanking she courteous Captain of thu
Guard for his CO. operation and assistance, tht
reporter left the penitentiary, believing tht
material Inc had there gained, and which l.
here given to the readers of the Register with
out comment, contains n sufficient rcfutatlor
Of the charge suggested and answers 70 tnt
questions propounded by the editor OF thu
Press and Banner.
The Mothers Question.