The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-04-16
How the ConYIcts are Employed.
Ne,us and Courier. .April 13.

Col. Talbert, Superintendent of the
Penitentiary, was asked to-day what dis.
position of the convicts had been made
! this year to increase the revenues of that
institution. He said that convicts were
worked as follows: Six farms are run on
the shares plan, the owners of land fur.
nishing land, stock, implements and feed
Of the stock, the State furnishing the la.
borers and their food, clothing and guards.
Two Of these farms are run by MI. John
G. Seegers, who has at this time the use
of one hundred convicts, which number
will be increased tc one hundred and fifty
by the 1st of May. twenty-five ploughs
are run on each of these farms. There
will be planted FIVE OF six hundred acres
.: cotton, three hundred acres of corn,
and other crops.
Col. J. G.. F. Simms is also running two
farms. He runs fifteen ploughs with six
ty convicts on both places. He will be
given one hundred in all by May. he
will plant about three hundred acres of
cotton.
Mr.. Clarence Aughtry runs another
farm with seventeen ploughs, thirty. four
convicts at work, and is planting three
hundred acres Of cotton.
s. The sixth farm is run by MI. Wolfe
over in Lexington. He is running four
teen ploughs, will have two hundred acres
in cotton and one hundred in corn. He
has twenty.eight convicts, but will
have forty in May.
The State farm in Lexington is also
operated by convict labor. They have
nearly the whole crop in the ground over
there, of which seventy five acres will
be in cotton.
Last year, said Col. Talbert, about one
thousand two hundred bales of cotton
we're made, but with good weather We
expect to largely increase the number
this year. Besides those mentioned we
are working from one hundred and thirty
to one hundred and fifty convicts on the
Canal. We get twelve and half cents
for removing dirt. forty cents for loose
rock and seventy.five cents for solid rock
per cubic yard. I don't think that the
work was paying expenses when we took
charge. 1have not the figures before me,
but as we'll as I remember there we're two
hundred convicts at work in November
and December, 1890. In November the
institution got $3.50, and in December
s72O. In January, this year, We got ST.
62O, in February 81 ,460 and in March
S2,670. There were changes which ne
thought necessary made in the specifics.
tions, and especially in the classification
of the work.
We have eighty hands at work on the
Charleston, Sumter and Northen Rail-
road, and they have been paying about
fifty and one.half cents day, clear of
expenses. There are also one hundred
and twenty conyicts, free, at work at
Clemson College.
There are about eighty engaged in the
hosiery mill, which, by the way, is great
success. They are turning out from one
hundred and twenty-five to one hundred
and thirty pairs day, and ready sales are
obtained for the product. I am much in
favor of this industry and all others that
can be conducted within the walls of the
Penitentiary. The contract with the pro.
prietors of the hosiery mill is fifty cents
each day for men /; for women and boys
under 1S years of age, thirty-seven cents.