The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-06-24
THE CONVICT QUESTION.
TESTIMONY WHICH GOES TO SHOW
THAT THEYWERE BADLY TREATED

THAT THEY WERE BADLY TREATED
&c. e. Wheeler. Who Had Charge of the
convicts, Gives Some Testimony Which
Reflects GravelJ on the PenitentiarY
Authorit,es-AnI Investigation in Order,
COLUMBIA, S. G, June l3.-The State
|of this morning publishes the following
letter: AS the convict question is up,
please give space in your valuable
|columns to a few words l have to say
about the treatment of convicts at my
different railroad camps under Super
|intendent Lipscomb and under Superln-
|tendent Talbert. I have had charge OF
|conYicts camps under both Of them.
/ hope The States correspondent at
|Sumter will not implicate me with Su-
|perintendent Talbert as denlals of his
report. They only point l corrected
was that of the dead convict. and what
Il had to say was to the Board of Direc-
tors. I never denied that the convicts
were barefooted. l never disputed the
fact that the convicts starved all day at
|Sumter. After starving all day IN Sum-
teri was almost certain. that they would
|be offered something to eat that night
latter arriving at the penitentiary. Built
was not so. They were lockedup with
|out a morsel of bread till the next morn
ling. What hour they were fed the next
I can't say-about $50 o CLOCK,
I suppose.
I have managed convict camps under
Col. Lipscomb on the Georgia, Corolina
land Northern RAILROAD, In Chester
County; on the Wilson short Cut, IN
Marion County; and on the Eutawvllle
Railroad, in Clarendon County. man
|aged 215 convicts in the phosphate fields
|of Colleton County.
On August 13. 1890, left Columbia
lin charge of 103 convicts; got off the
|cars at Mayesyille and marched out to
the stockade on the Charleston, Sumter
and Northern Railroad. While my
|camp was located at Lamar, Col. Lips
comb turned over the penitentiary to
w. J. Talbert.
Under Col. Lipscomb's management l
|ssy, unhesitatipgly, the convicts at my
camps were always given just what each
|of them could eat, and that they were
never rationed, like under Superinten-
dent Talbert.
Under Col. Lipscomb, my conylcts IN
|camp were fed on bacon, meal, grits,
|s.half-rice," Irish potatoes by the barrel,
|cabbege and onions by the barrel, and
|crates every two weeks. 1also got about
|35O pounds Of beef a week for convictS,
and several times l remember they got
pork, while the guards got everything
they wanted to eat. Talbert gave me
|orders to stop the beef, Irish potatoes,
cabbage, onions, pork and "half-rice."
About two months Superintendent
|Talbert had the rationS sent from Col
umbia. The small sack of small rice
that he would send for the guards was
|of the very same quality that l fed my
|convicts with under Col. Lipscomb. and
would not last the guards more than
|eighteen or twenty days, though it was
sent as a months ration. Sugar and
coffee were likewise.
Under Superintendent Talbert my
|conyicts got no change of diet at all.
The small amount of beef allowed by
him the guards would nearly consume.
|Col. Lipscomb would leave some money
with me in case. of any mlshaps. re-
member once was moving with a de-
tail OF convictS. Ny cooked ration gave
|out on account of not making connec-
lions as expected. Ihad money for in
|cidental purposes from Col. Lipscomb,
|and things moved on with the usual
|smoothnesS. WI. Talbert has never
Furnished a cent ahead for lncldentals.
Now, as to the dead convict. pull
led dmy own money out Of my pocket and
advanced it for Mr.. Talbert. Suppose
] had refused to advance the 81 to have
this offensive dead body buried. I could
mot stop my convicts to do the work,
because it would put us too long after
dark going into Darlington. and con-
yicts should be well secured before
dark.
Now, right here, will superintendent
|Talbart answer what preparation, If
|any, did he make for anything of the
kind? I will suggest the only place
Talbert had for the
poor dead convict was an open stump
hole, to be filed in with straw or other
stuff that would not cost anything.
ECONOMY" If this is what Supt. Tai
bert means for economy, l say, God
have mercy upon South Carolina con-
|ylcts as human beings.
If Superintendent Talbert had sent
|me money, as Col. Lipscomb did, the
|sixty-seven conviets had at Sumter on
June 2 would not have any occasion to
SAY anything about something to eat. 1
|soareG TGl6ert tacice rel0tioe to the con-
|dstSon of the detail at Sumter, and, he
being absent from his post of duty, l
did not get an answer. If he had been
lat his Office he could have wired some
store in Sumter to furnish me With
|enough to feed the conyicts.
One of the guards, a. Ulman, called
|me to him while on duty. at Sumter, and
said that if he could not get something
Ito eat he would starye. I have good
reason to believe that the young man
was telling the truth. remarked that
i was sorry for the condition Of affairs,
but that had done all that could do.
Ulmsn, however, soon got hold of a
bucket, belonging to some lucky con-
vict who had happened up on it, and the
hast seen of the bucket of rice and bacon
the guard was carefully putting it into
Ibis mouth.
During the month of May, 1891, there
were lost in hospital 533 days. fully
believe that the large number. being IN
the hospital is due to Talbert's taking
away the changes of diet, as l have al
ready stated. Physicians are powerleSs
where changes of diet can't be had.
MY sick convicts in the hospital under
Col. Lipscomb. were fed far better than
THE guards were under Superintendent
|Talbert.
Mr.. Rowland Hill, my sergeant, spent
Isl in Sumter for something for some of
the guards to eat. Twas standing pres
lent when MIR. Hill stepped in the super.
|intendent's Office and claimed that the
office owed him the money, and fully
Explained the matter, I thought, to
Talbert, but he refused
ito pay it-a just claim.
l give, as proof Of all that I have said
- A. &c ,;ok- %.,1y