The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-08-14
IN THE PEN.
Dlsproportionate Number of Negroes to
Whites.
Columbia l&dte.

Columbia State.
The State penitentiary is an inter
esting place to visit, if it is not so
pleasant place to make ones abode.
Standing on the piazza of the captain
of the guard Office, one looks at the
granite buildings, the heavy iron doors
to the narrow cells which mount up
wards FIVE stories high, and at the
high brick walls, surrounded by sentry
towers with sentries in them, the
gates locked and barred, and the
guards with guns watching them, and
he wonders how it is possible for any
one ever to escape from such place:
And as he looks his wonder grows and
the desire comes to him to see those
who are confined within the prison,
and an invitation from Captain West
field or Sergeant Allen to 60 throug b
the grounds is not declined. Such
was The privilege of a representative
Of the State on Saturday.
He was put in charge Of Mr.. W. B.
Young, who showed him the sights of
the place. What struck him more
than anything else was the dispropor-
tionate number of negro convicts as
compared to whites, when the popula-
tion of the State is considered. The
colored population Of the State is
greater than that of the whites, but OF
The 1,054 convicts whose names now
appear on the rolls Of the institution
only IS are white men, and all Of the
remainder negroes. There are forty
eight women, convicts, all Of whom
are colored.
But what the white man lacks in
numbers some Of them ma ke up in
reputation for the crimes for which
they have been convicted.
The most noted criminal within the
walls is Bob Jones, the exterminator
of the Presley family Of Edgefeld:
Six feet of earth is the portion Of
three of the Pressley's as result OF
the efforts of Jones, and the State Of
South Carolina is several thousand
dollars poorer that he killed them,
since his several trials and convictions
cost that much. He was first tried
and convicted in Edgefeld County,
and thence taken to Lexington, where
he was again tried and convicted. He
was sentenced to twenty-five years in
the penitentiary, but was given credit
for the four years he had spent in jail
before conviction. Jones is a mild
hammered man, and there is nothing
in the man to denote cruelty of heart.
He had charge of the dining-room OF
the convicts, and judging by the very
bountiful supply Of food which be
dealt out to his comrades in stripes,
he is at least willing that they shall
live, and live as we'll as he can make
them.
Another noted prisoner is Professor
Frank Shuford, who was sent down
from York County for trying to out.
rage one of his pupils. He is very
highly educated man, and is fine
musician besides. Neither Of these
men are native South Carolinians.
Jones comes from Georgia, and Shu-
ford from North Carolina.
Other prominent convicts, more for
what they did than the enormity OF
the offence-are the "blind tiger con-
victs. The first is William Sheppard,
from Columbia, who is yet confined in
the hospital. There is the well-known
Charlie Jaggcrs, from Chester, whose
name has suffered so much punning.
Keeping him company is John Jones,
who bought liquor from Jaggers and
then swore that he did not. Both OF
these men have six months to wear the
stripes and do the work Of convict.
The last of this tribe is Andy Floyd,
from Oconee, who is serving a SEN
tence Of three months.
Passing over many points of inter
est, the ways that some of the con-
victs have escaped from this seeming
ly secure prison are worthy Of note.
Albert Jenkins is the name Of an
old cripple negro sent down from
Chester County. He was confined in
one of the inner cells which, besides
having it's own inner door, fastened by
paddock, and the long iron bolt
which passed in front Of all the cells,
and which impinged on an iron elbow
attached to the iron doors, was in
closed in space at each end Of which
was network of iron extending the
whole height Of the building to the
roof, where it was attached to heavy
covering of double thickness Of a
heavy plank. jenkins succeeded in
picking the padlack on his door,
though he had to reach throug b the
bars as least a half yard to it, broke
off the ends of the bolts fastening the
iron elbows to his door, and twisted
the elbow 80 that it would not touch
the iron bar across the front Of the
cell. He then climbed the lattice
work FIVE stories high and hung on by
his legs while he broke hole in the
roof. Then he slid down a sixty foot
post to the ground, though he had to
hold fast for several minutes when he
was about halfway down, as the SEN
tinel with his lantern stopped just be.
meath him. On the ground he secured
piece of rope and scantling, and
with these he scaled the twenty foot
wall around the building. He enjoyed
his liberty only for a short time, and
was recaptured and returned to the
peuitentiary to serve out his time.
In some of the cells are spliced
bars to show how prisoners have sawed
through half-inch iron and then
squeezed their bodies through space
about ten inches wide, and by the aid
of the same implements as jenkins
used gained their liberty for short pc,
riods of time. Altogether very few
prisoners ever escape, and very few OF
those who do ever remain free long.