The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-07
WHO is RESPONSIBLE FOR IT?
WHAT THE GUARDS SAY ABOUT
THE FROST BITTEN CONyICTs.

Connictin=-1iaj. Blandford aud
Other Witnesses say Capt HuSi'e'
Was Told Not TO Work the Wen in
the Water. and Capt. Hughes SAYS
He Was--The Hospital Election
Matter 10 he brought Jp TO-mOr-
row Afternoon.
The investigation Of The matter ~ chs
convicts with frozen feet was taken ur
by the county comm. ssioIers yestev-
day afternoon.
There was very little Of a sensational
nature brought out. though it IS evident.
from the testimony sven. that somebody
was very forgetful. or I'D not stick clos -iy
10 facts, as the statements IN many ie-
spects were rather onn.cung.
Just where the responsibility lies has not
yet been determined. After hearing tie
testimony OF a dozen or more witnesses,
which was taken down b. Steaographe"
J.. S. Harrison. the commissioners CON
cluded they would wait until copies OF 10
were furnished. and would not decide
where the responsibility for the condition
Of the men lies until they have carefully
considered the evidence.
1t was nearly O'Clock when the meet
ing adjourned. and though COMMISSIONS
Charlton wanted 10 BRING up the matter
Of the casting Of the county vote at the
Savannah hospital election, IL was decld 81,
on account OF the lateaess OF the hour. TO
consider the matter at a SPECIAL meeting
10 be held on Friday afternoon. This was
agreeable TO Dr. Charlton.
Chairman Dale stated that the meeting
had been called for the purpose OF lnyest-
eating the charges made by the grand
jury OF Inc city court, and the press gen
orally, with regard 10 the condition OF
certain convicts who were suffering from
frozen feet ana limbs as result OF the ex-
posure during the cod snap IN the lat
ter part Of December.
On the sugges ton of Dr.. T j. Charlton
the report and charges made by the grand
jury were read by Clerk Mcintire. Inc
fifteen witnesses summoned were then
sequestered.
Dr. r. B. Chisholm. the first witness.
said twenty-one or twenty-five OF the con-
victs were suffering from frost bltes. "
these he had seventeen IN the hospital at
the county camp and four were at The
Georgia lnhrmary. of these men all had
blistered feet, and others had sores. He
didn think the blistering could have been
caused by the men putting their feet
near the fire, when numb he SAID he had
four bad cases at the inhrmary. and prob
ably two Of them would lose q foot about
the ankle. Another had lost several OF
his toes, and gangrene had set in on nearly
all of them. There are still some very
serious cases ~ the camp. he said, and
only one has badly frozen hands. The
grand jury said quite a number Of these
men would lose their fingers and toes.
DR.. Chisholm did not think this would
be the case with many Of them. Most OF
This unngffOminU nv Com mis- Toner
Charlton, chairman Of the chain-gang
committee. DR.. Chisholm had visited the
camp almost every day, and so far none
of the men had recovered. Within tue
next ten days four or five of them, he said.
might report for duty.
Mai. Blandfofd, who testified next. said
on Friday, Dec. q, Capt. Hughes of camp
No. / was in his Office He gave him
instructions to detail a squad of eight or
ten men to clean out the old Casey camel
this to be done as soon as weather would
permit. He gave him Instructions he SAID,
10 keep the men comfortable that daN.
as the weather was extremely cold, and
not TO put them in the water. When
he went out there he sa.d, the men were
working on the dykes and the roadbc1,
and none OF them were In tn watr. While
out there he sad. he gave additional In
struetions not to expose the men TO severe
conditions, and he ordered plenty Of wood
He heard Jan. that some of the men
were laid UP with frozen feet, and went
to see DR.. Chisholm about it. Mai Bland
ford said he believed the captain Of he
camp had disobeyed his orders, and he in
tended TO discharge him. but had not
done so at DR.. Chisholm request, as an
investigation was to be held. The instruc-
tons, he said, had been given at all the
camps He obtained. he said the tenn
perature for every hour in the day for
Dec. q and % to see just what the condl-
tons were at the camp. The weather was
not so severe Dec. Is as on Dec. o. II
report showed that on Friday, Dec. Is,
eight men were put in the old canal. lie
subsequently learned there were ten men
in the canal on that day.
Capt Hughes, he said, could have kept
the men out of the water until he could
satisfy himself as TO the orders. In fact,
he said, the work could have been done
out of the water. On this occasion the
order given was a verbal one. He told
the captain to do certain work that would
require the men gong in the water when
the weather was suitable, but not TO Ak
pose the men during the severe weather.
The guards have discretion, he said, IN
keeping the men out or taking them IN,
as the circumstances warrant. He CID
not know the men worked in the water
until the next day.
The men, he said. went to work in the
water about 10 o'clock, after Capt. HuThes
got back to the camp, with explicit orders
not to have the men go IN the water. Capt.
Hughes did not tell him when he was our
there that day that the men had been
working in the water. There was a gem
eral order that the men must not he
worked in places or under circumstances
that would injure them. The instructions
wer TO do the work as soon as possible
and not particularly on that day. Cart
Hughes, he said. had disobeyed positive
order.
Guard w. W. Carroll of camp No. |,
said eleven men were sent to work in the
old Casey canal under Guard Moorehea1
by order Of Capt. Hughes on Friday
Dec. 2s. He heard the men worked in the
water, but did not see them His men
were working on a dry dump pile and
there was no necessity far putting them
in the water.
Guard J. 3. Davis Of camp No. l. said
he thought there was ice on the canal
on Dec. 2S HIS men. MS well as he could
remember, did not work In the water but
there was mud where they were working
Some of the men working with him, he
said, are now laid up in the hospital with
sore feet. He didn't see any men working
in the water. lie would not work his men
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