The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-07

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gang. put 30 tn the old Casey canal and
slush IL out This DE said he did aud the
T men were in there All Gay. MAJ
D Blandford saw them working in The "97 q.
IN the water. be said. that morning. lie
/ stated be received no other orders from
] Aaj BlGndford. lie dldn know whether
| all the men had shoes. but every man 10
{ the camp had been given shoes There had
not been a time, he said, when tie nan
could not get shoes The shoes are out
I now. but more have been ordered
lie had been told by the guard about
Mai. Blandford seeing the men IN the
water. He denied that he was allowed anv
discretion about weather or anything
else and that he had to obey Maj. Band
fords orders or be discharged. He had
avoided working the men IN The water
on cold days, as much as possible, but
was ordered 20 pat the men in the canal
and slush II out as soon as he got TO the
camp.
Did 7 not tell you not 20 put the men
In the water on Dec. ESP asked MAJ
Blandford.
NO. you did rot. You told me to put
them in" was Capt Hughes reply.
did I tell you auyth.ns about provd-
iug Tor the comfort of the men, Maj.
BlandfOrd asked
Il don't remember" Capt. Hughes re-
Piled.
How many men did you put in that
canal?" Maj. BlandfoTd asked.
Eleven. sir" was the reply.
rs this the report from your camp?"
Yes. sir" Capt. Hughes said.
Your report states eight men were in
the canal on that day" Maj Blandford
said.
Capt Hughes didn't remember making
eny appllca tons for shoes in November
or December. He said he distributed 137
pairs OF shoes I'm November. December and
Z no raj, bn rlao
were distributed IN each month. He didn't
know whether any men were barefooted
or not. but said he gave shoes to all who
asked for them Capt. Hughes was asked
If he wanted to make any statement, but
said no.
Teamster Seckinger OF camp No. / said
he heard Mai Blandford order Capt.
Hughes to put a gang in the old Casey
canal on that cold day He didn't remem-
beT when he told him to put the gang In.
That was the only thing Secklnger could
remember that happened that morning in
Mai. Blandfords office. He said Re heard
Mai Blandford tell Quartermaster Hughes
the next morning 10 keep the men out Of
the water He was under orders from
Capt. Hughes and also from Maj. Bland
ford.
Quartermaster Z. G. Hughes said he
heard Maj. Blandford on Dec. IS. order
Capt. Hughes to put a gang IN the old
AhSeN &dndl anu cluSH II out as SOON dS
he got back TO the camp. He said some
thing was said about cold weather but
he hear no other orders given He saw
no men working in the water that day.
Eleven men were reported to him as
working in the canal but some of them
worked there only part Of the day. and
this summed up eight men for the entire
day. The men had always been given
shoes, he said. whenever they asked for
them. He said there were only two pair
of shoes now IN the camp and that he
had made a requisltion for shoes through
Maj. Blandford last Monday. A reference
to the file showed no requisition had been
made in proper form. He didn't know
whether any of the convicts were bare
footed o. not. The requisition, he said.
was not filed on account of his error.
II. L. Grayson of the dredge said he was
in Maj. Blandfords office Dec. Is, and
heard him tell Capt. Hughes TO go out,
take gang and slush out the old Casey
canal This was ali he heard. Capt
Hughes and Mai. Blandford, he said,
had both asked him about this matter.
lie did not know of any men being worked
in the water on that. day.
Guard Moorehead. who had charge Of
the men working In the old Casey canal in
the water, said there was no lee in the
canal where he was working. He had
his orders from Capt. Hughes through
Guard Carroll. Maj. Blandford passed he
work, he said, and saw the men down in
the water. He saw no ice In the water
at all The men complained of cold, and a
few OF them at a time were allowed
to so to the fire to get warm. It was
about 1880 o'clock when Maj Blandford
saw the men, he said. Maj. Bland
ford then questioned him. He declared
Maj. Blandford saw him when he was
crossing the bridge in his buggy. Maj
Blandford was driving on in his buggy,
but did not stop and did not speak to
Guard Moorehead. Morehead said he took
his orders from the captain and had no
discretion to turn his attention to other
matters.
Mr.. Reese, the draughtsman in Mai
Blandford's office, remembered very little
Of the conversation that had taken place
there on the morning of Dec. %. He heard
something said about going down to thu old
Casey canal but just what the orders
were he did not know.
Foreman Wimberly of the county farm
was the next witness. He knew nothing
definite about the circumstances in the
case.
Capt. John r. Dillon was called. He said
he recollected having a conversation with
Mai Blandford and Mr.. Dale, in which
Maj Blandford stated no men had worked
in the water, but their feet were sore from
working on the wet banks, and that this
might have been augmented by their plac-
ing their feet near the fire.
Guard Carroll, who had charge of
camp No. ! from Dec. p to IS during
Cant. Hughes absence. was recalled. Sew
eral men had been furnished shoes. Some
applied to Capt. Hughes for shoes. he said,
and some got them while others did not
Some of the men had been made to work
without shoes. Capt. Hughes told some
Of the men, he said. when they asked for
shoes, Il will not give you any shoes. I
am going to freeze your - d feet off
up to your knees"
Mai. Blandford said this information
only came to him yesterday.
Chairman Dale said here that the OBJ
ject of his questioning had been to find
out whether Maj Blandford knew that
some of the men did not have shoes
Cant Huehes asked TO be allowed to
make a statement, and the request was
granted Ills statement was denial OF
the testimony OF Guard Carroll to the
effect that he had refused to give the men
shoes and said their feet could freeze up
10 their knees.
Carroll had Guard Davis called to testify
with regard TO this matter. Davis said
/ Can't. Hughes had replied to some OF the
! men who asked for shoes that he had