The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-01-29
WHAT CAPT. ALLEN SAYS
ABOUT THe CHARGES AGAINST THE
HEAD OF THE PENlTENTlARY.

| '-fNS
He Makes Stranger and More Serious
lative Committee Investigating the Mat
COLUMBIA, S. c., Jan. 21.-Much
interest is being manifested in the in
vestigation of the charges Of ''incipi-
ent rottenness' at the penitentiary.
made by Director Willoughby, which
is now being conducted by the two
committees Of the general assembly
on the penitentiary. This joint COM
mittee was charged with the inyesti-
cation Of the matter by concurrent
resolution adopted last week. 1t now
has other charges also, which are Civ
en- below, requiring Investigation.
The committees having summoned
the directors here, went to the peni-
tentiarv yesterday morning about II
o'clock and the investigation began.
Yesterday the committee merely go.
everything In shape and gothic inves.
tigation started. Director Willough-
by was on hand. Some testimony
was taken. The committee, after
reading the charges preferred by eX-
captain of the guard, Allen, published
below, decided to summon him to ap-
pear before them.
WHAT CAPTAIN ALLEN SAYS.
In connection with this matter the
following taken from the Spartan burg
Herald of Sunday last, will prove in
terestlng reading:
In view of the charges made by
Director Willoughby against Super
intendenl Neal. and the fact that he
gave Captain Z. c.. Allen as authori.
ty for some of his charges, The Herald
interviewed Captain Allen yesterday
and found that he knew great deal
more than Mr.. Willoughby told.
Captain Allen was for a long time
captain Of lhe guards and is thorough
" familiar with the workings of the
penitentiary. If called before the in
vestigating committee, he could give
light on several dark spots, which at
present cannot be mentioned in the
papers.
''What do you think of the charg-
es of extravaganza and bad manage
ment2n asked The Herald.
1.-The penitentiary has been badly
managed ever since Colonel Talbert
left it. Tie first year Of Meals regime,
with the contracts Talbert had made,
Neal made good showing, but he has
not made a dollar since. I could
mention a great many instances of bad
management, but the main criticism |
have is the fact that he would send
convicts to his own farm in Ander-
son, to his brother-in law, Russell,
and to his cousins, when convicts
were needed on the farms, and the
farms the State worked on shares had
to hire day labor, while he let out con-
victs to private parties. This is great
abuse-this hiring convicts to individ-
uals, which Colonel Lipscomb tried to
get rid of and Colonel Talbert did
abolish, but Mr.. Neal has started it
afresh. Colonel Neal works convicts
on his farm in Anderson, lets his
brother-in law have them and other
relations. asked for more help on
the DeSaussure farm. The directors
ordered the convicts sent to me, but !
nave letter from Colonel Neal say
ing the convicts asked for would 60
70 Russell and Fretwell at Anderson
g AS to the charge of extravaganza,
says Captain Allen, I know this: In
his report for 1894, page 80, an item
which reads to 'sundry person, for
freight, wood, COWS, beef, etc., ST.
141.51.' Part of this Mr. Neal got
himself for COWS sold as an individual
to himself as superintendent at high,
er price than the directors authorized,
so I am told.
Eyes, Superintendent Neal and
could not agree, but I am not the only
man who could not get along with
him. His first book-keeper, Glenn,
up S25 per month of his salary. He
then got Burroughs, his relative, who
gave him $50 amonth of his salary for
five or six months, and then S25 a
month. He brought an old negro
there to drive the penitentiary carriage
and the pay roll shows him to draw
SIS month. As matter of fact, the
negro got 81, the IS going to Mr.. Neal
under the pretense of board, which
the penitentiary furnished
I do not know anything about
the peas Mr.. Willoughby says Neal
| shipped to his own farm, but do
know that about this time 1 was buy
ing peas for the DeSaussure farm.
:" AS to shoes, $500 pairs were paid
for when only 1000 convicts were to
use them I can only say that the
convicts l had only got one pair a
year. Neal told me to take the shoes
from the hoe hands and give them to
the plough hands. In pioughing in
bottoms and new grounds barefoot was
pretty rough.
Capt. Allen sad he knew great
deal more which he would tell If
forced, but he did not care to be quot
ed in the newspapers