The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-17

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case OF Hon. J. w. Ashley is in point.
ne furnished transportation for the Of
nc)als, making no charge; in return
his horse WAS boarded at the peniten-
tlary during the session Of 1898 OF the
Legislature. While this MAY be very
convenient, 1t is not business. II Mr..
Ashley's favors were worth receiving
they should be worth paying for, and
likewise the board OF the horse is
worth paying for. This free and easy
method OF balancing one against the
other will render 1t impossible to as
certaln at any given time the liabli-
ties OF the penitentiary. No one will
be able to ascel tain what the unre-
turned favOrs received at the hands OF
the friends of the superintendent arc
worth, nor when the institution will be-
called upon to board man or horse in
return. 1t amounts to u reciprocity
treaty between the superintendent and
his friends, which may involve the in.
stitution in endless liability and ex.
pense. It should be stopped. Another
unbusinesslike feature OF the msr age
ment is the contract OF the institution
with tho knitting mil company In the
penitentiary. They give the mill 20
morse power motor and pay the elec-
trical company for 70 horse power and
are to charge the mill only what power
1T uses. Tney have not settled in five
years and haven't aven put in q meter
to be able 10 tell how much power has
been used. Now, the mill company
wants to settle at 10 horse power. The
directors don't know what was used
and have paid FOR rs horse power. This
is unbusineeslike and negligent, in our
opinion. Now, as to Mr.. Meals tinan.
cial transactions and his moral obii-
guilty in the matter. Ia the first place,
In tho face Of the plain spirit OF the
law he arranged as soon as he became
superintendent to have his kinsman
and creditor, J. Bolton Watson, take
charge OF his plantation in Anderson
County and procured for him convicts
to work 1t and agreed that the net pro-
ceeds, after paying for tho convict labor
and the farm expenses, should be ap,
piled to his debt to Watson, and he
was thus to got the advantage OF all
profit made by tho convicts labor, indi.
| rectly hiring them'to himself. The law
enjoins upon him the duty of watching
those who nire cOnvicls, preventing op-
preston and enforcing the rule that
| they shall be- humanely treated care.
fully attended by physicians and not
required to labor more than ton hours
q day, nor on Sundays and holidays.
Sections 56G and 5G9 Vol. 2, Rev. Stats.
Of 1898.
The plain intent of the law is that he
shall not hire them to himself, directly
or indirectly, or be personally inter
ested In the amount of work done. The
net proceeds being his, tho tendency
would be to give Watson the best Ia
Dor, work 1t over time and report as
much lost time as possible. Having
run under this contract for the years
1893, 1894, 1898, he had his debt re-
duced as a result from SIT 900 to $l4.
900 (See Exhibit H). Tnen he took a
contract from Watson (Ex. H) whereby
exclusive control was roturned TO him,
Watson (See Ex. G), and no bond wae
taken from Watsou. This WAS plainly
done to mislead the board OF dircctors
as be frankly admits that they would
not have hired them to,him. Thus he
, became the master, the contractor In
TACT, with Watson as stalking horse
All the profits Injured to his benefit
Instead Of paying the State for the con
y1ct hire for 1896 he took q WORTHLESS,
note OF his foreman, one Ragsda!e, and
endorsed 1t as superintendent of the
penitentiary, borrowed money on Il
and returned 1T as cash received. The
note has never been paid and the bank
threatens the penitentiary with suit
for ". The came thing occurred ir
1897 with another Ragsdale note and
In 1893 no pretence Of payment has
been made. The net proceeds of the
farming operations for 1896 aud 1885,
were paid to Dir. Watson on Mr.. Neapi
, debt to him, except 81 465.S5, for which
Mr.. Neal gave Watson a receipt az
, superintendent, and which was not
surLed into the treasury, but which
: is covered by one OF the ltagsdale notes
. Tha Stata n a haen laft ont fOr tho on
, tire three years and In 1898 neither
Watson nor the State has baen paid
anything. In November, 1895, Mr.
! Neal collected OF v. .. Hammond $500
: on convict hire, which he kept an(
used. In December, 1895, he collected
!. from Cooley Il Fowler $500 convic
q hire, which also used. In Febru
d sry, 1897, he collected from these tw
r firms over $4,000 and deposited to hi
o own crsdit and used $536.05 Of the same
o He collected from J. j. Fretwell S387.l
Q lie gave . check to the bookkeeper 70
e $l72 TO balance his account for cash |
Il hand and there WAS nothing in ban
s to pay 1t and 1t has not been paid
IL He took d note OF w. w. Russell TO
Q 5000 for his own accommodation an
= endorsed 1t 40 superintendent OF tn
/. penitentiSry and placed 1t In bank, an
# 1t has never been paid, the bank
l. after tho penitentiary for the monoy
D. and MIR. Neal admits that he is liabl
20 therefor. He collected $40 stabl
d rent, which was unauthorized, bu
10 which he claims was allowed by tn
=, uv.~d OF directors, which they don.
Of and W. 'ch appears to have been al
n, proved II the prison pay roll. He hi
" gotten supplies from the popitontiar
p for which ho has not paid, amountin
g to s03829. His family washing h,
Id not been paid for and ho got o carlos
n OF cotton seed to plant, which h
-. should pay for. All these matters, Il
10 ken with presents OF State propert
at to his frionds and his having his supe
g. intendent, Rsgsdale, to furnish tt
nd COWS TO tho openitentiary st big prOf
OF which profit Mr.. Neal got, his keepir
nd open house for his friends at the per
es tentiary at TIE States expense, stan
| , laR Bot t,,A