The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-28
GARRIS ON THE GRIDDLE
THE PENITENTIAKY INyESTiG \TION
PROBE GOES a LIr1L DEEPEK
From BrIck To Oats An"thrr Two Thous-
and Dol,a,E Mia irg Prnv,rinns, Fool
and Laundry work toa tho Governor
and Colonel Neal
Especial to Greenville News. I

resumed ltS SESSION tOIay ana tho |
first witness was S. p. j. Garris |
member Of the board Of penitentiary
directors, who asked that he be per
mitted to testify on a question of
personal privilege.
The report circulated the past |
few days that he had received car
load Of bricks from the penitentiary
was erroneous, bo said The car
consisted of brick bats which had |
been rejected. He tried to sell
them but could not, owing to their
worthlcssness.
When questioned about tho man.
agement Of the State farm, Mr.. Gar
ris, agreed, as the reports showed,
that during 1898 oats had been sold,
bringing $4,4O5. 70. Tho published
receipts showed that 81 1905 had
been turned in dis cash and there
was owing on oats SSG2.20, thus
leaving balance of $2,033.7G not
accounted for. When this had been
developed Mr.. Patton paid tribute
to the board by these queries:
"Did you ever take occasion as
member Of that board to examine
into what became Of that $1,000 or
| 5000, worth of oats that were sold,
and see whether tho penitentiary
charged itself with them and
whether it had been received in cash
or if not whether notes or other evi-
dencos of the Indebtedness were
properly set out rs assets in making
the reports as cash ?''
did you ever make any such ex-
aminatiou?"
"Well, no sir; myself l did not"
answered Mr.. Garris.
"Did you ever know any other
member of the board to make tny
such examinatit n?"
"Of course the board looked over
the books"
"Do you appreciate now what ap-
pears to be very grave discrepancy
in that i .tor since your attention
has been called to it ?"
eyes, sir"
"And you had never suspected
that or discovered it before?"
"Wcll, no sir"
"But don't you think it was your
duty ns one who had been charged
by tho State with the supervision Of
that large institution to havo SO
posted yourself SO that such a dis
crepancy, if thcre is one, could not
have occurred, and if there is not
one 80 you could have explained
, how it was?"
Mr.. Boggs objected to this ques
ton Mr. Patton insisted. Char
| man Stevenson over ruled tho OBJ
lection and Mr. Garris answered:
/ 81 have never been educated as ,
bookkoeper- never had any educa
l ton much in that linc | depended
l entirely upon the reports made, bu
neither Mr.. Stevenson nor mysel
/ are boollkeepers, and | think yo'
o understand now But | mover wen
o into such Il close investigation a
J. you all have. | took it as wo had
t bookkeeper and superintendent.
}. had the utmost confidence in thei
y keeping it straight and | never sns
= pectod such q thing. Now [ al
n only one of the board yon know. /
o that is an error | had mover 6isco>
J erod it."
Il Capt. E. II. Westicld, former cay
tain Of the guard, was tho only wi
ness examined in the Afternoon
His business, he stated, was to carr
10 out orders. He said there was
pool table at the penitentiary to otfe
Inducements for the guards to #
l. main there. Tho table has boc
y. thero three years and was brougl
10 10 from tho asylum. There was fnrn
0 o cure made at the penitentiary |
Lay, lie, convict. Chairman Gu
10 ningham had obtained book cas-
Mr.. Garris washstand, book ca
10 and other things, Mr.. d. IT. Tom
m,n m kins book case, Mr. Hardy a tat
Mt and Colonel Neal furniture, bo
he case. q bed and other things but