Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-08-12
aeliseellaneous 8eading.
MAKES REPORT.
FURTHER ACTION NOW DEPENDS ON
THE GOVERNOR.
LETTERS FROM TILLMAN AND EVANS

Colonel Neal Said to be Short S11 900
Management of the Penitentiary I'm.
businesslike-Several Outsiders Owe Ac-
counts That They Should Pay.
Columbia Record, Tuesday.
The penitentiary investigating com,
mittee's report was made public today.
1t consists of 20 long pages of type
written matter and goes into all the
details Of the investigation. They
make no recommendations as to what
shall be done, leaving that to the dis
cretion of the governor and attorney
general. Neither of these officials are
in the city.
Following is synopsis of the i'm
portant parts of the report:
As to the general financial affairs of
the penitentiary, the committee states
that they found the affairs not at all
creditable. The directors knew little,
too little, of the affairs of the institu.
ton, and were subservient to the will
of the superintendent. The fact that
there were $4,000 worth of Ragsdale
notes in the bank, representing con-
vict hire for two years on Meals place,
while the directors thought that it had
been paid, showed that their knowledge
was superficial. The fact that they
paid him $40 month for stable rent
for over six years and allowing pen
itentiary horses to stand in the stable,
which Colonel Neal used for his own
benefit, is another evidence of the
somnolence of their faculties in ap-
proving accounts. There is no law
authorizing directors keeping a lot of
horses for the use of the superinten-
dents family, and this was unwarran-
ted extravaganza.
Custom of entertaining at the peni-
tentiary grew up largely under Mr..
Neal. Crowds ate there free, making
the taxpayers their hotel keepers.
The board of directors set the exam
pie by boarding themselves there.
This rule has been changed, as the
board of directors now live in the city.
The institution came to be considered
a place where any accommodation
could be had.
We find that articles produced at
the pcuitentiary have been given
away, such as bookcase to Congress
man Latimer, furniture to D. H.
Tompkins and Thos. J. Cunningham,
and S. P. J. Garris, and Senator Till
man got a car load of brick. Tillman
says Neal gave him the brick but
Neal says he sold to him. Neal now
processes he is ready to pay for most
of these articles. Mr.. Garris also got
carload of brickbats, some pigs and
turnips. Mr.. Garris has been anxious
to settle the pig bill but could not
have it made out but the other articles
were mere presents.
Further, Neal allowed the govern
ors of the state, during his administra.
ton, to get such things as they desired
and neither presented the bill for them
nor placed them in the assets on the
books. Neal himself took supplies to
large extent at low price and never
paid for them. The superintendent
was furnished free coal and wood.
This is not allowed by law and is
merely device to increase his salary.
Neal and EIlerbe both had their wash
ing done at the laundry at the peni-
Tertiary. 1t is disagreeable to refer to
these matters but if the governors
salary is too small, it should be in.
creased by the general assembly and
not supplemented by the penitentiary.
A public officer, because he is a public
officer, has no more right to the pro-
perty of the state than the humblest
citizen. We think the penitentiary
authorities should at once find out the
value of the things thus given away
and present the bills to parties to whom
the things were given, many of whom
have expressed willingness to pay for
them.
The management has been receiving
favors and granting them in return.
Hon. J. w. Ashley furnished trans.
portation to the officials, and in return
his horse was boarded at the peniten-
tiary, during the session of 1898. This
may be convenient; but it is not busi-
ness.
Another unbusinesslike matter was
the contract with the knitting mill
company. They give the mill a 25-
horse power motor, paid the electrical
company for a 25-horse power and
charged the mill only for what power
is used. They have not settled in five
years and have not even put in me-
ter to tell how much has been used.
AS to Meals financial transactions
and his moral obliquity in the matter,
in the face of the plain spirit of the
law, he arranged with his kinsman and
creditor, J. Belton Watson, procured
him convicts to work his farm in An
derson, and the net proceeds, after pay
ing for convict labor and farm ex-
penses, should be applied to his debt to
Watson. He thus indirectly hired the
convicts for himself, which is contrary
to the plain intent of the law.
The committee then went into the
details of the transactions between
Watson and Neal, and show that all