The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-03-29
INVESTIGATION OF COL. NEAL.
Penitentiary Investigation Probe Gees
Little Deeper.
.D;spotch to Grecnrilic -Ncmx.


who asked that he be permitted to tes-
tify on Il question OF personal privl-
lege.
The report circulated the past few
days that he had received a car load OF
bricks from the pcnitcntialy was cr-
roneous, he 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 the manage
ment of the State farms, Mr.. GalTls
agreed, us the reports showed, that
during 1898 oats had been sold, bring
ing S4,495.7O. The published receints
showed that 81, 1906 had been turned
in as cash and there was owing on oats
S9G2.29, thus leaving a balance OF 50, :
033.7G not accounted for. When this
had been developed Mr.. Patton paid a
tribute to the board by these queries
ssDid you ever take occasion as a
member OF that board to examine into
what became OF that $4,000 or $4,000,
worth of oats that were sold, and sec
whether the penitentiary charged itself
with them and whether it had been
received in cashorif not whether notes
or other evidences of the indebtedness
were properly set out rs assets i'll max
inr the rcnOrtS as cash .'i
sDid yoll ever make any such exam
inatione' y
"Wcll, no sir; myself Idid not an
swered Nlr. Garris.
"Dil you ever know any other mcln-
Der of the board to make any such cx-
animation ?:
"Of course the board looked over the
books
"Do you appreciate now what ap-
pears to be very grave discrepancy in
that matter since your attention has
been called to it y
"leS, Sir
"And you had never suspected that
or discovered it before y
"Well, no SIR
"But don't you think it was your
duty as one who had been charged by
the State with the supervision of that
large institution to have so posted
yourself so that such q discrepancy. ii
there is one, could not have occurred,
and if there is not one so you could
have explained how it waso"
Mr. Boggs objected to this question,
Mr. Patton insisted. ChairmanStcven-
son overrulcd the objection and Mr..
Garris answered.:
sI have never been educated us Il
bookkeeper-never had any education
much in that line. | depended entirely
upon the reports made, butneither Alr.
Stevenson nor myself are bookkecpers,
and think you understand now. But
J. never went into such aclosc invcstl-
CATION as you all have. took it as we
had II bookkcepcr and superintendent.
l had the utmost confidence in their
keeping it straight and | never sls-
pected such Il thing. Now ! am only
one of the board you know. 1t that Is
an error ! had never discovered it
Capt Z. II. Wcsttield, former captain
OF the guard, was the only witness cX-
amincd in the afternoon. Hisbnslncss,
he stated, WAS to carry out orders. lie
said there was II pool table at the pen
itcntiary to offer inducements for the
guards to remain there. The table has
been there three years and WAS brought
from the asylum. There was furniture
made ut the pcnitcntialy BY l1avallc, Il
convict. Chairman Cunningham had
obtained a book ease, Mr. Garrls Il
washstantl. book case and other things,
MI. D. II. Tompkins a book case, MI.
Hardy !, table and Colonel Neal fnrll-
turc, book case, II bed and other
things but lie could not say they were
paid for. The board OF directors have
been entertained at the pcnitcntlary
free. During the past six years there
have been more visitors than ut any
time prior to that. The direc tors occll-
by rooms there when here and so do
visitors free. Governor Ellcrbc has
got coal and wood there the past two
winters but there is only one entry OF
any pay payment, sa40. The coal is
furnished the governor at actual cost
and wood ata small profit. lIcthought
this had been done FOR six years.
Coal and wood were always free Tor
Superintendent Neal since Wcstllcl'l
has been captain of the guards. The
superintendent has received wood and
coal free at his home during the past
three years. The superintendent has
also COTTON his lard, kerosene, hams,
sugar, soap, vegetables, milk and butt
ter from the pcntcntiary, and there is
no crcditfor them, and the books show
that they have not been paid for.
Convict labor has bccnfllrnisllcd free
ut the governors mansion. AMI also at
Col. Ncal'S house.
Captain Wcstiicl,l said it Was custo-
mary for the superintendent to get
free his wood and coal and vegetables,
milk and butter. Tie getting OF otllcl
provisions has only started in#thc#last
three years. He charged them on his
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