The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-03-13
HELD IN SLAVERY.
Result .ofths Investigation Of ths
Andersen Grand jay.
A PLAIN RECTAL OF FACTS
Direct Charges Prsferrso Rg inst
Those Guilty Of False
lmpr!sonmen ano
OF EarbaritY.

The special Committee o. tie Ander-
son County Grand Jury sppointed BY
Judge Bsnet to Investigate certain
charges against lsrge land owners in
that coanty made its report last Thurs
day to tie court.
The conmittee/sa says that in the case
Of MAGISTRATE J. }. Gilmer VIC find that
for some tine past be hss been in the
habit of issuing warrants and causing
arrests and frequently committing as
cused prisons to Jail without ever enter
ing the case upon his d,cket. This is
especially true where the cases have
been comprom: 4 after the arrests
were made. Y ind that from Sept
Is, 1899, to Jan. -, 1901, be made
payment to the county treasurer Of a
number Of fines and items Of costs col
lecte6 By bin, hut that during that time
he collected through the sherif's ch,e
alone $34 so, which properly belongs
to the county and failed to pay them
over to the ceuoty tre asurer as required
By law. He also cole tied $19 50, which
he failed to turn over.
We ind that Feb. 19, 1901. after this
investigation was begun, the said j. j.
Gilmer paid to the county treasurer the
sum Of $500 to cover these amounts
While We have not been permitted, for
the lack Of time, to make full inVes
tigstion Of all the irregularities Of this
Office, We are convinced he has been
guilty Of the grossest Irregularities,
and We would suggest that complete
investigation Of his books and accounts
Should be had and that he should be
presented for nisappropriation Of the
funds so collected by him.
THE FATE OF WILL HULL
Regarding the arrest Of the Negro
Will Hull, which you were dire cted by
the court to investigate, We ind that
warrant was issued by Magistrate
Gilmer for the arrest Of this Negro
upon an affidavit Of A. r. Newell,
charging him for violation of labor
contract, and that w. S. Newell, a
brother Of the prosecutor, was depu-
tizsd By the Magistrate to serve said
warrant; that the constable SO depu
tizsd requested the deputy sheriff, J.
A. DillinghaD, to 60 along with him
and assist in making the ssid arrest
and representing that said Hull would
probably create trouble when arrested
and that the assistance Of the deputy
sheriff would be needed.
The arrest was made on Fridsy night
and the Negro was brought to Anderson
on the same night. The deputy sheriff
suggested that the prisoner be taken to
jail, but the Negro said that he would
prefer to 90 on with W. S. Newell, and
that MIR. Newell informed the deputy
that the magistrate had instructed him
that he should carry the prisoner on
home with him.
Subsequently the magistrate was in
formed by the prosecutor that the case
had been compromised and that the
Negro had agreed to stay with him and
work out his contract. The rest Of the
facts were brought out in open court.
We exone-ate the deputy sheriff from
sll blame in the matter.
The principal work Of this commit
tee has been the investigation Of the
stockades of the county and the abuses
of laborers under tyrannous contracts
that has grown out of the farming cut
of convicts snd the working Of free
laborers with them, We have taken
the testimony Of more than 80 persons
that Of the landlords, their overseers
and guards, together with large
number Of laborers and few other
citizens. In tbeee investigation We
have been treated with every courtesy
and generally We have found no dispo
sition to obstruct our work upon the
part Of those whose farms and stock
ade- ne visited.
a moss careful inquiry failed to re-
veal that any general abuse Of the Ia'
boring class exists in this county, SC
that our work soon narrowed down te
those places where stockades exlste q
and free labcrers were employed. W.
visited the farms of j. Bolton Watson.
A. T. Newell, P. B. Allen, J. r Miller
Elias Niece, W. Q Hammond and j
s. Fowler.
THESE EXoNERATED.
We were unable to fnd any abuse:
asthe farm Of j. B. Watson. He has
stocksde and Rorks free laborers also
but We found no evidence that free Ia
borers we're put in the rtockaies a1e
worked in line with the conViets, o,
subjected to any illegal restraint O.
abuse.
The same thing was true at the farm
Of ?. B. Allen. We found that he hsc
taken two contracts in which the Ia
borers agreed to work under guard anc
be locked up at night. but his own ev
ideucs and that Of all the. laborers 81
far as ne could ascertain, was tha
these provisions had never been en-
forced.
a. T. Newell works State convict
and has stockade, but he has worked
no free laborers along with the con
vicss recently, when he hiss taken tW'
contracts Of that sort. One Of thes'
was the case of the unfortunate NegE:
Will Hull, who wss killed by ". S
Newell 9 few weeks ago and who's
case is referred to above.
''FREE LABoR!'
J. R. Miller formerly worked con
7icts, but they were taken away by tht
State. and he now employs only ''frea'
labor, if indeed We may use the Woe
free to describe those la5orers VIII
have signed his contracts aud subj 4cte'
themselves to the conditions e1istin
on his farm. He has stockade Whlc
was originally built for his State cor
vicss snd his contracts provide that tn
free" lsborers will work under gusr
and will allow themselves locked up a
o;chE