The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-03-13

! them up at night, working ITEM urd, r
guard sDd puttirg shsckles upon them.
Anopg these unfortuustes were John
Harrison, VIII Wright, Warren Sloan
AID L;ese Jones. We found several Of
Mr. Muler's contracts left blank as to
the tine Of service aod amount to be
POD, though the contracts were duly
sigaed and witnessed.
! Ia the case Of Warren Slosh, he
seemed to have been arrested by J. 4
Miller snd another man, whose nsne We
ocu!d not ascertain, near Central, IN
2 csens c3unty. There is testimony that
10 aacrart'wss exhibited, if any exi-ted,
but he was handcufed ard taken to Mil
ler's stockade and kept there until iris
Investigation begau. Since our first
visit to this stochaie he vas turned
looss and allowed to 90 home In our
judgement, the saii ). R Miller and
j A. Emerson should be presented by
the grand jury for the effanses above
mentioned, and ne so recommen nd.
ELIAS MCGEE PLAN.
In many respects the most remslk
able case coming under our notice is
that Of Elias Mcgee, who has never EN-
ployed State convicts, but who built
stocksde and prepared to treat his Ia
bore,s as convic's. His contracts pro
vide that the laborers shall be worked
under guard and locked up atnight and
tsere was abundant evidence to SHOW
that he had locked up in the ssockade,
worked under guard and whipped his
labo1ers Among those who suffered
rsrt or all of these abusese we're Wesley
Noruao. Hsndy Earle, Ya1c, Smith,
George Tllly, John Clinkscales, Clsr-
ence Gsilliard, Evins Wood, L?uis
Alexander, Morris Jordan. Some OF
these negroes bad been arrested aud
signed contracts after being put under
arrest. John CiiDk Gales was accused
by E'ias McGee of stealikg era, 'Eas
brought 10 Anderson hsndcuff ID and
after he had s;goed 8 contract, but
without any trial, turned over to W. q
Hammond, who carried him to the lat
ter's stocksde. We think tie grand
jury should make presentment against
Elias McGee, and We so recommend.
W. @ Hammond runs a large farm
in this county sDc. employs consiler.
able nun Der both Of State convicts and
free" lsborers. His contracts provide
that the free" laborers shall be worked
ulder guard and Locked up at night,
snd they suffer this illegal imprison-
ment ard mere, for the evidence shows
that num!er OF these upfortupates
have been worked under guard and gun,
nave been locked up at night and on
Sundays and hsve ben shacklsd and
whipped. Among tboss who suf ered
these thiz gs at the hands Of Mr.. Ham
mond AID bis overseers, VIM. Bailey,
James Martin ard Day, are the
folio wing: Ishsm Abercronoie, Pink
Rogers, James Clinton, John Hevey,
Tom Parks, Charley johnson and John
Cllnkscsles. Several o. these were in
jail at the time Of our examination.
They hsd been indicted last fall for
gan bling, had been taken out Of jail on
bond By Mr Ham mond and kept at his
farm without trial until the irvestiga-
tion began, when he surrendered them
back to the sheriff.
The Degro, Tom Parks, whose case
was called to the attention of the grand
jury by the p1e'idirg judge, was re,
Leased almost Immediately thereafter.
He was taken forcibly and without trial
under oae Of the labor contracts above
referred to and con6n d in the ssocksde
worked with the convicts and suffered
the other abuses above mentioned IN
til this investigation was begun. We
learn that perhaps score Of other Is
borers held under similar contracts
have left this farm during the Iast few
weeks. Ore OF them, Pink Rogers,
states that he was given whipping Of
so isshes by VIM. Bailey at the stock
a6e.
We think that the facts disclosed de-
nard that ". @, Hammond, James
Martin, VIM. Bailey and---Dsy
should be presented by the grand jury
for the violation OF Law above mention
ed and we so recommend.
J.S Fowler, who first used the con.
tract providing for free laborers to be
treated as coRVic4s, worked under
guard, locked up, ETC., employs con-
siderable number Of couvicts and also
Of the so-called ''iree" laborers. He
has two stockades, one Of which is un-
der the supervision Of James Cook and
which was formerly managed by Willis
McGee. The other is under the charge
of Levi Thomas. At these farms the
coD7icts and ''free" lsborers have been
worked together under guard who
carries gun, hey have been locked
up at night and some Of them whipped.
There was no evidence Of any Of them
having been shaokled. Some Of them
had been accused Of trivial cfsnses
and were put under con.racs to work
out debts or to repay money sdVsnced
for them. James Evans, Baylis Arter,
Alonzo Lark, Frank Bowlsn. John Bell,
Robert Brown, Foster Butler, Dan Hill,
Willis Harper, Joe Whitfield, Jim
Rice, John Gillian, Turner Walker,
Andrew Dobbs, Deck Freelsy and
Drayton Wheeler are some Of the re-
groes who have been confined in Mr..
| Fcw,ec's stoakade.
Willis McGee, James Cook, Levi
Thomas, George Thomas and Mike
| Robbins should have presentments
made against them BY the grand jury
for whipping different ones Of these ne
gJoes. Willis McGee was especially
cruel. It was testified that he had
given the nsrgo Bsylis Ar:er 100 lashes
on ore occasion and that he whipped
Robelt Brown most severely and
cruelty and on one occasion shot five
times at Drsyton Wheeler, one Of the
bullets passing through Wheelsr's hst.