Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-03-09
AHDERSoH'S LABOR CONTRACTS.
The Grand Jury Recommends Thirteen lndct-
mentS

The Anderson grand jury. especially
charged by Judge Benet to investigate
the labor abuses existing in the county,
made it's report to a special term Of the
court, convened for the purpose on
Thursday.
The report Of the grand jury is quite
lengthy, and indicates that the work
has been complete and exhaustive.
The grand jury does not find that labor
abuses exist generally throughout the
county; but it finds a number Of very
aggravated cases, on half dozen or
more large farms. Among the farms
especially mentioned are those of J.
Belton Watson, A. T. Newell. P. B. AL
len, J. R. P. Miller, Elias MCGEE, w.
@. Hammond and J. S. Fowler. ]. Bel
ton Watson and P. B. Allen are exhon
Grated from having committed abuses,
although both have stockades and work
convicts. The worse abuses discovered
are described in the following para
graphs:
j. r. Miller formerly worked con-
yicts, but they were taken away by the
state and he now employs only free"
labor, If indeed we may use the word
free to describe those laborers who
have signed his contracts and subject
ed themselves to the conditions existing
on his farm. He has a stockade which
was originally built for his state con-
victs, and his contracts provide that
the free" laborers will work under
81 20 no
locked up at night.
Our first investigations at this place
were met by a statement from the Ne
groes that they were satisfied with
their treatment; but their manner indi-
Gated coercion and subsequently we
made further Investigations which
convinced us that ]. r. Miller and
l. his overseer, ]. A. Emerson, had been
guilty Of whipping Negroes, locking
them up at night, Of working them
under guard and putting shackles
upon them. Among these unfortunates
were John Harrison, Will Wright,
Warren Sloan and Lige Jones. We
found several Of Mr.. Miller's con-
and amount to be paid, though the
contracts were duly signed and wit
messed. In the case Of Warren Sloan
he seems to have been arrested by j..
r. Miller and another man whose
name we could not ascertain, near
Central in Pickens county; there Is
testimony that no warrant was exhib-
| tied, If any existed, but he was hand
cuffed and taken to Miller's stockade
and kept there until this investigation
began. Since our first visit to this
stockade he was turned loose and al
lowed to go home.
In r,..Yr1a q r IT,.
able case coming under our notice was
that of Elias McGee, who has never
employed state convicts; but who
built a stockade and prepared to treat
| his laborers as convicts His contracts
provide that the laborers shall be
worked under guard and locked up at
night, and there was abundant evil
dence to show that he had locked up In
| the stockade, worked under guard and
whipped his laborers. Among them
who suffered a part or all of these
abuses are Wesley Norman, Handy
Earle, Vance Smith, George Tilley, John
Clinkscales, Clarence Gailiard, Eyins
Webb, Louis Alexander, Morris Jor-
don. Some of the Negroes had been
arrested, and signed contracts after
being put under arrest. John Clink-
scales was accused by Elias McGee, Of
stealing corn, was brought to Ander-
son handcuffed, and after he had sign
| ed a contract, but without any trial,
was turned over to w. G. Hammond,
who carried him to the latters stock
ade.
The conditions on the farms Of w. G..
Hammond, j. S. Fowler and Willis
MCGEE were very much as described
above and the grand jury recommend
ed the indictment Of the following who
have been guilty as principals oragents
in violation Of the labor laws: j. r.
Miller, J. A. Emerson. Elias MCGEE,
w. G. Hammond, James Martin, VIM.
Bailey, John Day, Willis McGee, James
Cook, Levi Thomas, George Thomas,
Mike Robbins.
The grand jury calls especial atten-
ton to the fact that because Of the dis7
closures referred to above, there has
been a general disposition on the part
of laborers in all parts Of the county
to consider themselves absolved from
carrying out their contracts, and 1t
warns these laborers that they will
certainly be prosecuted and punished
unless they shall properly conduct
themselves.