The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-03-15
Is Given in Report Of AnderS'
County, S. C., Grand Jury.
MANY CONTRACTORS INDICTED
Presentments Sensational and
Show That Negroes Were Ille-
gally Held and Mistreated.

jury made its report Thursday to the
special term Of court on the abuses Of !
the labor contract system in the coun-
ty. The report sustains the allegation =,
made that where the system is used
virtual slavery exists. The jury found, g
however, that this method Of working
negroes was employed by only twentyi re-
men in the county and these werehsi
presented, and will be indicted, for =
false Imprisonment at the June term
of court. q
The free laborers have been whipp-
ed and shackled, and in one instance
a man was kidnapped in Georgia and
brought to a stockade in the county,
where he was worked until the grand
jury found him and he was set at lib
erty. The report was prepared by
committee of five and was adopted by
the full jury. 1t says in part:
GA. 7. Newell works state convicts
and has stockade, but he has worked
no free laborers along with the con-
victs until recently, when he has taken
two contracts of that sort. One of
these was the case of the unfortunate
negro, Will Hull, who was killed by
W. S. Newell few weeks ago,
81. r. Miller formerly worked con-
victs, but they were taken away by the
state and he now employees 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 exist
ing on his farm. He has a stockade
which was originally built for his state
convicts.
"On our first investigation at this
place we were met by statement from
the negroes that they were satisfied
with their treatment, but their man
ner indicated coercion, and subse-
quently we made further Investigation,
which convinced us that J. r. Miller
and his overseer, J. A. Emerson, had
been guilty of whipping negroes,
locking them up at night, of working
them under guard, and putting shack
les upon them,
In many respects, the most re-
markable case coming under our notice
was that of Elias MCGEE, who has
never employed state convicts, but
who built stockade and prepared to
treat his laborers as convicts. Some
of the negroes had been arrested and
signed contracts after being put under
arrest We think the grand jury
should make presentments against
Elias MCGEE, and we so recommend.
"W. @. Hammond runs large farm
in this county and employs consid-
cradle number both of state convicts
and free laborers. His contracts pro-
vide that the free laborers shall be
worked under guard and locked up at
night, and they suffer this illegal i'm
prisonment and more, for the evidence
shows that number of these unfortu-
mates have been worked under guard
5 and gun, have been locked up at night
and on Sundays, and have been'shack-
: ed and whipped. Several Of these,
y who had been indicted last fall for
gambling, had been taken out of jail
|, on bond by Mr.. Hammond and kept al
Il his farm without trial until this inves
tjgation began, when he surrendered
them to the sheriff.
''The negro, Tom Parks, whose case
Ut was called to the attention of the grand
IS. jury by the presiding Judge, was re
leased almost Immediately thereafter
S, He was then taken forcibly and with
out trial. under one of the harsh con
tracts above referred to, and confined
in the stockade and worked with thu
convicts and suffered the other sbuse
above mentioned until this investiga
ton was begun.
The report contains list of fire.
laborers who were whipped at variou
times, and recites an instance wher
one of them received one hundre,
lashes.
Judge Benet after reading the secre
evidence taken by the committee, sal
2 it contained ''pitiful details of lonl
z imprisonment, without even the mock
2 cry Of trial; whippings, kidnapings
d from one county TO another, and eYel
b from Georgia"
Y He declared the grand jury had hi
4 profound thanks, and those of tb
y state of South Carolina for the feal
y less, thorough discharge of their dut,
i He deprecated the unjust criticism
II OF northen newspapers, and declare
81 that South Carolina would not ser
al her dirty linen to q federal laundr
.A Ihe threat OF conversational inferfa