Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-07-10
CARE OF CoNyICTS
APPS Attention is Now Directed to
States Prisoners.
HE is VERY DEEPLY CONCERNED,
Reports of the Officials mt the Camps
Have Been Read By the Barlow
Philosopher.

Next in Importance to the education
Of the children OF the state comes the
care of the convicts. the lunat!cs and
the deaf and the blind. These are
charges, fixed charges that rest every
where upon the citizens and taxpayers
and cannot be avoided. a careful per-
usal of the last reports of the officers
OF these institutions given us deep con-
Germ for their inmates are increasing
faster than population and tn S in
crease indicates a growing degeneracy
in mental, physical or moral condition
of our people. These reports give much
interesting matter for there is hardly
q state in the union where similar in.
stitutions are SO ably and faithfully
Differed. We are especially fortunate
in having such a capable and expert
enced man as DR.. Powell at the head
of our sanitarium. The appreh ensoI
is that when he dies we cannot fill h.s
place for we cannot lind n man who has
both his ability and his long expert
ence. The same can be said of Profes-
sor Connor, in charge of the school for
the deaf These two are veterans in the
service and have by their long and
faithful work allayed ali public anxiety
about those institutions.
But why should so many more chill
dren be born deaf and dumb than for
merly. and why should 50 many more
people become insane? Only n few
years ago Professor Connor reported
los, and now he has 215 in charge. Do
folks keep on marrying their cousins
and will the law keep on allowing it?
AS to the sanitarium. there seems 10
iroin Of t6 n MD
increase and as fist as more room is
provided more still is wanted.
DR.. Powell reports that on October
/. 1900 there were 1.700 whites anl 742
colored on hand. and the new appl!ca-
tions now average about six per day
OF course many die and II is a comfort
to know that many recover their rea-
son and are discharged. Two hundred
and fifty-rine whites and ninety-fou:
negroes were discharged last year. One
hundred and fifty-siX whites and lSG
negroes died. The doctor gives pleasant
and easy employment to all who can
and are willing to work. He is phil
osopher of my own kind. for he says
that he has found that work manual
labor, Is more conducive to restorat on
and contentment than any other med!-
cine. Gardening, sewing, washing, can
ming fruits. etc, is done on large
scale Much more OF this is done than
formerly and the report shows an inn
mense business. Just think of last
years work. 900 aprons. 1000 bed
ticks. s ,0G0 chemise. 1900 calico dresses
ZOO homespun dresses, 200 pair draw
ers. 4 500 pillow cases. 5000 pair pants,
$500 shirts, / 600 undershirts. and
quilts by the score-crazy quilts SIP
pose-making a total of over 10000 ar
ticles made by crazy women. Good
gracious, what an industrious female
family the doctor has got. In this way
he has greatly reduced the cost OF
maintenance and brought down the
per capita TO SIT. But on the other
hand he had to be continually repair
ing or replacing something for he says
Insanity means destruction and that
the tendency OF a large number OF pa
tients is to destroy furniture. crockery
bedding. clothing. lights. sash, and
sometimes tear their rooms to pieces.
Now just imagine what an army OF
lunatics we have CartersvilIe is quite
a large little country town of $500 peo
pie but three-fourths OF them are chill
dren under age. We have only about
500 grown-up people who are fit 10 be
luI ttltSs DUl uCit at NIAt SsAA'1h' A'i'
arc three times as many. and the mum
ber increasing every year.
But the report of the prison commits
sion gives us most anxiety. for that
concerns crime and involves the safety
of our people from the lawloss whC
fear not God nor regard man. The
maintenance of the sanitarium cost:
the State 1915. 900 annually. but there
Il, ol,
the convicts. They cost e State moth
ing after the trial. but on the contrary
they bring in a considerable revenue
and under the new system this revenue
Is rapidly increasing. General Evans
Mr.. Eason and Mr.. Turner inaugarate.
this system only two years ago and i
has already proved a signal success
The State now has the absolute con
troll of all it's convicts and has pur
chased large farm near Milledgev!lle
where the old men and the boys and nj
the women are kept. Under the ski
full management of Mr.. oster the farm
pad well the first year and the con
victs are nearly as happy as they were
in old slavery times. Most of the alb e
bodied convicts are leased TO farmer!
at good prices. but the State provide:
guards and medical attention.
Here is ; other army of $500 to locl
after, but these are not all. There arc
1850 more at work in the county
chaingangs. making a total OF 4650 o
whom 35S are white. ten are white anC
2l5 are negro women.
OF the State convic, for felony 90I
are guilty of murder or manslaughter
9l5 for burglary or robbery or larceny
237 for the usual crime. The rest ar,
for most any other crime in the cata