The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-03-13


era and few other citizens. In these |
we have been treated |
with every courtesy and generally we |
have found no disposition to Obstruct |
our work upOri the part of those whose |
farms and stOckades we visited. A |
most careful inquiry failed to reveal |
that any general abuse Of the laboring |
class exists in this county, SO that our
work soon narrowed down to those |
places where convicts were employed
ana fo t"S 01hoI places wnere stock |
ades existed and free laborers were
employed. We visited the farms of J.
Bolton Watson, A. T.. Newell, p. B.
Allen, j. K. Miller, Elias McGee, w.
q. Hammond and ). s. Fowler.
at the farm Of 3. Waa..ssooa iie mas
Q stOckade and works free laborers,
but ,we found no evidence that the
free labOrCrS were put in the stOckades
or worked in line with the convicts or
subjected to any illegal restraint or
abuse. The Same thing was true ct
the farm Of p. 3. Allen. We found
that ne had taken two contracts in
which the lab0rers agreed to work un-
der guard and be locked up at night.
but his own evidence and that of all
the labOrers go far as We could nscer-
tain wns that these provisions had
never been enforced. A. II. New
ell works State convicts and has
stockade, but he has worked no free
laborere alonS with tho convicts until
recently, when he has taken two con
the case of the unfortunate negro,
Will Hull, who was killed by w. S.
Newell few weeks ago, and whose
case is referred to above. j. II. Mil
Ter formerly worked convicts, but
they were taken away by. the State
and he now employs only "free"
labor, it indeed we may use the word
have signed his contracts and subject
ed themselves to the conditions exist
ing on his farm. He has u stockade
which was originally built for his
Stats cOnvicts. and his contracts
provide that the 'free" laborers will
work under guard and will allow
themselves locked up at night. Our
first Investigations ut this place were
met by a; statement from the ne
treatment, but their manner indicated
coercion and subsequently we made
further investigation which convinced
us that j. Il. Miller and his Ovcrseer,
j. A. Emerson, had been guilty Of whip
ping negroes, locking them up al night,
of working them under guard and put.
ting shackles upon them. Among those
WCIc COUu I1ttIIISOH,
Will Wright, Warren Sloan and Ligc
Jones. We found several of Mr.. Mil
ler's contracts left blank us TO timc of
service and amount to be pnid though
the contracts were duly signed and
witnessed. In tho cnse of Warren
Sloan he seems to have been arrested
by J. r. Miller and another man
whose name wc could not ascertain
near Central, i'll Piclsens county. There
is testimony that no warrant was ex-
hlbited il any existed. but he was
handcuffed and taken to Miller's stock
ade and kept there until this investi-
CATION began. Since our first visit to
this stOckade he was turned loose and
allowed to go home. In our Judgment
the said j. r. Miller and j. A. EN-
erson should be presented by the
grand jury for the offences above men-
toned and we so recommend.
In many respects the most remark
able case coming under our notice
was that OF Elias McGee, who has
never employed State conviots, but
who built q stockade and prepared to
treat his lsborers as conviots. His
contracts provide that tho laborers
shall be worked ander guard and lock-
ed up at night, and there was abun-
dant evidence to show that he had
der guard and whipped his laborers.
Among those who suffered q part or
all of these abuses nre Wesley Nor
.nan, Hnntiy Earle, Vance Smith,
George Tilley, John Clinkscnlcs, Clar-
ence Gailliard, Evans Webb, Louis
Alexander, Morris Jordan. Some of
these negroes had been arrested and
signed contracts after being put under
arrest John Clinkscales was accused
bv Elias MCGEE OF stealing corn, was
brought to Anderson handouffCd, and
after he had signed u contract. but
without any trial was turned over to
w 9. Hammond, who carried him to
the latter's stockade. Wo think the
grand jury should make presentment
against Elias McGee and I'VE so recon-
mend.
20. Hammond runs a large farm
in tins county and employs consider
able number both OF State convicts
and "free" laborers. His contracts
provide that the "free" laborcrs
shall be worked under guard and lock-
cd up at night and they suffer this il.
legal imprisonment and more, for the
evidence shows that number o1 these
unfortunates have been worked under
guard and gun, have heen locked up
at night and on, Sundays, and have
Dccu siIaChlott uuQ Whirlpool. Among
those who suffered these things Mt the
hands of Mr.. Hammond anil his over
seers, William Bailey. James Martin
and day, are the following: Ish.
am Abercrombie. Pink Rogers, James
Clinton, John Hewey, Tom Parks.
Charley Johnson and John Clink-
scales. Several Of these were in Jail
at tho time Of our examination. They
had been indicted Inst fall for gam
bling, had peen taken out Of jail on
bond by Mr.. Hammond and kent at
his farm without trial until this in
vestigation began, when he surren-
dered them back to the sheriff. The
negro, Tom Parks, whose case was
called to the attention of the grand
Jury bv the presiding Judge, was re-
leased almost Immediately thereafter.
He was taken foroibly and without
trial under oua OF the harsh contra ctu