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

guard sDd putticg shsckles upon them.
ApoDg these unfostuuates were John
Harrison, VIII Wright, Warren Slosr
ard L:ese Jones'. We found several Of
Mr Miiler's contracts left blank as to
the tine of service and amount to be
pod, though the contracts were duly
sig?ed and witnessed.
Ia the case Of Warren Sloan he
seemed to have been arrested by J. r
Miller snd smother man, whose nsme We
ocu!d not ascertain, near Central, in
2 csens c:unty. There is testimony iha;
no na7rart'was exhibited, if any exi ted
but he was han6cufed ard tSken to Mil.
le7's stockaoe and kept there until this
Investigation begau. Since our first
visit 10 this stochaie he vas turned
looss and allowed to go home In our
judgement, the said J, R Miller and
j A. Emerson should be presented by
che grand jury for the ofanses above
mentiored, and We so recomus nd.
1 ELIAS MCGEE PLAN.
In many respects the most remark
able csse coming under our notice is
that of Elias Mcgee, who has never en-
ployeG State convictS, but who built a
stocks6e and prepared to trest his Ia
bore,s SIS convic's. His contracts pro
vide that the laborers shall be worked
under guard and locked up atnight and
there was abun6ant evidence to show
that he had locked up in the ssockade,
worked under guard and whipped his
laborers Among those who suffered q
part or all of these abusess were Wesley
Norm az. Hsndy Earle, Ya7c, Smith,
George Tllly, John ClinEscsles, Clsr-
ence Gsilliard, Evins Wood, Louis
Alexander, Morris Jordan. Some Of
these negroes had been arrested aud
signed contracts after being put under
arrest. John Ciiok Gales was accused
by Eias McGee Of stealing ezra, was
brought 10 Anderson handcuff d and
after he had s;goed 5 contract, but
without any trial, turned over to ". Z
Hammond, who carried him to the lat
ter's stockade. We think the grand
jury should make presentment against
Elias McGee, ard We so recommend.
W. Q Hammond runs a large farm
in this county sDd employs consiier-
able nun Der both Of State con7iots and
free" laborers. His contracts provide
that the free" ]aborers shall be worked
uader guard aDd locked up at night,
and they suffer this illegal imprison-
nent AID more, for the evidence shows
that num!er of these uDfortupates
have been worked under guard and gun,
have been locked up at night and on
Sundays and have ben shacklsd and
whipped. Among tboss who suf sred
these thiE gs at the hands Of Mr.. Ham
mond AID bis overseers, VIM. Bailey,
James Martin sDd Day, are the
folio wing: Ishsm Abercr omoie, 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.
rhey had been indicted last fall for
gambling, had heen taken out Of jill oa
bond by Mr. hammond and kept at his
farm without trial until the irvestiga-
tion began, when he surrendered them
back to the sheriff.
The uegro, 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 confn d in the ssocksde
worked with the convicts and suffered
the other abuses above mentioned IN
til this investigation vas 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 8 whipping Of
80 isshes By VIM. Bailey at the stock
ade.
We think that the facts disclosed de-
pard that W. Q. Hammond, James
Martin, VIM. Bsiley and--Day
should be presented by the grand jury
for the violation Of law s5ove mention
ed and We so recommend.
j.. S. Fowler, who first used the con.
tract providing for free laborers to be
treated as coRvic!s, worked under
gusrd, locked up, etc., employs con-
siderable number Of couvicts and also
Of the so-called ''free" laborers. He
has two stocksdes, 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" laborers have been
worked together under a guard who
carries gun, they have been locked
up at night and some Of them whipped.
There was no evidence Of any of them
having been shackled. Some Of them
had been accused Of trivial cEanses
and were put under contract to work
out debts or to repay money sdVanced
for them. James Evans, Baylis Arter,
Alonzo Lark, Frank Bowlan. John Bell,
Robert Brown, Foster Butler, Dan Hill,
Willis Harper, Joe Whitfield, Jim
Rice, John Gillian, Turner Walker,
Andrew Dobbs, Deck Freclsy and
Drayton Wheeler are soma Of the De-
groes who have been confined in MI.
| Fcw,er's stoakade.
Willis McGee, James Cook, Levi
Thomas, George Thomas and Mike
| Robbins should have presentments
made against them by the grand jury
for Whjps ing different ones Of these ne
groes. Willis McGee was especially
cruel. It was testified that he had
given the nergo Bsylis Ar;er 100 lashes
on ore occasion and that he whipped
Robert Brown most severely and
cruelty and on one occasion shot FIVE
times al Dtsyson Wheeler, one Of the
bullets passing through Wheeler's hat.
The testimony goes to show that
George Thomas shot at Dock Freeley
and that he was also ready at the whip
pings.