The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-21

Peter Hughes-was he a railroad lease
man. too?'
Wen, 1 don't think he knew or cared
anything about the railroad, one way or
the other The trouble was incompetence,
lack of discipline and fondness for the
women.
What women?'
The negro female convicts-he had
several on the farm These wenches were
very familiar with the old man and worse
with Harden I've seen them slap Hughes
on the shoulder, and one on each side
walk with him to the field. You know
he has only one arm; the negro woman
on that side would hold to that arm and
the one on the other side to his coat
sleeve Then there were many other in
discretions of all sorts, talking, smiling,
Joking and the like. Then the old man
took his favorite woman, Alix Morgan,
out of the stockade and had a room in
his own house fitted up for her.
Report said that there was something
wrong going on between them, / don't
know whether this was true or not.
Probably not, for Hughes is at heart
good man. though totally incompetent. He
had no discipline, whatever.
why, when I got there I found that
he not only had this woman sleeping out
side of the stockade, but another convict,
A. l.. Ripley, from A1amance, Hughes
county, was living in house outside and
keeping a double barrel gun to protect
himself.
The Cherokee Indian, a ten-year man,
was going about the woods wherever he
liked with a gun, hunting squirrels and
coons. u
1.-THE manager at the cotton gin had
been discharged, to save expenses, and
negro convict put in his place. This man
weighed cotton and managed the gin and
enioved all sorts of liberties. There was
nothing to prevent his getting all the
whiskey or anything else he wanted for
himself and his fellow convicts.
There was absolutely no discipline on
the farm.
'"'Then Capt. Hughes had some little
irregularities in his financial affairs.
don't believe there was any dishonesty
about it, but simply incompetence.
Zone morning he ordered me to let out
eighteen ccnvicts-Iive got their names
here in my poSket-at five o'clock in the
morning. in charge of his little thirteen
year-old son. I refused to do it. That
was the first serious conflict of authority
between US. told him he would wake up
some morning and find about forty mine
of his ffty-nne men gone and the other
ten going. He replied that he wouldn't
be afraid to take the whole gang and go
a-'possum hunting with them, and he
wouldn't lose a man.
Ibid Hughes drink
81 think not, though he acted at all
times like a drunken man. But l have
seen Harden drunk.
Was Harden pretty familiar with the
women. too?'
"'Oh. yes, worse than Hughes, / had
to call him down several times for talk
ing to them. One morning a convict re-
ported seeing him climb from the room
of Alx Morgan in Hughes house. For
this Harden whipped the man most I'M
mercifully l saw it. AS the man was
putting his clothes back on he told Har-
den that he had whipped him, but that
didn't change facts; that he did see him
(Harden) climb down from that window
and he (Harden) knew it.
lone night Harden bought a steak-of
course that is an extra dish He took
half of it and gave the balance to the
waiter, telling him to take it to Nancy
Carter, a negro convict. l refused to al
low it, and Harden got very mad
&" What is Hardens positions
"He is overseer. He was steward until
l went there
sIJov,, about Dr COGteO -
:" He's a fine fellow, a gentleman He's
from Gates county He was turned off
at the same time was
"It is learned from another source that
the Morgan woman is the same one DR..
John B. Person Che was physician at the
Caledonia farm under this administra-
tion) got into trouble about for intimacy
with negro female convicts. Further, it
is said that Hughes spent much of his
time ock-fghting. It is we'll known that
he frequently engaged in this sport while
a resident of Alamance, and it seems
that he has kept it up.
"a former employee on the farm also
says that Hughes told him and another
man that he (Hughes) was once indicted
for passing counterfeit money and it cost
him four hundred and seventy-five dollars
to get ont of If hv coDnroOiS@n