The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-08

performed ny COllFICtS Ouly.
These are unencumbered by
chain or shackles, and move
with the same freedom Of limb
as, but with greater alacrity
perhaps, than their more fortu-
nate fellow men Of the outside
world. Their demeanor is much
the same as that on any other
we'll conducted plantation and,
though their onerous toll is pro
ftless to them and with not a
prospect of betterment or ray of
hope this side of their time limit
or sentence, yet there is seem
ingly a cheerful resignation to
their fate. This is one of the
results of strict, but just and
humane treatment meted out by
the managers, and the conse-
quence is there have been but
very few attempts to escape,
and from one of these farms no
escape or attempt made in many
months. Yet: save where the
gangs may be working en- masse,
there is neither guard nor shack
le. and a number of TRUSTEES,
who must needs do odd chores
and perform various errands,
are often out of range and reach
of surveillance.
One of these TRUSTEES is a some
what unique case. 1t is that of
':Uncle Bob," as he is familiarly
known at the farm. He has also
been styled 1.-THE Edgefeld Elk
termlnator" by the newspapers.
Bob Jones (white) was so unfort-
unate as to have killed three
men, father and two sons, named
Presley, several years ago. He
stood six trials in his home coun-
ty Of Edgefeld without con.
viction, and only after change OF
of venue to Lexington county
was he at last convicted and
sentenced to twenty-one years
at hard labor, after having un-
dergone six years imprisonment
in the county jail. He is on the
downward grade of life, has
served eleved years of his SEN
tence, a docile, useful prisoner.
Uncle Bob's blue eyes and mild,
cordial manner would give fiat
denial to the harsh term ''ex
terminator." He is in charge
of some of the animals on the
farm, among them the kennel OF
ood-hounds, and they are all
attached to him and manifest a
love for him and he for them.
The most timid might look into
Uncle Bob's' face and trust him
implicitly; only they might not
decide it safe perhaps to trespass
upon his lands, after repeated
protests. and defantly plough
up his growing crops, after the
lines had been established, which
was the gravamen of the offence
in this instance.
The crops on these farms are
various, diversified and rotated.
Only two hundred acres of the
twelve hundred on each farm
are devoted to cotton, which
fact of itself should be a pointed
lesson to those farmers who
sacrifice their provision crops to
the cotton Moloch. Corn, oats,
wheat, rye, cane, potatoes, pump
kius, broad expanses of forage
crops and even trucking are all
engaged in and successfully pro:
duced and carried out to the end
of their several purposes; the
surplus. which is often consider
able, being shipped to the Pen
itentiary.
These crops this season are a
gratifying sight to any farm
lover. The tilth and general
cultivation are worthy of atten-
ton; the growth luzuriant and
heavily ladened with the fruits
of their several kind.
200 BALES TO 200 ACRES.
The yield of cotton is estimat-
ed at two hundred bales to each
farm. Ia bale to each acre.
There are six hundred acres OF
corn on each place; the yield es'
timated at ten thousand bushels,
There are gathered and thresheo
5000 bushels of oats and 1900
bushels of wheat. There will
also be 1000 gallons of syrul
and 1000 bushel of potatoes made
to each farm. On zone farm
these crops have been estimatec
at even higher fgures-15, OOC
bushels corn being the estimate
by experienced farmers.
A drive over the neat labyrln
thine ways through the miles Of
acreage on the river swamp dis
covered grand luxuriance Of
growth that is almost bewilder
ing in it's prodigality. On some
of these fields there are three
different growing crops-corn:
peas and pumpkins-all envinc
ing, by their rank profusion Of
foliage and fruit, the ext-aordi
nary productiveness of these
rich alluvial bottoms, thousands
of acres of which are still term
ed "bone," in the vernacular o5
real estate dealers.
TO KEEP OUT WATEREE FRESH