The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-02-03

1 EfG1 nOI4fRS4 0A NAG Aa& 1850
up TO him 10 see what he VIII do at the
next term OF our court.
The following gentlemen. among the
best men in town. know the truth OF the
J above statements. viz: B. b. Price.
| George /. White. J. c.. Neal. w. t. Nor
gan. d Y. Lonon. W. w. Cooper. John
Yancey. Jr., r. S. Cooper. ". b. Ratlin.
]. 4. Mcdonald. De Brute Cutler. DR.. @.
s Kirby and a score OF others.
Respectfully.
]. L. C. BIRD.
Marion, y. c., Jan. %. 1908.
INTERVIEW WITH SUPT. MANN.
The above letter from Mr.. Byrd was
shown yesterday afternoon 10 Superin-
t,ndent Mann. OF the state Prison. Mr..
| Mann said that he had written a letter
TO the Governor giving the facts about
the movement OF these conyicts. He said
| In addition that one OF the reasons Tor
moving the convicts was a humane one.
/ He wished to move all eXcent the heart
lest convicts to a less sewers climate.
Il invite the fullest investigation Of
| the matter. There is not a single thing
that | have bidder from the public about
the movement. Every care was taken to
move the cCnvicts in the way that would
not subject them to any sererer hard
ships than was possible 10 avoid and
| am greatly surprised at tho statement
! published ~ Mr.. Byrd. An investigation
! will show that there is NJ blame 10 be
attached to the penitcntiary authorities.
I wish every act thrown open and widely
| known to the end that the public may
know every detail and every act by
every employee Of the penitentiary- The
movement was ordered by the Board OF
Directors, and went myself 70 the camp
TO make all the arrangements ana useu
every effort and care that was posslbia
to make the march as easy and as com
! Portable as It could be done. l WAS not
! present on the march and or course l
| cannot say there was no cursing by any
! of the guards or employees. but 1t Is
against the regulations for anything or
| this kind to occur. and | would punish
it by dismissal. and the guards all know
this.
The movement was a humane one
| and oupht to have been made. There is
nothing about it that / wish to con
| ccal, on the contrary / wish the people
of North Carolina to know everything
that was lone from first to last. If there
was any inhumanity on the part OF any
Of the employees OF the penitenttary, /
wish to know it specifically. l VIII take
immediate steps to see that no person
is continued in the peniten<lary VINO Is
shown to be guilty. This Will be cone
at once without waiting for a meeting
of the Board of Directors. The manage
ment of the pcnitentiary has always
treated the prisoners with every proper
care, and there is not a single act OF my
entire administration that the people OF
North Carolina are not welcome to know.
hrn AZ 9Th Mt
from first to last.
.No complaint has been heard from
a single convict, though if any had been
made it would have received prompt
consideration and investigation
LITTER TO TIE GOVERNOR.
The followjn, is the full text of the
letter addressed by Superintendent Mann
to the Governor:
Raleigh, N. c., Jan. IS, 1903.
His Excellency. Governor c.. B. Aycock,
Raleigh, n. G.
NV Dear Sir: / am in receipt of your
letter Of January the 25th, enclosing a
clipping from The News and Observer III
reference to a movement of some prison
ers from Spruce Pine to Raleigh and
charging that two of them died en- route
ard that all were compelled to undergo
severe hardships.
l beg to state that the report contained
in the clipping is absolutely and unquali-
fcdly false. 10 prisoner who started
from Spruce Pine died anywhere en- route,
although some very sick ones were moved
and are now in the hospital at the pris-
on. Not only is the report untrue, but
a reporter at Marion, whence this special
report to the Observer was sent, inquir-
cd of two of the officers of the prison
while at Marion If two of the ~convicts
had not died on the way from Spruce
Pine and while waiting at Marion. and
was informed on two separate occasions
that this report was untrue and that
none had died. and by one of the officers
he was especially requested not to re-
port any such false runor to the press.
1t may be Of some interest to you to
learn more particularly Of this move
ment about which so many falsehoods
have been told. At the last meeting of
the Board of Directors of the prison it
was decided to remove from the noun
tains the men who had been at work at
railroad building there for the past
eighteen months. The company for whom
We had been working agreed that this
might be done on the Goth of January,
although they greatly desired them to /,
continue the work. Having determined
upon the movement, I visited the camp. |
arriving at Spruce Pine on the EVENING"
of the 18th. While there | made every
arrangement for as safe and comforta-
Bile a movement as l possibly could. On
the goth l returned to Marion. There
was at that time much ice in the noun !
talns, some snow, and a great deal of
slect. Oae hundred and e~ighty-nve pris-
oners and employees left Spruce Pine on
the morning of the 21st at daylight. An
abundance Of provisions had been pre-
pared for them during their journey. Be
fore leaving the camps each man was
provided with a pair OF new WOODEN pants.
d good wooden coat, a pair of good an
der-pants, two good cotton shirts, a pair
of new shoes and a pair of new socks.
All had good caps with flaps to protect
their ears. By my directions, a single
wagon and a large caIdron and an ample
supply of coffee had been sent ahead a
day previous to a point half way from
Spruce Pine to Marion, with Instructions
TO have a supply of good, strong hot cof-
fee prepared for the men by the time they