The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-01
Were Pen Officers Cruel
and Inhuman?
Continued from First Page.)

to walk q step OF the way from Spruce
Pine to Marion. Medicines and milk were
taken along and administered to the sick
men according to the directions of the
camp physician, DR.. F. H. Gilreath. He
had been previously consulted and adyis-
ed that these men might be taken on the
trip. The distance from Spruce Pine 10
Marion is said to be twenty-five miles
The road, for the most part. is exceed
ingly rough and bad. and the last six
miles before reaching Marion I think
must undoubtedly be the very worst road
in North Carolina. Starting at daylight
the men reached Marion about six o'clock
p. m.-tired of course; but having re-
ceived on the way fairly good dinner,
with plenty Of good hot strong cot
fee and without having been required TO
march more than two miles an hour. A
number of mules had been hired for Tie
use of the guards and employees, about
one mule for every two men, but when
the body arrived at Marion that night
nearly all OF these mules had been sur
rendered to the convicts who had grown
tired and the mployes were nearly all
walking. The supervisor hi nself brought
a convict on his buggy witt him con-
siderable portion of the journey. Upon
reaching Marion the cCnVictS were placed
in passenger caches, viii ,'ood fires,
ami 7 ade as comfortable a. possible.
At er they We're placed on the .ars every
prisoner vas given supper and n drink
Of whiskey which seemed to do them
much good, They remained in the cars
during the night Of the 2lst, and were
started on their journey toward Raleigh
at nine o'clock of the 22nd. One hun
dred and fifteen prisoners, together with
fifteen employees, stopped at Hillsboro;
the remainder arrived here at eleven
o'clock on the night of the 22nd. / per
sonally saw them disembark from the
car here and had them unshackled and
made as comfortable as possible imme-
diately on their arrival. The sick men
were taken at once to the hospital and
are still there. and I am informed By
the doctor that all are improving, with
the exception of the two who were suf
fering from pulmonary trouble, and
these, to say the least, are no worse than
when they left Spruce Pine. On Monday
the Goth, l went to Hillsboro to visit
the men left at that point, and finding
that the quarters provided for them were
not as comfortable as they ought to have
been and that the company had not made
such preparation as had been agreed
upon and not wishing to expose the men
to any hardships that could be avoided.
made hurried arrangements and brought
the entire camp to Raleigh that very
evening, although these men. if left at
HillsboTo, would have been earning more
than 500 a day. Here they are paying
us nothing but are costing US a good
deal.
Captain J. c. Lashley was in charge
Of the movement from The mountains to
Raleigh. He has been in the employ of
the prison for many years and is one of
the most intelligent and competent men
in the service. He has stated to me that
this movement was one of the best and
most carefully arranged as we'll as one
of the most successful with which lie
had ever had anything to do. l am sure
that | can truthfully say that if the
movement was to be made again. know
of nothing whatever that I could do
more than was done for these men, I'M
less it be to hire carriages and wagons
for their transportation, and we did en-
ploy on this occasion practically all the
wa gons that were to be had and all the
mules that were 10 be had in the neigh
borhood of Spruce Pine.
Trusting this explanation will be sat
isfactory to you, / am,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) j. s. MANN,
Superintendent.