The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-08-02
TOO MANY SICK.
The Penitentiary Authorities Say
Few Law FaVors the Counties.
Convicts Worked by Counties Until
They Break Down and Are Then
Sent TO State PenitentiazF.

The burden OF the new law g1Vlnt
county supervisors the use Of convict
sentenced to terms Of ten years O
less, with the option Of turning then
over to the penitentiary authoritie
whenever they wear out or break dowr
from ill>health, is failing with increas
ing weight On the penitentiary au
thoritiss, who complain that prac.i
cally all OF the prisoners they get now
except those sent in for long terms
are either diseased or are otherwise
incap2citated for work; that short
term prisoners kept on the average
chain gang IN this state are soor
broken in health from lack Of care
and by reason OF improper treatment
and are sent into the penitentiary
physical wrecks.
The new law is working terrible
cruelty" said Superintendent Griffith,
to the Augusta Chronicle correspon.
dent recently. Il do not believe there
is man in this state physically strong
enough to stand ten years sarvice on
chain gang in this state. The chain
gang authorities are act eQ1ippsd to
care for the prisoners as tuey should
be cared for. When the average chain
gang prisoner gets wet working in the
rain be is allowed to sleep through
the night in his wet clothes, which is
barbarous. We never allow prisoner
to sleep in wet clothes dosn here" A
majority OF the deaths that occur at
the penitentiary result from tuber
culosis, and many OF these cases are
contracted after the prisoner reaches
Columbia, though some are sent in
each year from the chain gangs dying
from consumption.
A victim OF this disease recently
was 4. S. Simpson, a life termer, sent
here four years ago from AboeVille
for 'uurder Simpson was only 81
years old and contracted the disease
Is months ago. he was bridge bull
der and killed his man in dispute
over the construction OF a bridge.
BE was a well bsha7ed prisoner and
was apparently man OF some culture.
His remains were shipped to his widow
and two children at Calhoun. Two
Of his brothers were frequent visitors
to the penitentiary. Simpson was at
first worked in the hosiery mill,
where practically all Of the tubercu.
losis cases originate, but recently he
had been working In the carpenter
shop. Two negro convicts, who oied
within the past thirty days, were
brought in from the county gangs;
each died within two days after his
admission to the penitentiary.
In this connection, a paragraph from
Dr.. S. E. Harmcn's last annual re-
port, will be OF much interest:
There were 392 patients in the hos
pital. Ten times that number we're
treated for minor troubles that did
not require being admitted to the
hospital. I report thirty. one deaths
this year, all being Of a chronic
nature, with the exception Of two or
three, including one suicide. Nine
teen died Of tuberculosis. The death
rate from this disease can BE- reduced
by isolation, but when we consider
that a large per cent o. those that die
from tuberculosis are admitted to the
institution already infected you can
readily see that the death rate from
this disease will always be large. You
will see that seven Of the number that
died were received from the various
chain gangs, in hopeless condition;
one OF whcm died two days after be-
ing admitted"