The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-10-31
Presentment Of the Grand Jury.

= a
Te His Honor, Judge D. e. Hydrick'
Presiding Judge at the October
eerna of the Court of Common Pleas
and General ession for samter
County, 1905:
We, the Grand Jury, beg to make
sais our final presentnsent- we have
@esanained into and returned all b:i's
siven as by the Solicitor. We have
Through our committees, visited the
several county Offices, caain gang,
ahas house, jail and dispensaries. We
arc the finances Of the county in good
shape. the work in the various Offices
well up and done in neat and busi-
ness like manner We find the jail
seat in a loose AID careless manner,
prisoners are given water in glass
bottles. gathered from the streets or
any place they can be procured with
out cost. This we think dangerous, not
scrN to the prisoners themselves, but
so the keepers of the Jail, as the bot
ties could easily be used as deadly
weapons in case there was an attempt
,y the prisoners to escape. We recon-
mend that the proper authorities be
instructed and required to purchase
at once tin cups to be used in giving
the prisoners water. The jail is not
Kept clean, as is required by law, but
needs a thorough securing, walls need
patching and whitewashing, and the
two dry wells need prompt attention,
We and one prisoner in jail, Cornelius
and only ten bunks. We recommend
that the proper authorities be re-
uuired to purchase at once necessary
hunks, blankets and slop buckets
We ind one prisoner jail, Cornelius
sGIuer, who has fits and is crazy. He
has been in Jail two and half
months, and we recommend that he
be sent to the asylum or poor house.
We find also one cocaine feind who is
crazy and recommend that he be
removed from the Jail to the proper
place OF detention.
The jailor complains that he has
great difficulty in getting the county
physician to attend the prisoners, and
we respectfully ask that your Honor
viii instruct the proper authorities to
have these complaints looked into and
corrected.
We find the Aims House in good
condition, the inmates we'll cared for
and comfortable. The inmates con-
Sist of eight whites and nine negroes.
We ind there now two negro women
who are crazy and dangerous to the
other inmates, and should be removed
20 the asylum as lunatics.
We find the chain gang in good con-
.zilie1, the prisoners well cared for
ad in a healthy condition. The num-
.saer now on the gang is nineteen
We ind the work on the New Court
zzouse progressing rapidly and Will,
ee:sien completed, be a credit to our
We find that the County superin-
eendent Of Education's Office and that
aa the Sheriff are made too dark by
xhe building of stores on the south
ern ads Of the Court House, and it
Is practically impossible for any
work to be done in them at any time
tanless by the use OF lamps, and we
would respectfully recommend that
an e1ectric\ light be ordered put in |
each of these Offices at once.
Complaint has been made to US
(Which when Investigated are found !
% be true) that some of the prisoners
have beer whipped at the Jail for
@1nor oGenses committed while in
,aH and n the custody Of the jailor,
sSNG contrary 70 law. w e recommend
Saat the Sheriff be commanded to |
sake such steps as viii Immediately |
gut stop, to such procedure. We |
would further recommend that the
Sheriff be Instructed to be more care
}eua IN issuing passes to- persons de- /!
;ssrlag TO see inmates of the jail, as we
'ehia6 -el.e iudiscriminate issuing OF
passes was largely the cause OF the
recent attempt to break jail, which
resulted n the Indictment Of a good
3onary al this term of court and in
earres1 great cost to the county.
We and that the State Dispenser at
azasesville, Mr.. George P. McKagen,
aAas not made report or turned OYER
60 the county its share Of the profits
GSoaa the a.spensary at Mayesville for
9sne no1:!l OF March, 1905, and we
ssesomme:a, that the county attorney