The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-01-17
ABOLISH HOSIERY MILL;
THEN ."PEN.",SAXE .WYCHE
Spartanburs Representative win In
troduce Bill With This End In
View-One Convict Committed Sui
eide Rather Than Be Beaten, He
Asserts-Adyocates Road Work
for All Prisoners.

Cecil G. Wyche, q member Of the
house delegation from Spartanburg
County, who with other members of
the delegation will leave on Monday
for Columbia, where they will be
present at the converting Of the state
legislature on Tuesday morning, stat
ed today to reporter for The Journ-
al that he most assuredly would in
troduce bill, which will, if passed,
abolish the hosiery mill in the state
penitentiary.
Mr.. Wyche, as it is generally
known, is supporter of the guber-
material chairs occupant. Gov. Blease
has preached the doctrine Of health,
as applied to the hosiery mill, ever
since he was first inaugurated and he
has made many sensational appeals
to the voters of the state about the
conditions existing at this mill.
The Spartanburg representative
believes the chief executive is correct
in his views of the hosiery mill. He
thinks that 57h cents day is too
little for the state to derive from
leasing its convicts. He points out
that Will Mills, the Spartanburg man
convicted of the murder of Frank
Deal, of Blacksburg, and sentenced
to life Imprisonment and subsequent
ly paroled by the governor, was an
expert mill man and demanded sal
ary of about So day before he was
sentenced. The state only received
57k cents day for Mills services
from the men who lease the labor.
Mills was superintendent in the ho-
siery mill.
Mr.. Wyche thinks that the aboli-
tion of the hosiery mill will ultimate
ly result in the abolition of the state
penitentiary and that sooner or later
all convicts will be worked on the
public roads of the various counties
in which they are convicted. This
morning Mr.. Wyche said:
MIR. Wyche's Statement.
"I will certainly introduce a bill to
abolish the hosiery mill, which is now
located at the state penitentiary, and
if the legislature passes this bill, the
next step will be to abolish the peni-
tentiary and put all convicts upon the
roads of the counties in which they
are convicted. was elected to the
legislature mainly on the issue and
advocated this bill on every stump
in the county.
81 have the data to show that this
hosiery mill is one of the most ini-
quitous institutions in the south. I
have affidavits from responsible peo-
pie telling all about the horrible and
unsanitary conditions that exist in
the mill.
"The state of South Carolina hires
her convictsN at a rate of 57h cents
day to a man from the north to
keep up this disease-breeding institu-
ton. The state feeds these convicts,
gives them a cell to sleep in and pro-
vides stripes and chains for them.
Convict Labor Not Good.
"These yankees state that convict
labor is not worth as much as free
labor to them and for that reason
they think they ought to get them for
practically nothing. This is untrue,
for the reason that these convicts
are given certain tasks to perform
and if these tasks are not performed
each day, the convicts are sent to
what is called the leather room and
brutally and severely beaten. In a
number of cases the skin is broken
and blood is drawn from the naked
bodies of both men and women, and,
in order to prevent poisoning, sting
ing salt is put into the wounds.
One Commits Suicide.
Zone convict, who, on account of
sickness, failed to perform his task,
was. ordered to report to the leather
room and receive his punishment,
instead of going through this horri-
BILE ordeal, he jumped off the wall of
the penitentiary and killed himself.
"The state board of health has con-
demned the hosiery mill year after
year and just few days ago con-
demned it again as a nuisance. I
hope that the legislature will agree
with me that this institution should
be abolished and that all able-bodied
convicts should be put on the roads,
instead of taxing the people Of South
Carolina to maintain this penitentis
ry."-Spartanburg Journal.