The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-03-04
An Exclamation

Editor The Manning Times
Please a!Io~ me space IN your paper
20 make the following explanation.
This morning while in conversation
Wits 4 friend. ! sta:c'! 70 him my tea-
soas for giving up the jn3 Is superIn.
;eudert Of The chain gang, and he told
NE that he heard ;hat | gave Alex
Williams, one Of the cOnvicts a tlle to
sharpen Il shovel and thas | allowed
him to keep in his possession, and car
ry into the Stockade the said file, and
that as 4 consequence Alex Williams
and Afford Mcknight. filed OIL the
shackles that bound them in prison,
and made good their escape, and Tor
this negligence on my part, lost my
job as superintendent OF the cnaln gang
of Clarendon County.
Now, Mr.. Editor, for the information
OF those who might be mlsied by such
an infamous slander, | wish TO say,
that the above referred TO is malicious
" false and without any foundation
whatever, and was started for the sole
purpose of rejecting discredit upon me
as a public servant; [ wish to say flrth-
er. that while ia charge OF the chain
gang tried TO use every available
means of precaution to prevent the es-
cane Of the conviccs, and while 1t IS
true. several of them die escape during
the time I was employed on the gang,
not a single one OF them ever escaped:
or even tried to escape while | was on
duty. it was DO careless ac5 OF nine
that ever caused a-v OF them TO get
away.
TO Get back TO the file, l wish to say,
q few days before Alex Williams and
Afford Nc Knight escaped, | did haYe
a file on the work and when we went
10 the camp. 4 white truSty who had
the file in charge. brought 1t ara gave
it to me, and locked it in the trunk
that we had fer such purposes. In a
few davs was sent off with the road
machine by the Supervisor who had q
perfect right 10 send me, as l was
surbordinate, and 10 which ] did not,
in the least object, and'it was while L
was away from the camp that the two
negroes left.
So far as losing my job is concerned,
that is also false, | did ros loose the
lob, but gave it up without being asked
to do so, and have no apologies or re-
gre,s for doing s.. and would do the
same thing again under the same CIR
cumstarces.
feel perfectly justified ia giving up
the lob, and stand ready q: any time TO
give ms reasons for doing so, as l
thouchl then as | Go now, that was
the proper thing TO do.
l wish TO say just here that the re-
spousibilitv is very heavy on a super
lntendent of the public works OF
County. II is expected of him to carry
on the work judciously. look after the
feeding and care OF the stock, look al
ter the health and care OF the convlcts,
and see that they are not treated oru-
tally. and that they perform the duties
imposed upon them by the courts. IL
is also the duty of the Superintendent
OF the chain gaug. 10 use his very best
business iuiGneat.an TO econom!ze as
much as possible in the purchasing OF
feed and supplies. and 70 see that moth
inr is wanted or thrown away around
the camp. and TO take the same inter
est in The affairs OF the County as he
would in his own atIairs, all OF which
tried 10 DO to the best OF nv ABILITY,
and would have been able to make bet
ter showing had conditions been differ
ent while working for the County.
I hope this explanation will be suth-
cient TO correct the erroneous rumors,
that lost my job on account OF my
negligence of my duty.
H. G.. BAGGETT.