The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-08-05
he WARNED BLEASE
BABCOCE saw RICHEY At GGV-
ERNOR's REQUEST
Tells OF His REPORT

At Request of Governor Three Physi-
clans Examine Richey and Report
Adversely to Plea OF III Health
Sent in Report Which Governor so
Far Has Failed to Make Public.
That DR.. James W. Babcock In
1911 urged Gov. Blease not to hher-
ate r. A. Richey, serving sentence
for a grave crime, from the pentten-
tiary, and that he was coneurred In
this by Dr.. D. S. Pope, who constd-
cred Richey a man dangerous to a
community, were developments Of par
ticular interest Saturday in the e1-
change of statements between Dr..
James H. Mcintosh and Gov. Blease
relative to the governors justiica-
ton, in physicians reports Of Richey's
condition, for paroling Richey.
DR.. Babcock said he told Gov.
Blease that ''if you free that man
you will have all the women Of the
State down on you. It is lad poll
tics" Dr.. Babcock further made
plain the fact that he had refused to
examine Richey until after he had
been requested to. do SO by Gov.
Blease.
DR.. Babcock authorizde the follow;
ing: 'Dr. James W. Babeock said
Saturday that while superintendent
of the State Hospital for the Insane
that he had reported to Gov. Blease
about the condition of R. A. Richey.
He said that to the best Of his recol-.
lection he had advised against Rich
ey's release from the State peniten-
tiary, where he was serving SEN
tence for a grave crime.
"Dr. Babcock further said that he
had been approached more than twice
by W. R. Richey, a brother Of r. A.
Richey, who sought to have him e1-5
anime R. A. Richey, but whose i'm
portuning was refused.
when Gov. Blease later asked Dr..
Babcock to examine r. A. Richey In
the company Of DR.. D. S. Pope, and
DR.. r. T. Jennings, the State pent-
tentiary physician, he said he con-
sented, as he always did when direct
ed by governor to make such an
examination. After making the e1-.
examination. After making the exam,
ination DR.. Babcock said a report tell.
| ing, in substance, that Richey should
not be liberated from the peniten-
tiary, was written, signed by them
and presented Gov. Biease.
"In conversation with Gov. Blease,5
DR.. Babcock not only told him not to
liberate Richey but said II you free
that man you will have all the women
of the State down on you. It Is bad
politics. He said he made this e1-
animation probably before similar ex-
animation was made by DR.. James q.
Mcintosh, and about the close Of
1911"
When DR.. D. S. Pope was asked re-
garding this visit with DR.. Bsbcock
and DR.. Jennings to the State peni-
tentiary to examine r. A. Richey, he
stated that the facts related In the
statement of DR.. Babcock, which is
printed above, were true to the best
Of his remembrance.
DR.. Pope further said:
"I was satisfied that Richey was a
malingerer and was even more en-
phatic than DR.. Babcock that he
should not be liberated from the
State penitentiary. ! believed he
would be dangerous to the State If at
liberty. A man whose mental condi-
ton is so low as was Richey's should
be taken care of by the State.
went there at the request Of Gov.
Blease, brought to me through DR..
Babcock, as I understood it at that
time, and signed the report in that
capacity"
"Richey feigned fits, but soon cur
ed him of that practice" declared DR..
R. T. Jennings, State penitentiary
physician, when interviewed in con-
nection- with the statements Of Dr..
Babcock and DR.. Pope. "Richey was
brought to the penitentiary one Sun
day afternoon by Sheriff Lyons and
Mrs. Richey accompanied them. With
| In few minutes after they arrived,
Richey feigned flt and gave him
medicine which after repeating the
dose forced him to change his tactics.
"Richey continued to feign fits and
became nuisance around the peni-
tentiary. AS I understood the COM
mitment papers, he was brought to
the penitentiary for confinement only.
He became such a nuisance that I
wanted to get rim Of him. ! was cali
ed out Of bed at all, times of the
night to go to the penitentiary and
doctor him while feigning fltS."