Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-01-07
BLEASE WILL ASK PROBE
Replies TO Capt. SondIey-GovernOr
Gives Out Statement.

| Columbia, Dec. Ex-Governor
Blease came back to-day in a state
ment replying to the indignant de-
nial by Capt. w. II. Sondley, Of the
State penitentiary guard, Of the
charges of cruelty made against him
by white convict, Raimon Paris,
Of Newberry county, whom the Gov
ernor recently paroled. The Cover
nor, in his statement, says that he
has letters from convicts which he
will send to the General Assembly,
and he calls on the General Assem-
bly, for an investigation Of the peni-
tentiary.
Capt. Sondley arraigned the Gov
ernor in his statement for taking the
words Of convicts in their tales of
cruelty, which the penitentiary cap
tain denounced as false and which,
he said, were "frame-ups."
The Governor charges that Capt.
Sondley has talked very bitterly
about him in several local clubs. His
| y,
lows:
"Since paroled negro convict,
who was brutally whipped because
| he spoke to me, during the last ses-
sion of the Legislature. at which
time the committee called the con-
vict and others before them to tes-
| tify, in the hall Of the House of Rep
resentatives, for some reason Capt.
Sondley has been very bitter against
me. 1t has been repeatedly reported
| to me by some of my friends that it
is disagreeable to be in his company
at the Elks' Club, or at the CONNER
| cial Club-that he always makes it
point to bring me up in his conver-
| sations and is very bitter towards
| me in his remarks. The action I
took then was not directed at Mr..
Sondley, but was taken for the sake
OF humanity. | presume that the
public will understand his hatred of
me. and l feel that he can do me no
| injury by anything that he says. l
am very glad, indeed, that he has
made this outburst, because he puts
| on notice those whom he would at
tempt to influence against me next
summer that he Is my political and
personal enemy, and they will, there
fore, know why 1t is that he is at
tempting to criticise and injure me.
"As to the Paris boy: Capt.
Presley, one of the truest men I
have ever known and one of the most
! perfect gentlemen, and who has been
| connected with the penitentiary for
many years-possibly twenty or
| more-sat in my Office and heard
every word that Paris said. Capt.
PRESLEY knew Capt. Sondley, and he
| knew Capt. Griffith, and after hear
| ing me read this letter of Paris to
him, and after hearing Paris state
ment in full, Capt. Presley did not
open his mouth in correction or de-
| nial OF what Paris said. believed
| then, and | believe now, that every
| word Paris said was the truth. Had
| it not been | do not believe that as
honorable a man as Capt Presley
is would have sat silent and allowed
Col. Griffith and Capt. Sondlye to
have been misrepresented by this
boy.
There are good many other in
stances which have come to my at
tention by letters and by statements
from convicts, which, if | were to
give them to the public, might possi-
bly, show the public that Capt. Sond-
ley is by no means the great humani-
tartan that he processes to be. Some
Of these letters will be presented to
the General Assembly at the coming
session, when | hope the General AS
sembly will make a proper investiga-
ton and not merely call before them
the officials Of the institution"
Cures Old Sores, Other Remedies Won't Cure.
The rof bo,,