The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-05-12
TO make CHAIRS IN PRISON.
CONVICTS IN PRISON TO WORK
UNDER SAFE CONDITIONS.
gagcmcnt with Kcntucllian, Charles
IriOn.

Columbia, May 0.-NIanufacturc of
chairs and kindred articles of furni
ture will be undertaken by the State
penitentiary Immediately. The board
of directors, at their regular monthly
meeting yesterday. entered into
five years contract with Charles Irion
of Frankfort, KY. and the plant
should be in operation within 80 days.
The proposed step is not relapsing
to the contract lease SYSTEM in pro-
viding employment for the convicts.
The penitentiary will furnish the raw
material the labor. which will be
under the immediate and absolute
control Of the penitentiary officials,
and the building. The penitentiary
will also have charge of the funds
derived from the sale Of the furni-
ture. The contractor will provide
the machinery and will sell the pro-
duct The building that housed
former chair factory, operation of
which was suspended upon the out
break of the European war. will be
occupied by the new enterprise. Fore
men are to be employed by the peni-
tentiary to instruct the prisoners in
the work. Guards will enforce discip-
line as in other departments.
Proposals to lease prisoners was
made simultaneously by j. NJ. Gra-
ham, who formerly operated the hos
iery mill at the penitentiary. Mr.
Graham's plan was to employ the
convicts in the manufacture Of over
alls, shirts and mattresses This plan
was rejected by the board.
A. X. Saunders. superintendent OF
the penitentiary, has had under Sc
Gus advisement the idea of intro
ducing some form Of industrial work
for the prisoners since his election
last January, and yesterdays culmina-
tion was to him very gratifying. 1T
means not only the employment of
the prisoners in a very useful way"
he said. WIFI also teach the men
a profitable trade. which should help
materially to make them useful citi-
zens upon the expiration Of their
sentences" Those attending the lleet-
ing with Mr. Saunders were: Gov.
Manning. who is a member ex officio
Of the board; H. H. Arnold, Spartan.
burg; w. H. Glenn. Anderson; A.
Hayne Hawkins. Prosperity; P. L.
Bethea, Dillon, and j. NJ. Smith,
Smoaks. immediately upon adjourn
ment Mr.. Glenn resigned as a MEM
ber Of the board of directors. Mr..
Glenn was recently appointed an ap-
praiser of the federal land bank at
Columbia.
The State board Of charities and
corrections also met with the peni-
tentiary board. A joint conference
was held relative to the reformatory
for negroes in Lexington county.
Both boards expressed themselves as
being strongly in favor Of making the
State reformatory for negro boys
really a reformatory. That it was
anything but reformatory was clear
ly emphasized and a determination to
make it helpful factor in reclaiming
the negro boys sent to it was ex-
pressed.
Chairman Smith, with Messrs. Haw-
kins and Bethea Of the penitentiary
board, superintendent Saunders and
Warden Lindsay for the reformatory,
with Secretary Johnstone Of the State
board Of charities and corrections.
will visit the South Carolina Indus
trial school at Florence next Tues
day, to study the work Of that insti-
tuition for suggestions in behalf of
the institution for the negro boys.