The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-08-08

Gates. e. In that county a Board
~ County Commissioners
" couldn't think of such a thing
90 employing a surgeon to am
nutate the legs of an inmate of
the County Home who stood in
need of such an operation. In
Gates they let a jackleg car
npnter do the job with butch
or knife and a handsaw and
nav him SIS for the job, thereby
saving the county a surgical
hill of S45 to $95.
In the Superior Court of Gates
,ouutv last week a grand jury found
hill of Indictment against A. S.
walker, keeper of the County Home.
The Indictment says Walker "did as
sanlt one Nelson Doughty with
tnife and saw and did inflict upon
him serious bodily harm" The same
Grand Jury brought bills of indict
ment against S. I. Harrell, for II
roars Chairman of the Board of Com
missioners of Gates County and
against the other members of the
BOARD of Commissioners for negli-
gpnce in the administration of the
County Home. Indictments were
found not only against the new
hoard, but against the old board
whose term of office expired last
December. The cases are to be tried
at the December 1919 term of the
Superior Court of Gates county.
rumor of this unusual case hav-
ing come to this newspaper, I went
70 tOGatesvi1le, the county seat OF Gates
this week to ascertain the true facts.
The facts as I found them are as
mrible as the alleged German out
ages practiced upon the Belgians in
nearly days of the world war.
ESED A JACK KNIFE FIRST
Nelson Doughty, an idiotic Negro
innate Of the Gates County Home
had both feet to freeze in the severe
winter of 1917-1S. His feet were
frozen in December, due to the neg
lect of the keeper of the Home and
the scanty bed clothing furnished by
the County Commissioners. This poor
helpless Negro was then permitted tc
suffer for more than three months
without surgical aid.
Some time in April 1918 his feet
grew so offensive that A. S. Walker
keeper of the Home took a jack knife
and severed the feet, cutting them
off at the ankle bone. He had seen
pigs feet taken off in much the same
way and thought he could make
good job of it.
But this operation didn't suffice
The flesh of the ankles of the Negro
became gangrenous and began to fall
off, leaving the unsightly bones ex-
posed. Warm weather came on ano
by the first of June the stencil from
the rotten flesh and bone again be-
came offensive to Keeper Walker.
This time the Keeper armed him
self with a butcher knife and hand
saw and tackled the job anew. He
sawed the bones off about six inches
below the knees. The operation was
such d success" in the eyes OF the
Keeper that he put in bill for 81
10 the Board of County Commission
e2s and the Commissioners paid his
bill on August 5, 1918.
While at Gates Court House
looked up the minutes of the Angus
1918 meeting of the Board of Com
missioners of Gates County. Among
other items 1 found that $34.46 hac
been ordered paid to A. S. Walker
Keeper of the County Home, fo1
Board for 5 inmates, Mdse., &c"
The Register of Deeds of the coun
ty, Mr.. Thos Hoff1er, courteous
and efficient gentleman, promptly Oh
tanned for me the itemized bill cover
ing Board for inmates, Mdse., &c.
The &C" on that bill was item
lied. And the item was this:
ITO cutting off Nelson Doughty
legs S."
promptly set that bill up in tn
sunlight and took photograph of i
With my Graf1ex camera. A docu
ment like that may mysteriously dis
appear. I was determined not to lie
II get away from me.
And this then is the assault" o!
one Nelson Doughty for which Gate
county Grand Judy indicted A.
walker, Keeper of the County HON
OF that county.
AND DOUGHTY STILL LIVES
inquired the way to the Count
nome and found it behind skirt c
"ooos a mile or more from the Coul
iouSe' There 1 saw Nelson bought!
"no Is still living, spite of his horr
VIC experience. He crawled out int
'ne sunlight on his hands and knee
Du posed while I photographed hin