The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-08-08
gJRGERY AND POLITICS
AS PRACTICED IN GATES
Gates County Almshouse Keeper Cuts OFF Legs of a
Negro With Hand Saw and Butcher Knife;
County Commissioners Pay lin $5 for lob

he begged me to take him away from
the Home and told me he was hungry.
I found no one else at the County
Home. I was told there were two
other inmates, but I saw nothing of
them about the place. A. s. Walker,
the Keeper has an interest in store
in the village, Turner & Walker Co.
He stays at the store all day and
part of the night. His only daughter,
sweet little girl Of IA or Is sum-
mers runs the County Home and
looks out for the inmates as best she
can. The child evidently doesn't like
the job, because am told she spends
much of her time in the village.
I looked about that County Home.
1t is the worst kept place of it's kind
I have ever seen. The hog pens on
farms which visited near Gatesville
and Sunbury were cleaner than the
room occupied by Nelson Doughty.
A former keeper of the County
Home told me there were nine in
mates in the Home when he gave it
up to A. S. Walker in December 1917.
am told that four or five of the
ton, neglect or starvation and one
or two have gotten away somehow.
The County Commissioners of
Gates County allow the Keeper Of
the County Home SIS per month per
inmate for board. He is supposed to
board the inmates on that sum and
make a profit on the transaction. 1t
would be interesting to know what
sort of provender the inmates get on
$5 month. One can't board a mule
for anything like that sum at present
lprices of food.
= MIR. DOLLY WALKER
1 wanted to see this man Walked
twho sawed off Nelson Doughty's legs
land collected SIS for it. found him
lat his store in the village of Gates
vile. He said he had heard about
THE INDEPENDENT and he dropped
everything to talk to me. He said he
wanted to go back to ''the first of it"
land I let him go back as far as he
liked. He told about the severe win
tier of December 1917. The Negro
Doughty was at that time suffering
from bad feet. His feet had been
burned early in life and could not
stand exposure to cold. Walker says
that one morning in December or
January he found the boys feet
dead" He says he told the physi-
clan to the County Home about it
and asked him to attend to the case.
He says the physician didn't show up
, and after several weeks he spoke to
him about it again. Time went on
and Walker says: "When the nigger's
feet began to smell bad along in
April I cut them off. They were
dead and it didn't hurt him" He
then told me about saving off the
bones in June. He seemed to be
} proud of his work and couldn't see
that there was anything wrong with
= it.
This man Walker is not a fend and
has none of the appearance of brute
He is simple, inoffensive and as mild
hammered a Mutt as one could find
= in days Journey. In fact he goes
: by the name of dolly: among his
, neighbors. He is just a simple-mind-
5 ed, bloodless, clod Of a fellow and
5 would be accepted as good" citi-
zen in almost any community.
INTRODUCING DIR. WILLIAMS
But what about the County Ply,
sician who permitted a helpless in
mate of the County Home to suffer
for months without aid and who
would not respond to a call? His
name is Geo. D. Williams and he lives
in one of the biggest, prettiest homes
l in Gatesvil1e. I went to his home
, and asked him about the case. He
said he didn't know whether he wa:
the County Physician or not. He sai(
he used to be Superintendent o.
s Health in the county, but that thu
Office had been abolished about two
: wears ago and that now he served thu
> county only as his services wer'
: called for, putting in bill once ;
wear for such services as rendered.
s DIR. Williams admitted that Wake
had told him about the Doughty cas-
O in January 1913 and asked him t.
+ perform an operation. He said h
didn't do it at that time because hi
! wife was ill with Scarlet fever.
+ asked him how long his wife was i'll
HE said she was ill during Januar
n and February.
IS then asked DR.. Williams wha
). was he doing in March, since Wake
e did not perform his operation. unit
April? DR.. Williams didn't kno"
He was a little haZy about the Whol
matter. He impressed me as be1n
y fully as unsophisticated as Doll
- Walker.
- No Indictment has been lodge
- against Dr. Williams for his unetn
cal and inhuman conduct in the case