m v J . * . . ; * v ,IT. . ' $
Sit? Sambroj Ifwalb
^^???? ???1^1?i?_^????????????"??'?^ ^
- Established 1891 i BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1908 One Dollar a Year
? $$
_? jfc. ^
IN THE PALMETTO STATE
SOME OCCURRENCES OF VARIOUS
KINDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
State News Boiled Down for Quick
Reading?Paragraphs About
Men and Happenings.
W. S. Monteith, a prominent attorney
of Columbia, died last Saturday.
He Buffered a stroke of paralysis several
months ago. He is survived by
eight children.
The citizens of Augusta and Aiken
are taking steps to build a boulevard
between the two cities. The road
will cost about ten thousand dollars,
and it is to be built by private subscription,
Eggs and chickens are scarce in
Bamberg now, and prices are high.
A meeting of farmers and business
men was held in Spartanburg last
Saturday to consider conditions as affecting
the cotton crop and its mar
J 3
keting. The meeting recommenaeu
that no cotton be sold for less than
ten cents. ' Senator-elect E. D. Smith
leas present and made a speech.
Noah Johnson, a freight conductor
of the Southern Railway, was tried in
ri- Columbia last week on the charge of
car breaking and larceny. Some
whiskey was found in his possession,
And the prosecution claimed he had
stolen it from a freight car. Johnson
claimed he had bought the whiskey
from a negro near Spartanburg.
% . The court directed a verdict of not
.guilty.
"NEAR BEER" TAX CONTESTED.
v -sr .
Injunction
Against Collecting License
f
Fixed by Georgia. Legislature.
- ? Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 20.?The Georgia
prohibition law, so far as taxing
"near beer" is concerned, is under
fire. The extra session of the legis.
-s lature, which adjourned yesterday,
* authorized a tax of $500 on manufacturers
of this product. Two hundred
dollars is the amount imposed on dispensers
of "near beer."
Shortly after last midnight Judge
Ellis of the superior court enjoined
the comptroller of the State and the
sheriff of Fulton county, which includes
Atlanta, from collecting this
tax. The injunction was granted on
* the petition of i 15 dealers in the
.. ' "prohibition product." The "near
. beer" dealers assert that the legisla
r* ? ;
tion is unconstitutional. The case
will be carried to the highest courts.
,
FELL OFF MOVING TRAIN.
Youth from Cottagevilie Meets Trag fC'
-y *
ic Death on Southern.
Boisy Harris came to his death yesterday
morning, according to the verdict
of the coroner's jury, held late
xi", r 3 * yesterday
afternoon, as a result of
an accidental fall from Southern railway
train No; 14, near Ridgeville,
Wednesday evening.
He died at the St. Francis Xavier
Infirmafry, never regaining consciousness
after he hit the ground in his
fall from the smoking car platform.
Young Harris, a youth of about 18
years, boarded the train at Orangeburg,
with a ticket for Ridgeville. He
; was in the smoking section with a
cousin, James Reeves, and another
white man. Harris got up near Ridgeville
and left the car. He was seen
>* V
to step off the platform, and it is
thought thatr, he either missed his
footing or deliberately precipitated
himself to his death. He was found
later face downward,, by Flafeman
Shirer, near the tracks. H&ris was
brought to Charleston, with a fractured
skull. He lived about twelve
hours after the accident.
His cousin, James Reed, stated this
morning that Boisy Harris lived at
CottagevillQ, where he was going
from Ridgeville. The body will be
taken charge of by the Southern Railway
Company to be forwarded to the
people of Harris.?Charleston Post.
k > v
V'C* "
Seek's License by Court's Aid.
Greenville, Sept. 17.?Chief Justice
Pope of the State supreme court
has 'sued an order against the State
board of pharmaceutical examiners,
requiuring them to show cause why
a license should not be issued to John
If. Mauldin, of Greenville, to practice |
pharmacy in this State.
Justice Pope's order is deemed of
considerable general interest in that,
after Mr. Mauldin had proceeded with
his examination to a certain point,
he was told that he could not get a
license unless he had served four
years under a competent druggist in
this State.
Upon this point Mr. Mauldin, who
is graduate of the pharmaceutical de-j
partment of the University of Maryland,
makes his complaint to court, j
% Mr. Mauldin's petition declares this
regulation is repugnant to law and
upon this contention Justice Pope issued
the order.
The order is returnable on October
1 at Columbia.
DENMARK'S SCHOOL OPENING. |
Session Commenced in Handsome
New Brick Building. *
Denmark, Sept. 17.?For a number
of years Denmark has been wide- ly
known in lower Carolina for its
excellent school. The opening of the
19 08-'09 session yesterday morning
in the handsome new brick structure
on Palmetto avenue, the unusually
large enrollment for the first day and j
the presence of so many patrons, j
friends and visitors are unmistakable 1
signs of new life and progress in the 1
community along the line of educa- ,
tional work. The.high school estab- ;
lished last year has been strengthen- <
ed, offering fine advantages to bpys
and girls who will not be permitted ,
to attend college. The standard is i
gradually being raised and in a year 1
or two the school will be ideally .
equipped for the required work re- \
* ~ - - ?? - i- i -i- 1
cently promulgated oy xne mgn >
school act.
The building has two stories, built
in the shape of the letter T. The auditorium
forms the leg of the T and
is single stcry. There are nine class
rooms with modern equipment and
three large corridors. The front colonial
porch gives the entire building
a comanding. appearance. The auditorium
is furnished with opera chairs.
The inside trimming and workmanship
are the best. The material is
select throughout. The plant completed
cost $17,000. The building
was erected by W. M. Warren of
^ranchville, planned and supervised
by Architects Wilson, Sompayrac &
Urquhart, of Columbia.^
The opening exercises consisted of
patriotic songs by the school and excellent
short addresses by a number
of distinguished citizens and visitors.
The devotional exercises were con ducted
by Rev. L. M. Rice, pastor of
the Denmark Baptist church. Mr.
Rice also made a strong speech, outlining
the true relationship of'the
teacher to parent and vice versa. Mr.
S. G. Mayfield painted in eloquent
language the pathway that leads to
fame and cited the success of many
former illustrious South Carolinians
_ *
to verify his argument. Hon. W. L. ^
Riley, a young farmer, who goes for
the first time to the legislature, spoke f
earnestly for the undivided support (
of patrons. Capt. J. B. Guess fol
lowed with a strong comparison of j
schools as they are to-day and the <
schools of 40 years ago. Hon. C. W.
Garris made his speech suggestive to ]
the teachers. Mr. Garris is a forceful
speaker. Mr. G. W. Goolsbv in a I
style of his own and seldom mitated
by others, made a gladsome, merry t
speech, offering a gold medal to the ?
boy of the best deportment for the *
coming year. Rev. S. P. Hair of ?
Blackville was present, a teacher in 1
earlier life, made the required short, ?
spicy address, full of thought and
beauftfully illustrated. The introduc- (
tion of the new superintendent, Prof. ?
H. A. C. Walker, was the closing
number of the programme. Prof. (
Walker responded in excellent spirit, i
The patrons are well pleased over the ?
nresent bright prospects and a rec- J
ord-breaking year is assured. 1
1
Deputy Marshal Shot Down. t
Barnsville, Ga., Sept. 20.?Ben F. (
Perdue, a farmer living near here,
shot Deputy Marshal Ben Porch at 2 \
o'clock this morning, inflicting
wounds from which the officer died
at 2 o'clock this afternoon. -j
A shotgun at close range was used, ]
one load passing through one lung 1
into the other, the other load enter- {
ing the lower part of the back. May- (
or Cochran he^rd the officer's cry for ]
help and went to his rescue, carrying ]
him home and securing medical aid. j
Porch earlier in the night locked ,
up Perdue for being drunk and dis- <
orderly. Friends appeared for Perdue's
release and Porch turned him
out. Afterward Perdue secured a ]
gun and waited on Market street for
Porch's regular round, when, with- <
out warning, according to the officer's 1
dying words, he opened fire. ,
The shooting occurred near the
centre of the city. Porch had been
deputy marshal for years and both ]
men are well connected. Indigna- ]
tion is running high and efforts are !
being made to locate Perdue, who J
thus far has made his escape.
Edgefield Co. in Receiver's Hands.
Charleston, Sept. 17.?An order
filed in the United States circuit court
to-dav, signed by Judge Pritchard,
puts the Edgefield Manufacturing
j Company in the hands of T. I. Hickman,
of Augusta, and A. S. Tompkins,
of Edgefield, as receivers. The
mills have an authorized capital of
$120,000 and consist of ginnery, oil :
mill and cotton mill, operating 5,000
spindles.
I
COUNTRY NEWS LETTERS
SOME INTERESTING HAPPENINGS I
IN VARIOUS SECTIONS.
News Items Gathered All Around,
the County and Elsewhere.
Ehrhardt Etchings.
Ehrhardt, Sept. 21.?Mr. Editor,
pour writer did not feel like giving
pou any of the local dots last week
from this place, as the founder and
father of our little town lay a corpse
in our midst from Sunday morniug
ibout ten o'clock until Monday afternoon,
when he was placed to rest in'
i new cemetery, one of his last projects
for the town and surrounding!
3ommunity. . I
He was 75 years and nine montns,
nld when he died, and was conscious
ap to the last minute of his life. Was
3tanding up in his bedroom talking!
and fell dead in his youngest son's
?rms, who happened to be the only
person in the room with him at the
? ! ? ...JUlAn
time. He was aware 01 ms wuumuu,
but did not expect to pass off so soon.
Was expecting his daughter to come
>n Sunday, the 13th, just before his
ieath, and think he was looking out
uf the door (which had a glass in the
upper portion) to see if he could see
my trace of them coming.
He mapped out what he wanted
bis children to do, and what portion
uf the property was to go to each one,
ind then his wishes as to his business
for the public?how and who was to
larry it on, so as not fo discontinue
t or cause the public to be dissapoint3d
by his death.
He did not want his lifetime work
to end with himself.
He left an aged wife, two years
)Ider* than himself, three sons, and
)ne daughter, with several grand
jhildren and two great grand chilIran
to mourn for him and see that
lis memory is perpetuated. His
friends were numerous, as was shown
uy the attendance at his f uner- j
il, which was conducted by his
pastor in the Ehrhardt Lutheran
:hurch?a church that he practically
uuilt and planned and gave to thej
>malL congregation who worship in
,t.
Thus one of our most influential
jusiness men passed away, leaving a
?ap to be filled by a younger man.
One hundred and one bales of cot;on
was marketed here on Saturday
it 9 1-16 cents average.
Our graded school will open here
)n Monday, the 28th instant, with
Prof. William Fulton Hiers as principal
and Miss L. F. Epps as assistant.
i)ur town should pay more attention
;o its school, as a good school is es;ential
to the growth of any town.
The town council received their
?uard house on Saturday morning.
}ur town council is busy making imirovements
and working up the
itrekts of our town. Let the good
vork go on, as lots of- it is still needid.
Miss Frankie Folk is spending some
;ime with her grandmother, Mrs. A.
D. I^irhardt.
Our merchants should send in a
letition to the railroad company to
mild us a larger depot and cotton
ilatform. Both are too small for
;he present business of our town now,
ind the town is expected to grow
iach year.
Miss Margaret Taylor was buried
it Carter's Ford grave yard on last
fVednesday at 3 o'clock. She was
ibout eighty-six years old.
Mr. B. B. Best is very ill, and is
lot expected to be with us much longer.
He has been sick for a long time,
ind recently got worse.
Charles Ehrhardt, Jacob Ehrhardt,
md Wilhelmina S. Folk will take
;harge of the business formerly run
is C. Ehrhardt & Sons, and will conluct
the business hereafter under the
lame of Conrad Ehrhardt & Co., and
vill be so announcced later. They
innft tn rpppivp thp notrnnajro nf thp
'ormer firm, and will try to please
;he public in every respect as did the
)ld firm of C. Ehrhardt & Sons.
Miss Maggie Copeland and Mr. Wynan
Chassereau were married on yes;erday.
JEE.
Pressley Reeves Assassinated.
Branchville, September 22.?Pressley
Reeves, 24 years of age, the son of A.
M. Reeves, who lives about six miles
Delow here, in Dorchester county, was
assassinated just after dark this evening
Reeves left his home about dark to
jarry a load of cotton pickers to their
lomes. About an hour later the mules
returned home with young Reeves dead
in the wagon, he having been shot in
the head with buck shot. It is said the
ivagon did not go to the field with the
rotton pickers.
There is no clue as to the assassin.
Reeves leaves a widow.
Gov. Ansel has been asked for bloodnounds.
11 n rrv?Nn nnp lina wt hppn psntnr.
^? f ?* ? w J ~ w ??
2d.
The dogs will arrive here about 12:30
this morning, when a posse will begin
3earch for the slayer.
Gov. Ansel was advised by wire last
night of the assassination of Mr. Reeves
and was requested to dispatch bloodhounds,
if possible, on the first train.
Secretary Bethea immediately got into
communication with Superintendent
Griffith of the penitentiary and arrangements
were made to send these dogs to
the scene of the crime. Gov. Ansel de-1
cided not to wait for the regular train
and ordered a special out over the
Southern railway, which left Columbia
at 1:30 this morning. Mr. Robbins of
the penitentiary guards was in charge
of tne dogs. The special consisted of J
an engine and one coach, in charge of |
Conductor Lefesman and Engineer
Morrer.?Columbia State.
Two gentlemen from Branchville were
in the city to-day (Wednesday) and they
stated that the blood hounds failed to
strike a trail, and no arrests have been
made so far.
I NEW RULE ON ENCAMPMENTS.
Recruits Must Have Seen Service for
Past Six Months.
Unless instructions Adjutant General
Boyd is about to send out to the
! National Guard officers over the State
are obeyed faithfully and zealously
there is some doubt as to whether
the summer encampments next year
will be possible with some companies.
It seems that the war department is
determined to put a prompt stop to
the practice that has been going on
for many years of companies filling
up the quota for encampment with
raw recruits who have had no instruction
in "the school of the soldier,"
"small arms firing" and "manual
of guard duty."
A letter just received from the war
department says that hereafter no
enlisted man will be allowed to receive
pay who has not been enlisted
at least six months prior to the encampment,
and in addition, must
show that he has been sufficiently instructed
in the three branches mentioned.
Exception of course will be
made in favor of those who have had
sufficient previous service and are
properly instructed.
I Sometimes a large portion of the
1 men who attend encampments are
freshly recruited, many of whom enlisted
a few days before going on encampment.
If the new requirements
had been applied to the encampments
last summer it is estimated that from
25 to 50 per cent, of practically all
the companies would have been shut
out of the pay roll.
The war department's pronunciamento
is thought to be the result in
large part of the conduct and showing
made at the coast defense exercises
of the Second and Third regiments
at Fort Moultrie last summer.
The regular army officers who had
this encampment under supervision
are said to have very severely criticised
the officers and men on their
carelessness and lack of training,
particularly scoring a number of officers
for failure to carry out instruc
tions requiring them to make detailed
reports to the regular officers. A
similar criticism may come later on
the First regiment.
Previous to the receipt of this letter
from the war department general
orders were prepared to correct the
defects complained of to the adjutant
general.?The State.
Negro Killed at Branchville.
Branchville, Sept. 21.?On last
Saturday morning Willie Thompson,
colored, was shot and killed by John
Mitchell, also colored. The shooting
occurred in the morning about 10
o'clock and the boy died in the afternoon
about 4 o'clock.
The two hoys were ou^_ hunting,
and while crossing a cotton patch,
the gun was discharged, and the load
entered the hip of Thompson, at very
close range, which resulted fatally.
The coroner's inquest was held in the
afternoon, and the result of the inquisition
was that Thompson came to
his death by a gun shot wound at the
hands of John Mitchell, me negro
was placed under arrest, and will be
committed to jail to-morrow.
OFFICERS RESISTED.
,
j Desperate Defense of Dwelling by Arj
kansas Conple.
West Plains, Mo., Sept. 20.?John
Roberts and his wife to-day resisted
a sheriff and several deputies in a
(desperate fight near Prestonia, one
j mile south of the Arkansas line, when
[the officers attempted to arrest RobI
erts for killing Obe Kessinger, a
I neighbor, last night. As a result the
| woman . and Sheriff Mooney of Baxter
county, Arkansas, are probably
mortally wounded, and Roberts and
two deputies are seriously hurt.
Roberts went to Kessinger's late
last night and called Kessinger to the
door. When Kessinger appeared Roberts
fired and killed him, it is said.
The cause of the deed has not been
learned.
Sheriff Mooney.with several deputies,
to-day started to arrest Roberts.
Mrs. Roberts from a window told the
officers to keep away, but the sheriff
j continued to advance and both she
and her husband opened fire.
| Mooney was shot by the woman, it
is said. His fall disconcerted the deputies
for a few minutes and Roberts
j and his wife took advantage of this
to barricade the house. They defended
the building for hours under fire.
When the firing from within finally
ceased the door was broken down,
Mrs. Roberts, suffering from 14
wounds, was dying and no attempt
was made to remove her to jail. Roberts
and the wounded officers were
taken to Mountain Home, Ark.
T. C. DUNCAN IN TROUBLE
A
ARRESTED AT INSTANCE OF PEOPLE'S
BANK RECEIVERS.
Alleged That He Obtained About Nine
%
Thousand Dollars by Fraud and
False Pretenses. ,
Union, Sept. 21.?T. C. Duncan,
former president of the Union and
Buffalo cotton mills until their reorganization
three years ago and one of
the best known industrial promoters
of the South for years, was Saturday
evening arrested here on a warrant
chaging him with fraud and obtaining
money under false pretenses to
the aggregate amount of $8,000 or
$9,000, sworn out by one of the receivers
of the People's bank of this
city.
The arrest was guarded with the
utmost seorecv bv them, having it
made on account of busuiness reasons,
but news of it has leaked out
and been confirmed. It seems, from
information obtained, that during
December two years ago the People's
bank of this city cashed a check for
$1,515 drawn on the Bank of Spring
City, Tenn., by the American Lime
company, of which corporation T. C.
Duncan, formerly of this city, was
head, he having organized that concern
after leaving Union with the understanding
that the funds to. meet
the check were at a Spring City bank
named. The People's bank here also
cashed several drafts within the next
few days which, were, it is understood,
drawn by the same American
Lime company and which, on being
forwarded to the Spring City bank,
were returned with the information
that the company had no funds there.
When, about the 1st of August, the
People's bank of this city went into
voluntary liquidation and B. F. Arthur,
former president, and W. R.
Gist, of Carlisle, were appointed receivers,
H. B. 0'Shields being later
named, the matter of these drafts
was drawn to their attention and W.
H. Gist, acting for the receivers,"
wrote Mr. Duncan at Spring City,
Tenn., that the matter must be closed
up promptly, intimating that unless
the money was forthcoming criminal
proceedings would be instituted.
It is learned that in the meantime
a voluminous amount of evidence in
the shape of correspondednce referring
to the payment of these checks
and the fact that there was no money
on . deposit in Spring City with whidh
to meet them came into the possession
of the receivers. Thus they?feel
/? J i. - & J-t 1? JX
COIlliamit OI tneir gruuuu.
After being notified, Mr. Duncan
wrote the receivers that he would be
here last week. He came on Tuesday
and asked that the matter be deferred
until Saturday. On that day,
after consulting his counsel, James
Munroe, of this city and J. P. K. Bryan,
of Charleston, his lawyers had a
consultation with the bank receivers
and their counsel and after considerable
parley which did not result in
the money being paid, agreement was
arrived at and the warrant was issued.
It sems that Mr. Duncan was advised
of this action and came to the
office of his counsel, Mr. Munroe,
where he was arrested and taken next
door to the office of -Magistrate Vinson,
who released him on $500 bond,
which was furnished by Capt. A. H.
Foster.
When asked to-day if he had any
statement to make for publication,
Mr. Munroe, for his client, said that
he did not. . %
Since the news of the arrest has become
public it has been much talked
of. What future developments there
will be remains to be seen, tbougb it
is strongly intimated that other arrests
may follow in the event that
the matter is not settled -by the payment
of the amount of the check and
drafts with interest to date. In the
event that this case is not settled outside
of the court it will probably come
up for trial next February.
iwo Murders m Branchville.
Branchville, Sept. 21.?Saturday
morning about 8 o'clock John Henry
Mitchell, colored, shot and mortally
wounded Willie Thompson, also colored,
about four miles from here.
Thompson died about four o'clock in
the afternoon from the wound. The
shooting is claimed to be an accident.
Yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock
Ed. Thomas, colored, cut Neighbor
Warren, also colored, at a negro convention
about four miles from here.
Warren was cut from ear to ear
across the back of the neck and is
not expected to live.
This afternoon,about 2 o'clock, Lizzie
Julia Grimes, colored, stabbed
Gena Smith, also colored, to death
on the Main street in Branchville.
Gena Smith was stabbed five times
I*> tVio Virnot on/1 phost nno ctflh put.
1U tui VUV UUU VUVUV) vuv wv??v v**?
ting the jugular vein and carotid artery,
causing death in five minutes.
RAX DOWX BY A STREET CAR.
Little Eleanor Burges Probably Fatally
Injured in Charleston.
Charleston, Sept. 19.?Eleanor
Burges, six-year-old, was knocked
down by a car on King street to-night
and the wheels passed over both legs
and as a result of the injury she is expected
to die. The little girl was on
one side of the street and her mother
on the opposite when she was called
across the crowded thoroughfare, and
in avoiding a wagon she ran in front
of the rapidly moving car and received
the injuries which will probably
cause her death. She was sent to the
St. Francis Xavier infirmary for
treatment. Conductor Adair and
Motorman Carson were arrested.
ANOTHER GINNERY ACCIDENT. ^ '
Little David Zorn Has His Arm Ton
Off Near the Shoulder. t- -y\
* 'i~ '
Govan, September 21.?Last Tu**?
day afternoon David, the niaa* ' ^
year-old son of Mr. and Mrs, J. B. \ ,
Zorn of this town, had his right arm 'M
caught in his father's cotton gin, and /? ^
as a result the u de boy's arm Hat 3
severed from his body about two ta? bi
ches below the shoulder joint Tha ..
boy would have met with instant H
death had not a colored man seta .
him in time to Jerk him from tha *^10
saws that were cutting his flesh ta
pieces. Mr. Zorn was at the t'i-J
house, and was immediately c&UaA. H;3
He stopped the flow of blood
grasping his fingers around the ma*
tilated stump and -Holding same os* .
til medical aid could be secured. *
Drs. Kirkland, McCormack* and
Hartzog were summoned, and intm*?
diate attention was obtained. ij&gg
Little David is one of the sm&rtart
and most popular children of this Mjjg
community. He has always been
mired by all with whom he came
contact. It was remarkable how
the little fellow stood the severe pattu -,i ^
He said to the other members of the
family, "Don't worry. It is over with.
It now can't be helped." The entire
community sympathize with the fsato?^|a
ily in their trouble. : I
About 12 o clock yesterday a ne?
gro's house on the plantation of Mr. ,;.g|S
M. P. Eu banks was destroyed by Are.
Henry Sanders, colored, was living
in this house, but no one was e*^||
home. Nothing was saved. Mr. fin*
banks' loss amounts to about $200
with $100. insurance.
Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon h
tenant house on -Mr. H. C. Rice's
place near here was destroyed by Are. rfgg
Tom Moore, colored? was living bhr
the house, but nobody was at home,
consequently nothing was saved.
Miss Jennie Herren left Friday for "
Winthrop College at Rook Hill.
Miss Rosa Hay, who has been via^jjjfflj
ing at Springfield, returned home t0h\^5B
Leighton A. Hartzog will retui^^^B
to the medical college on the 29th in- } ''w
Mrs. J. Murray Seabrook, of John's; ^ Sp
Island, is visiting her parents Mr. and
Mrsr. H. M. Kennedy.
SMITH SIGNS CONVICT BILL.
Lease System of Convicts in Georgh^P^
Done Away With.
Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 20.?Just St
midnight last night Gov. Hoke Smith
signed the convict lease bill, which
hereafter prohibits the leasing of
ons except by the consent of the gOTernor
and prison commission. lie
bill was passed by the legislature yet- l,M
terday after $35,000 had been spent
in an extra session and nearly
month used in discussing the legltlar . /3H
tion. With the signature of Governor
Smith on the bill as engrossed, Geor*' - WM
gia has done away with a systxttK^^S
which has been in existence ever '
since 1865. . s
It was to settle this convict lease
question that Gov. Smith called ' a . -f'%
special session of the legislature. He ^ s
desired that the lease system be ab- ySHj
solutely abolished and tHe bill as
passed provides that there will be no ,VJ*B
leasing of convicts to any contractor |
for private gain. It is said these contractors
have made thousands of doK
lars out of convicj labor in Georgia
in the last 40 years, the men being ,
leased to them at $400 apiece with, i/f||S
the simple provision of board and-Mi??
sleeping quarters.
. In the investigation which led t? g|i
the present legislation there was considerable
testimony to the effect that y^gi
negro convicts had been whipped by
overseers and that in several cases $J^jg
the abuse had resulted in the death
of men under control of the lessee. * yM
When the Georgia legislature atsembled
a month ago to consider the i
question of convict labor, Gov. Smith
announced that he desired all traces
lea hp svstem to be eradicated.
House and senate disagreed as to how
this should be accomplished. The ;
senate insisted that there should be
no leasing after March 31 next. The
house wanted the lease system ex- ??:,
tended to 1911. Finally, however,
house and senate compromised on a 'Si
measure which permits the lease by
the State of any convicts not used on .
State roads, nor by municipalities, jr?
nor in State institutions. These men t
may be used as the prison commission
and governor see fit, but as &
close friend of Gov. Smith said to- " 8
night, when it was suggested that this
provision might prove a "joker,"
"Gov. Smith, you may be sure, is totally
opposed to leasing convicts to YY|$
private individuals and will never' 1
consent to any leases of this kind.
The lease system is dead." .