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Friday July 18th 1879. Met at office of Mr Giles Present, Ast. [Suph. Just.?] Mr B. I. Reed, Mr Bruce Dept Sherriff Pegues. Constable Orwell, [crossed out]and other citizens [end crossed out] W M Giles
[crossed out]Jack Bamble sworn says: [end crossed out] J W Richardson Jr. sworn says I reside in Palestine, but have been guarding at Kellys camp near Mineola since June 10th Jeff Kelly is sergeant. I have seen men punished there for misconduct. None without cause. The punishment did not exceed the offence. Have [crossed out] seen men punished because they would not work. I think Capt Kelly is a good man. He is not a man to exact labor, where the convict is unable to perform it. The convicts get plenty to eat [crossed out]. have never heard one yet complain of his food. There have been about [two men?] punished since I have been there. The most of those were punished for idleness or failure to do proper amount of work. These men were in my opinion physically able to do the work required. The amount of work required varies according to the convicts physical capacity to perform it. Some are required to cut one card and a quarter per day Others not more than a half card. New men are not required to do as much work as old men, but are [favoured?] along until they get hardened. Two men were punished for poisoning dogs, and one who escaped and recaptured.
Mr Kelly punished three of the above mentioned [?], the [crossed out] most of the others were punished
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by Mr [??], who had change of the [??] of the train, and during Mr. Kellys absence at Huntsville. The two who poisoned the dogs (Shannon and Redmond) were punished by [? ?] Mr Kelly punished by stocks. He raised their heels a little off of the ground. I did not notice particularly about this. None of the men fainted or died off in the stocks that Kelly stocked. I suppose he probably kept them in a half hour. I saw Redmond & Shannon stocked. They were stocked more severely than any of the others. They were not raised clear from the ground. I do not think either one of them fainted. Shannon I think pretended to faint. When they thought he had staid in long enough, and commenced breathing hard they would let him down & let him rest. I think that for Pugh either [?] or tried to [? ?] on him. I do not know whether his neck [? ? ?] from the stocking. Redmonds stocking was not so severe as Shannons. They stocked Shannon so severely to make him tel the truth about [crossed out] where he got the poison to poison the dogs. Mr Kelly was in Huntsville at this time. I can't say that I think it [insert [unclear] stocking] was unnecessarily severe. They ceased to stock Shannon as soon as he told them what they thought was the truth, or told the same thing that Redmond had previously told.
Cross examined by Mr Buchanan says It has been about 20 months since I left Palestine. Since I left there I have [?? ??] through the country. Have kept saloon at Terrell about a month. V
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Kept saloon a little before I left Palestine. I did not see convict [?] stocket. [crossed out] I believe Shannon was stocked twice, but am not [?]. If he was, I saw him stocked the first time. This was at night. He was lifted in the stocks so as to stand on his toes. He was kept in that position about [?] minutes. Saw Redmond stocked. He was raised but not near so severely as Shannon.
Mentioned by Mr Pequeso says. I had a conversation with McDaniels [crossed out] but don't [inserted text [? ?]] whether I told him I had seen a man unmercifully stocked. did not tell him that I saw a man stocked until he vomits nor until he did something worse. I did see a man stocked until he committed a nuisance. The man's name I do not recollect. I saw two so stocked. I don't recollect when exactly. It was since Shannon was stocked. In one case the stocking was done by [Deroggins?]. Don't recollect by whom in the other case. Saw Shannon fall back when his head was taken out. When the man committed the nuisance he was not being near so severely stocked as others. V Some men can stand more stocking than others. I think that Shannon can stand more punishment than other men I have seen stocked. The most of the men stocked
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claimed to be unable to work. They were generally examined by Pugh, a convict Dr. who pronounced them able to work, before they were punished. I do not recollect an instance in which a convict, who was physically unable, or who had been pronounced unable by Dr Pugh, was required to work or punished for not working.
[signed] J. W. Richardson
Sworn to & subscribed before me July 18th 1879 [signature] ????????
[?] W M Gentry [?] says I am farming, reside near Lake Fork two miles north. I am acquainted with Sergt Randle. Knew him when he had charge at Lake Fork. On one occasion during the Fall of 1878, I was at the camp, and saw him whip a convict, said to be an indian. He and the Indian were on the inside of the building and I on the outside. Mr Bates was with me and heard the whipping, but did not see it. The confict was in the building, claiming to be sick. Randle went in and commenced talking to the convict, who made no reply. Randle had a good sized whip, with which he commenced whipping the convict
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and gave him a very severe whipping. I understood the convict died that night but don't know whether or not it was from the effect of the whipping. [crossed out] This was the only time I was ever in any of the camps.
sworn to and subscribed [Signature] before me this July 18th 1879 D.M. [unclear]
W A Kenner [?] says have resided [?] years, in Texas [crossed out]. Have been guarding convicts under Sergeant McLeroy and Kelly and Randle - guarded for Randle from [?] 12th 1878 to [?] 25th same year. For McLeroy from 25th [?] (1878) to 16th [?] and since then for Kelly. While at Randles camp saw convicts treated cruelly - saw Randle kick them several times, and saw Bounds punish them in stocks severely. Do not know names of convicts so punished. There were two or three deaths in the camp while I was there. A man named [Drummond?] was one of them. he and that he had been shot while