736 



TENNESSEE. 



TENNESSEE, a Southern State, admitted to 

 the Union June 1, 1796. The population, ac- 

 c-ording to each decennial census since its admis- 

 sion, was 105.002 in 1800; 261,727 in 1810; 422,- 

 771 in 1820; 681,904 in 1830; 829,210 in 1840: 

 1,002,717 in 1850; 1,109,801 in 1860; 1,258,520 

 in 1870; 1,542,359 in 1880; 1,767,518 in 1890. 

 Capital, Nashville. 



(ioverinnent. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Peter Tur- 

 ney, Democrat ; Secretary of State, William S. 

 Morgan ; Treasurer, Edward B. Craig ; Comp- 

 troller, .lames A. Harris; Attorney-General, G. 

 W. Pickle; Adjutant General, John A. Fite; 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, Frank 

 M. Smith; Commissioner of Agriculture, Sta- 

 tistics, and Mines, T. F. P. Allison all Dem- 

 ocrats. Benjamin J. Lea was Chief Justice of 

 the Supreme Court till his death, March 15. The 

 Governor appointed A. D. Bright to serve till 

 after election, in August. D. L. Snodgrass be- 

 came Chief Justice. Associate Justices were W. 

 C. Caldwell, John S. Wilkes, W. K. McAllister, 

 and W. D. Beard. 



Finances. The Treasurer's report for the 

 two years ending Dec. 19, 1894, has the follow- 

 ing items: Balance in treasury Dec. 20, 1892, 

 $31,232.77; received from Dec/20, 1892, to Dec. 

 19, 1894, $4,245,033.62 ; total, $4,276,266.39. Paid 

 on Comptroller's warrants from Dec. 20, 1892, to 

 Dec. 19, 1894, $3,523,048.75; balance in treasury 

 Dec. 19, 1894, $753.217.64. 



This includes the balance due citizens on 

 account of direct United States tax refunded, 

 amounting to $29,073.87, and the amount re- 

 maining to the credit of the new'Tenitentiary 

 account, $418,064.72. These are special funds. 



Included in the total receipts are the follow- 

 ing items, which do not represent a part of the 

 State's revenues from current sources: Sale of 

 Penitentiary bonds, $600,000; direct tax re- 

 funded by United States Government, $51,- 

 302.11; total, $651,302.11. 



In the aggregate of disbursements are the fol- 

 lowing items which can not be considered a part 

 of the current expenses: United States direct 

 tax refunded, $56,437.33 ; new Penitentiary ex- 

 pense. lf)9.0S2.81 ; salary and expenses of Pen- 

 itentiary commissioners, $10,852.47; commission 

 sale of Penitentiary bonds, $12,000; loan account. 

 s.V.i.OOO; interest, $2,748.57; State National 

 Guard, $101,036.13; DuBose impeachment trial 

 expenses. $7.045.82; total, $408,203.13. 



Taking these items from the respective 

 amounts in which they are included, it appears 

 that the receipts from the usual sources for the 

 two years were. $3.593,731.51 ; the disbursements 

 for current, expenses and legislative appropria- 

 tions were $3, 11 4.845.62 ; and the net balance 

 for general expenses is $306,079.05. 



The maximum rate of interest paid by the 

 State has been reduced from 6 to 4| per cent. 



The Legislature of 1893 authorized the Fund- 

 ing Board to issue and sell $600,000 Peniten- 

 tiary bonds, at a rate of interest not to exceed 4| 



per cent., and to run not longer than twenty 

 years, for building a new Penitentiary, buying 

 farm and coal lands, etc. ; also a sufficient num- 

 ber of redemption bonds bearing like interest, 

 for redeeming the 5- and 6-per-cent. bonds. 



In May, 1894, there were sold $1,000,000 of 4$- 

 per-cent. redemption bonds at par, less a com- 

 mission of 2 per cent. 



The funding of the bonded indebtedness of 

 the State under the funding act of 1883 is prac- 

 tically completed. 



The amount of State bonds held by the United 

 States Government is $335,666.66J. The claim 

 of the State against the Government is in the 

 form of an open, unadjusted account. 



The item of expense for State prosecutions 

 during the two years is $490,680.40, an increase 

 of more than $75,000 over the cost for the pre- 

 ceding biennial period. 



State Institutions. The number of convicts 

 in the Penitentiary is 1,631, an increase of 155 in 

 the two years. Of these, 1,227 are colored males, 

 361 white males, 36 colored females, and 6 white 

 females, with no work for any of the females. 

 Of this number 2 are boys under twelve years of 

 age. There were on Dec. 1 in the main prison 

 571, with only 252 cells ; at Tracy City, 667 ; at 

 Brushy Mountain, 85 ; Coal Creek, 120 ; Tennes- 

 see Central Railroad, 160 ; and Morrow's farm, 28. 



The number pardoned by the Governor dur- 

 ing the two years is 146. The Legislature pro- 

 vided for the purchase of a prison site, farm, and 

 coal lands, and for the erection of buildings. 

 The site selected by the committee appointed in 

 at Cockerill's Bend, 6 miles below Nashville. It- 

 contains 1,128 acres, and cost $75,000. Coal 

 lands comprising 9.000 acres on Brushy Moun- 

 tain were bought for $80,000. The plans for 

 buildings call for an expenditure of $951,659.89. 



A conflict took place, July 27. between officers 

 and convicts at one of the mines near Tracy 

 City, worked by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and 

 Railroad Company with about 200 convicts. 

 The prisoners went into the mine in the morn- 

 ing, captured the powder magazine, forced the 

 free laborers out, and then refused to work. Every 

 effort was made during the day to get the con- 

 victs to work. On entering the mine one of the 

 guards recognized the leader and immediately 

 shot and killed him. Thinking this would bring 

 them out. Deputy Nelson and some guards pro- 

 ceeded up a cross entry. The convicts had made 

 a gun out of cast-iron pipe, and placing this 

 and a keg of powder in a mining car and attach- 

 ing fuse to each, placed the car at the head of the 

 main entry. On the approach of the guards they 

 lighted the fuse and turned the car loose down 

 the entry. Just as Deputy Nelson made his ap- 

 pearance the keg and pipe exploded, killing him 

 instantly. One hundred and fifteen of the con- 

 victs afterward came out, leaving 60 in the mine. 

 The mouth of the mine was guarded all night, 

 and the 60 convicts worked with pick, shovel, 

 and dynamite to gain their freedom ; in the 

 morning they were forced to surrender. 



