Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-05-16
MUTISY EXTRAORDINARY.
Stirring Scenes at the Penitontiary
Uprising of Three Hundred
Conviots.
A House Burned and Horse Thief
Calls Upon Them to Strike
for Liberty,
From tho Nashvlllo Banner. i4lh.l

There were some stirring scenes at the
penitentiary on Sunday, nearly resulting
| in the overthrow Of the gallant guards OF
that institution, and the escape of hun
dreds of its striped and close-clipped in
mates. ri
Some eleven Of the white convicts, with
Martin Coffee, an ex.soldier of the 9th
Kentucky (Federal) cavalry, whose SEN
tence for house burning and robbing will
expire fifteen years from the last session
of the Criminal Court, had concocted a
plan for grand strike for freedom, and
had determined upon carrying it cut even
at the hazard of their lives.
Waiting and watching, an opportunity
at last occurred to them. AT o'clock
pm, of Sunday, the long deal table in
the dining room, which is in the west
wing of the building, was spread with the
homely prison fare, and three hundred
convicts, half of them negroes, filed
in and seated themselves in their accus-
toned places. A single guard-Hen
derson-stood in the room, armed only
with the short baton usually carried by
those of his calling, and the door lead.
ing outward to the wall, which had been
partially torn down for material to build
new one, stood ajar, welcoming the
cool, delicious breeze that swept into
the heated apartment.
Neither whisper nor sign of any kind
betrayed the intent Of the leaders as they
silently partook Of the evening meal;
but when every plate had been emptied
and knives and forks had jingled to their
resting places, Coffee suddenly rose
from his seat, his eyes flashed with ex-
cilement and waved his soldier cap high
above his head, shouting in startling
tones Now is your time, boys Strike
strike for your liberty" AS the words
struck upon their ears, the situation at
once flashed upon them, and with one
accord up rose every man of the motley
three hundred, while an ex-Texas Ranger
named Henry Holt, with ten others
seconding the daring Coffee, strove to
incite them to action.
So sudden, however, had been the call
upon them, that though they fully COM
pretended that but two walls, each one
ten feet in hight, stood between them and
freedom, they hesitated
Henderson, the guard, who was near
Coffee, ordered him to be seated, but
instead of complying the convict seized
knife and made lunge at him, which
Henderson warded off with his club.
Using it dexterously he kept off the
mutinous convict, and was making
good fight, when ten of the penitentiary
guards, who had been lounging about the
yard, rushed in body into the room,
each with leveled revolver covering one
of the rebellious crowd, and the storm
died away as suddenly as it had broken,
The leaders we're at once seized bound
and whipped, while their constituents,
all save one, sullenly marched to their
cells.
When the roll had been called, the
absence of this one was discovered. He
was negro named English, and had
been sentenced for larceny. While the
excitement was at its hight, he had quiz
city slipped out of the dining room, and
going to a wood.pile near the outward
wall, quietly secreted himself beneath it,
first placing an improvised ladder, in the
shape of slender log, against the wall,
ready for use when he should make up
his mind to start The log, however,
sealed his fate. The guards, in their
search, at once observed it, and going to
the wood pile, one of them, Frank Grew,
noticed among the wood what he thought
to be some old clothes He carelessly
drew his revolver and fred shot, but
only an echo answered the sharp report.
A second time he fired and suppressed
shrek OF pain issued from beneath it.
English was then ordered to come out,
but he neither answered nor moved A
third bullet was sent after him, which
had the effect to bring him to, and he
crawled from his hiding place grooming
with pain. Upon examination, it was
found that ball had pierced each Of his
arms, but the wounds we're not danger.
Gus, and he is now doing we'll
All we're set to work again yesterday,
as usual, the mischief makers, however,
being closely watched, and no further
trouble is anticipated.
Coffee, the leader in the uprising, is a
handsome, intelligent young man, twenty
two years of age, and has not the APP
pearance of being an adept in crime
Holt is a large, rough-looking Gus
ttoiEsfaT, and is in for tweRty.one years,
having been convicted of stealing horse
in Pulaski, where his wife now resides
He deserted regiment of Texan Ran
gers to which he belonged during the
war, and went to Jacksonville, from
whence he fed after robbing the till of
saloon in which he was barkeeper One
of his wives, it is said, is now living in
Jeffersonville.