Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-02-06
PRISONERS REVOLT At
COUNTY W0RKH0UoE
But Warden MeSerVe and His Aid
Soon Ended the Affair Without
Much Trouble.
A PISTOL WAS FIRED INTO SPACE
And That Took the Fight gut OF
the Men.
NO FURTHER TROUBLE is LOOKED FOR

Nu TUnlIlLn lhoopLI " LooNLc vi"
-
Fourteen ordinary prisoners reVoltea
at the county workhouse at Srreennahk
Friday. They were subdued atteF
n scrimmage. Warden a.. ,. MeserVe ne
lieves they have had their lesson. and |
that the prisoners will not give the
same kind of trouble soon again.
Whether any Of the men involved
one was white and the rest we're colored
had any scheme of attempting TO
escape is not known. Had they over
powered the guards in the workshop,
where the row occurred, they might
have got to the centre. But there they
would have found Centre Guard "; T.
Windish to check their advance. lhey
could not have unlocked the door, for
he had followed his instructions OF
| throwing his bunch of keys out INTO
| the corridor. and by the time they
might have broken il down assistance
| from other quarters was obtainable.
Operations had been begun as ''Sua!
| in the workshop at 7. 30 o'clock Friday
morning, but about half an hour later
the signs of rebellion appeared. One
| hundred and fourteen prisoners were III
the room. the greater number of them
engaged in the making of the pants,
of which the shop turns out about a
thousand pairs day. Several OF them
declined to work and the guards, soon
saw that trouble was brewing ana sent
for Warden Meserve. Their grievance
turned out to be not any compliant
about the food, or their work, but
claim of unfair treatment to prisoner.
This prisoner had been punished us
having been n ringleaacr in previous
difficulty at the institution. whereas
these men claimed that he was not the
right man. that he had been informed
upon, and that in reality one Of their
own number was to blame. II was
while discussing these matters that the
man charged with being informer was
struck by another, and then the situa
tion grew serious. Warden MoserNa
and five guards endeavored to quell the
row, were reinforced by four other Off
Gals. and then a quick scattering of the
prisoners followed the discharge of a
revolver into the air. No one was
; struck by the shot, none being aimed
at. The prisoners got off better, per
hans, than the guards. who received
scratches in their-encounter with tht
: men.
Warden A. S. Meserve, in his private
2 office at the workhouse. gave an'ac
count of the disturbance to the news
T papermen. He said:
1--WE have had some trouble out herr
(. this morning. Ever since we had som
, trouble here on a Monday morning
y | have been trying to ferret out tn
b ringleaders ] wanted to be fair AM
l. RIGHT. desiring no man to be unjustl
punished, or to let a man 60 unpunishc,
t IF deserving punishment And I hav
n taken men out of the workshop and pu
e them into their cells three or fcu
! days. Last night | took ont a man
e whose name I prefer not to mention
'e on account of his family.
L "This man was taken out last nigh
and nut into a dark cell, that is,
y hoard was nut on his cell door. Thi
IS morning. two or three of his friend
~ refused to work. was sent for to con,
Ia the shop. went up and these thrt
81 men that refused to work did not I'm
Or cover their machines. They argue
~ ! tbe ease with me and said that tn
/: man i had locked up was not the RIM
Or leader; but that one of their numbt
ne was the ringleader. They accused
u, colored man of being the informer
ne tn the man who was punished.
d. iWbile I was arguing with the fello
| who said he WIS Ttlp rln1leduGT, dDDlI
coiored man came down from his nj
IT chine and started a fight with the ma
1t whom thew claimed was the informer.
Continuing his recital, wardt
I'm Meserye said that the guards went
d: In ston the fight and there was ge
he oral scramble for a little time. Guar
nix Frank GRAY. John Black Elwot
IT. Dayett and James Shallender q
ny scratched Black had his finger hui
nd but none of them is off duty.
ast One man struck GRAY back of t
me neck and Shallender grabbed t
Ter prisoner and used him pretty roughl
in. Enord Harvey r. Wigplesworth Ike
vs. watch over the other prisoners "
he we've al work The Guards below We
led not;f;ed by the ringing Of the gong
IRE centre. and George Founders, Dem
lrd Gaonsrd c,r.yford NIGHT Guard 10
ire n CaTnheiI Who had zone to III
of and C;ierk +. w, Indebted rushed =,
os nsnntv Crawford DISCHARGED his
emit volrar in the air and fine men ran Ii
friobtanad chickens That ended
I'd, ra,s Tbev were then mt in their eel
ked ~ E,, 80 ar;sonarp bad talyar ,,a ri
md ~ tna',isla - iii ~ tLs,n ,,ctive
am NJ ,lo"'tS' ~. VIZ 49, iI,'l J.. ~