The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-07-13
ATTEMPTED JAIL DELIVERY.
PLOT TO MURDER JAILER AND
ESCAPE.
-Four Prisoners Conspire to Gain
Freedom If it Cost the Life of Jail
er-Piot Discovered Before DAM
age h Done.

From the Item. Saturday. July 8.
A plot TO murder the jailer and
make a wholesale Jail delivery was
discovered last night in time to pre-.
vent any DANCE being done. An Item
reporter interviewed the prisoners at
the jail this morning and got all the
details OF the plot.
The leader OF the plot was Jim
Hicks. a negro who Is to serve five
years on the chaingang for house
breaking and larceny. Before he
was convicted he hatched the plot.
The plan was for the prisoners to
get In their cells when the jailer
came In and one was TO spring upon
him from behind. The others were
TO then pounce upon him. take his
gun and II necessary kill him. Jim
Hicks was a prisoner In jail when an
attempt at q delivery was made about
three years ago.
Those implicated In the plot were
Jim Hicks. John Rayford. colored.
convicted for selling whiskey. and
given three months; Willie Fraser.
eolored. charged with HOUSEKEEPING
but not tried:. Lucius Richardson.
colorsd. given Is months for stealing
o wheel.
When seen all OF the prisoners
talked freely. John Rayford. who
has q suspended sentence Of two
years during good behavior was the
one who said when the plot was be-
ing perfected. now grab him, take
his gun. and IL he makes a Noise kill
him.
Willie Fraser yesterday took the
heels on his shoes. using one OF the
metal spoons for the operation. and
all OF the participants had their coats
on and all ready 20 make the break.
Elias Thompson and Alex Davis. who
have been lodged In jail for violation
Of labor contract stated that they
would have left. but they would not
have hurt hair OF Mr.. Owens head.
After the plot was discovered. the
eulprits tried to bring Graham. the
white bicycle thief into II. believing
that he informed upon them. So far
as could be learned Graham had
nothing to do with the conspiracy.
The plot has been brewing for
more than two weeks. Several days
eso there was an agreement to carry
the plot out. and when no one caught
the tailer one OF the plotters laugh
cd. The jailer noticed II and asked
at the time what II meant. Those
implicated now say that the plot
would have been carried out IL any
or them had had the nerve to grab
Mr.. Owens, and the one who laugh
cd said he was laughing because
there was none who had any nerve.
IL would be practically impossible
Cor them to have gotten out even
after they got out OF the cell. There
ere too many doors TO open and Jail :
or Owens would die before he would
give up the keys. 1t Is a fortunate
thing that the plot was discovered, OF
rather revealed. for Hanna Taylor,
convicted for selling whiskey, over
heard the plot and told Mr.. Owens.
Her sentence should be suspended
anc that OF John Rayfor6, big
John" aa he Ia a. rsd nut In foroo
The matter of enforcing the sus-
pended sentence was brought to the
judges attention this morning, but
he ruled that selling whiskey was the
only oftense that would remove the
suspension.
Henry Williams who was found not
guilty last week and relased was one
Of the original conspirators.