The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-10-16
ROW FOLLOWS
BALLOTCOUNT,
| MAN KILLED
Strained Politics Come to
Startling and an I'm
expected End.
REPORTER KILLED
IN THE SCUFFLE
Shooting Occurred When
Fight Took Place In
Committee Room.
BIZ ASSOCIATED PRESS.


Charleston S. G.. Oct 15--Sidney
J. Cohen newspaper reporter, was
killed and four men shot in a melee
that started here today just outside
the room where the Democratic city
executive committee was to meet to
canvass the returns of the municipal
primary last Tuesday.
W. A. Turner was shot in the right
lung and seriously injured; w. e.
Wingate received a serious scalp
wound; q. L. Wilens1Sy was shot IN
an arm, and Jeremiah O'Brien was
shot Ia an ankle.
The committee was just about to be
called to order to canvass the returns
of last Tuesdays primary at which
rouble was threatened A fight
~ led Ia the roana nd0fniae
the one In which the committee was
TO meet from q cause not determined
some time after the shooting.
The scuffling occasioned by the
fight hardly had started when a fusi-
lade Of shots were heard from the
committee room. This continued for
several minutes as the committeeman
and spectators made a frantic rush
to get out.
Policemen were stationed IN the
committee room and the one adjoin-
ing, but no arrests had been made
two hours after the shooting and as
far as known at that hour no one
seemed to know who fired the first
shot, or who kept it up.
The setting for the affair was dra-
matte At the intersection of King
and George streets where is situated
the building in which the committee
was to meet, a large crowd had gath
cred. The demeanor of those gath
cred there had led the chief of police
to place a large number of officers
there. At the time of the shooting,
however, this crowd had remained
orderly.
The Democratic municipal primary
developed into such bitter fractional
fight between the adherents of Mayor
l5John P. Grace and Tristan T. Hyde,
running at the head of the tickets
that serious trouble was feared. Rep
reservations made to Gov. Manning
by the sheriff and members of the
Democratic executive committee re-
suited in the governor ordering four
companies of militia and three divis-
ions of naval militia held at their
armories as precautionary meas
ure.
The state adjutant general was
hurried to Charleston from Columbia
Monday afternoon to take charge %
the situation and to have the military
take over the business of policing the
city should it be deemed necessary
The sheriff swore in fifty extra depu
ties and had them ready for imme'
date action.
Charges that the governor was In
terfering with the primary in favor
Of one faction were heard ant
promptly denied. Those who made
the charge pointed to the fact tina
there was no trouble Tuesday o
Tuesday night as substantiation. Th'
militia was ordered to report to tn
armories at 8 o'clock Monday nigh
and was not dispersed until z o'clocl
Wednesday morning.
The unofficial court showed tina
Hyde had won by 10 votes, but NOR
than 100 votes were contested. Tn
committee met today to canvass tn
returns and settle the contests.
The crowd had gathered to get frs
news of the decision of the comnitte
which would settle whether Tristan
T. Hyde would be mayor or whethe
John p Grace had been elected t
that position. On the face of unofi
Continued on page Three.9