The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1915-10-22
Riot and BIo0dshed
In Charleston Politics

1
outside the building where it was
feared trouble would develop. Later
the guardsmen aided the police and
special deputies in patrolling the
| street and remained on duty late to-
night.
Battalion in Readiness.
The entire First battalion, Second
| regiment, N. G. S. c., located here,
was ordered held at the armories
ready for eventualities. Gov Man
ming also ordered local dispensaries
closed until further notice. There
were only small groups of men on the
streets tonight and there was no out
ward evidence that there might be
more disorder.
The military is under command of
| Col. E. Nj Blythe of Greenville, in the
absence of Adjt. Gen. Moore, who is
attending the rifle matches at Jack
sonville. Col. Blythe came here last
night on instructions from Gov. Man
ming.
Charleston has been prepared for
trouble as the result of the primary.
Last Monday night Gov. Manning or.
dered four companies of National
Guard and three divisions of naval
militia held ready at their armories
to take over police duties if neces-
sary. Tuesday, the primary day,
passed quickly, however, and at 7
o'clock Wednesday morning the
guardsmen were relieved.
Followers of aMyor John P. Grace.
an aspirant for denomination, charged
that Gov. Manning was trying to in
terfere with the primary, thereby
favoring the faction led by Tristram
T. Hyde. This was denied.
| Unofficial tabulation of the returns
showed that Maj. Hyde had been
nominated by a majority of 10 votes.
More than 100 votes were contested
by the Grace adherents and the city
executive committee met today to can
vass the returns.
| Extra Policemen on Hand.
Bitterness engendered by a cam
paign in which personalities over
shadowed real issues, the presence Of
the militia on primary day., and the.
4 closeness Of the vote created such
threatening atmosphere that many
extra policemen were detailed in and
in front of the building where the
meeting was to take place. The build
ing was crowded and "a good sized
crowd in front was held in check by
the officers.
| Just as the meeting was to be
called to order someone in a hallway
adjoining the committee room started
a fight. During the scuffling, shout
| 10 ~, fha hoI
one in the committee room fired
shot and the real fight was on. Police
men in the hallway and committee
room seemed powerless. Several pis-
tolls were brought into play and as
the firing continued amid the scram-
BILE to escape, yelling and cries of
the wounded, some one threw three
ballot boxes out of the window.
Cohen's Death Wound.
Cohen was making for window
when struck. A pistol over which two
men were fighting discharged and the
bullet gave him his mortal wound.
Whether any of the wounded were
really participating in the melee was
not known tonight.
| When the shooting was heard in
the crowd outside the building trouble
was threatened for time. The extra
force Of police held the crowd in
check and hurry call was sent to
Sheriff Martin and message was sent
to Gov. Manning. The governor i'm
mediately ordered out the Washington
Light Infantry and the members of
the company were on the scene within
short time after the first shot was
fired. The governor then ordered that
the entire battalion be held ready at
it's armory.
Two ballot boxes thrown from the
window during the disturbance were
recovered and as far as known tonight
none of the boxes is missing.
| 1t was said tonight that the execu-
tive committee would make another
effort tomorrow to canvass the re-
turns.
| Militia on Alert.
| Nothing was known publicly in
Charleston of Gov. Manning's inten-
tion to call out the military again un-
til Col. Edgeworth M. Blythe of the
First infantry arrived at 7 o'clock this
morning from his home in Greenville
and after a conference at his hotel
with Sheriff Martin and Maj. Silcox,
directed that two companies of the
Second regiment, the Washington
Light infantry and the German Fusil-
iers, be put under arms at once. Turn
ing out Immediately, these admirable
commands were held in their armories
subject to call from the civil authori-
ties.
Martial law not having been pro-
claimed, the military could not act
further except on request of the