The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-10-20
CHARLESTON RIOT
ONE KILLED AND FOUR WOUND
Ed In SHOOTING FRIDAY
MILITIA TAKES Charge.

MILITIA TAKES CHARGE.
Executive Committee Meets to Can
ysss Votes-Fusilade Starts and
Results Fatally to Sidney Cohen,
Reporter of the Charleston Post
HYDE and Grace Make Statement.
Just after the stroke of twelve
o'clock Friday at Charleston, dis
turbance developed just outside
the room where the executive COM
n,ittee was about to open the meet
ing for .canvassing the recent pri-
mary election vote, and suddenly
fusillade of shots broke out in the
committee room, causing the death
of Sidney j. Cohen, q reporter for
the Charleston Evening Post, and
the wounding Of n. l.. Wfencky,
W. E. Wingate, W. a. Turner and
Jeremiah O'Brien. Dir. Turner is
seriously wounded in the right
lung. Mr.. Wingate has scalp
wound that is serious and Mr..
WiIensky is shot in the arm, and
Mr.. O'Brien in the ankle.
Charleston, October 15.-As the
executive committee was about to
meet this morning, Just before the
approach of noon, for the purpose Of
canvassing the vote OF the primary
election held here Tuesday to deter
mine upon a mayor for the city of
Charleston, there developed on the
outside Of the room where the COM
mittee was meeting difficulty Of the
most serious kind, which for time
threatened to assume larger proper
tions.
The committee room was crowded.
City Chairman. Joseph A. Black call
ed on the police to clear the room Of
all except the members Of the e1ecu-
tive committee. It was just about
this time that the trouble broke. AS
to lust how it started all sorts of
rumors have been circulated. The
confusion appears to have begun
: when the room was being cleared OF
outsiders.
One or more alterations were be-
gun, it is stated, and suddenly pis-
tot shot rang out, followed closely by
others, twelve shots being accounted
for. A crowd in an ante-room tried
to gain admittance, while persons in
the room sought safety. Several men
went out of windows. Mr.. Cohen was
about to pass through window
when he was mortally wounded in the
SIDE. Wild confusion reigned for
some minutes.
With the disorder at its height
and the crowd in the street steadily
Increasing, some person turned IN the
fire alarm and engines responded to
the box at King and George streets.
Receiving hurry call, Sheriff ).
E,more Martin and a body OF depu-
ties hurried in automobiles from the
county court house to the scene Of
the disorders.
The militia and deputies were BE-
ing held in readiness under orders
from Gov. Manning because Of rep
resantations to him that various
threats Of violence against the COM
rnittee, and especially against Chair
man Black, had been reported.
The Washington Light Infantry
under Capt. Harry o. Wilmington.
with fixed bayonets, marched from its
armory up King street, the crowd
getting out of its way.
About twenty minutes after the
first Mayor Grace reached the scene.
Meanwhile, two ballot boxes ane
two club roll books are known tc
have been thrown out Of windows
into the street, these later being re-
ported by the police as recovered.
With little or no warning to the
members of the committee and the
others who had gathered in the room
where the vote was to be gone owe
a fusilade of shots broke out in the
presence Of the men. The cause O.
the shooting is not known, nor IS /
known exactly who started the al
fray. Policemen rushed into the
room as soon as possible after the
shooting, and for a short space were
busy overcoming those who were en-
, gagged in the fighting in the commit
tee room.
The police have arrested H. J
Brown, Edwin Mcdonald. ]. ]. Healy
Conrad Slender, J. H. Steenken anf
Max Goldman. No charges have beer
preferred against these men but they
are being held at the police station
Goldman proved to be serlousl!
wounded by a blow upon the head
and was later transferred to the Ro
per hospital. for treatment.
After clearing the room the at
tention of those who had come upor
the scene was quickly given to the
men who were laying on the floor
where they had fallen after oeln;
shot. Sidney J. Cohen, Of the Char
lesion Evening Post, was removed
and his wounds were found to be
a mortal nature. It was apparen
that he had little time to live. but b.
was rushed to the hospital, where h.
later died. The other men who wer
wounded are H. L. Wilensky. W. Z
Wingate, W. A. Turner and Jerr'
O'Brien. Turner is wounded YER !
badly, a bullet penetrating his righ
lung, and the wounds OF Wingate ar
causing concern He has scalT
wound and a hole IN the hip, both
which are expected to give trouble
Wilensky was shot in the arm anf
O.Brien was wounded in the ankle.
The wounded men we're rushed t.
the hospital where all Of them excep
Sidney Cohen received attention
which brought them some relief. Mr
Cohen's wound was such that little
could be done for him.
There was large crowd in kina
and George. streets as the committee
men began to gather for the meeting
The people appeared to be awaiting
the results Of the gathering. A large
assignment of city policemen were in
charge and up to the very moment o.
the shooting the order Of the crowd
had been good. The police took
charge of two boxes thrown from the
az tho room where the COM