Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-16
REPORTER KILLED
IN ELECTION RIOT
Four Others Wounded During
Pistol Battle, Outgrowth of
Charleston Primary.
NATIONAL GUARD IN CONTROL
Tragedy Breaks Up Meeting of
Democratic City Committee,
Held to Canvass Vote.


CHARLESTON, s. c.. October Ia
pistol battle, In which one man was
killed .and four others shot. broke up
a meeting Of the Democratic city exccu-
tive committee here to-day. in which
the votes OF last Tuesdays primary
were TO be canvassed. \ National
Guard company. which. with fixed
bayonc,s. helped the police to restore
order, tonight was still patrolling
nearby streets.
The man killed was sydney J. Cohen,
a reporter for the Charleston Evening
Post. He was shot through the lung
w A. Turner, an insurance agent. and
w. l.. Wingate, superintendent OF the
city chain gang. we're seriously
wounded. II. L. Wilenski. city meter
inspector, and Jeremiah OBricn. in
spector OF weights and measures. and
a member Of the executive commit
tee. received minor bullet wounds. six
arrests were made.
To-day's trouble was the elimination
OF bitter political campaign, which
ended last Tuesday in a primary held
while several companies of National
Guard were kept in readiness 10 sup
press possible disorders.
40 CHARGES pREFERRED
AGAINST ANY OF MEN
One OF the six men arrested, Max
Goldman, marine engineer. tonight
vas in a hospital suffering from a
severe blow on the head Others ar
rested are: II. ]. Brown. icc-wagon
driver and former policeman; Edward
Mcdonald, stevedorc and former police
man: J. j. IIealy, former police scr-
geant; Conrad slender. deputy sheriff.
and J. j. Stcenken, keeper OF cemc-
tcry No charges were preferred
against any of them.
Governor Manning, at Columbia i'm
mcdiately upon being informed of the
shooting, ordered the Washington Light
Infantry to the scene. This company.
with fixed bayonets, quickly cleared
the streets in the vicinity OF the build
! ing. Later sie militiamen aided civil
authorities in patrollinE the streets,
and remained onsduty late tonight.
The entire Second Regiment. located
here, was held at its armory. Cover
nor Manning also ordered local dis
pcnsarics closed.
There were only small groups OF men
on the streets tonight and no outward
evidence of more disorder.
The militia is under command OF
Colonel l.. VI. Blythe, OF Greenvillc, in
the absence OF Adjutant- General Moore,
who is attending the rifle matches at
Jacksonville, Fla.
CHARLESTON HAD BEEN
PREPARED For TROUBLE.
Charleston had been prepared for
trouble since last Monday night, when
Governor Manning ordered four COM
panies OF state guardsmen and three
divisions of naval militia held i'll their
armorics. Tuesday. primary day,
passed quietly. however, and at :
o'clock "Wednesday morning the guards
men withdrew Followers OF Mayor
John L. Grace. an aspirant for renomi-
nation, charged that Governor Manning
was unnecessarily trying TO interfere
with the primary.
Unofficial returns showed that Hyde
had been nominated by ma ajority OF
nineteen votes out of more than 5000
east. More than 100 votes were con-
/ tested by the Grace adherents. and the
city executive committee met to-day to
canvass the returns.
bitterness engendered by the cam
pai2n. the presence of the militia on
primary day and the closeness OF the
vote created such threatening atmos-
phere that many extra policemen were
detailed in and in front of the build
ing where the meeting was to he held
to-day. The building was crowded,
and a large crowd in front was held
in check by the officers.
Just as the meeting was to be called
to order fight started in hallway
adjoining the committee room. During
the scuffiing. shouting and jamming in
the hallway some one in the commit
tee room fred shot, and the real
fight was on. Several pistols were
brought into play. and as the firing
continued. amid the scramble to escape.
yelling and cries of the wounded some
one threw three ballot boxes out of
the window.
SHOT AS HE WAS MAKING
For WINDOW no ESCAPE
Cohen was shot as he was making
for window to escape. \ pistol for
which two men we're lighting was dis
charged and he was fatally wounded.
Whether any OF the wounded were
really participating in the fight had
not been made known tonight.
The ballot boxes thrown from the
windows were recovered. and. so far
as known tonight none OF the boxes
in the room was missing. II was said
tonight that the executive committee
would count the ballot morrow and
announce its decision.
EIGHT COMPANIES READY