The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-05
Deputy sheriff Ritter &. Garnet, OF
Hcnrico County. Is Hit Over Head
With Steel Pars.
PRISON Is SURROUNDED
BEFORE ESCAPE Is MADE
Four Other .rrisoncrs Try to Rescue
Jniler From Clutches of Men, DEt
Arc Held E.ck at the Point OF u
Revolver.

As he walked through the biz steel
door leading from the shcrins of &C
into the corridor in front OF the cells
OH the first floor Of the Henrico Coun-
jty jail. Twenty second and Main
streets, Deputy Sheriff Ritter c. Car
uctt. who has been serving as il"
jaller for the last month. was murder
ousiy assaulted by three white prs II
ers shortly after 8 o'clock yeste day
| afternoon.
The prisoners are served their
afternoon meal at 3 o'clock, and Jajler
Gsrnett was going into the jtt! 10
feed them when assaulted by the
three men. who are II. l.. Wheeler
and William Fl. Padgett. charged win
highway robbery at Hopewen. and
! who were being held at the Henriro
prison for satekeepins, and l.. II,
/ Stanton, who claims Boston as his
I home and who WAS serving term
Tor train riding. The latter was due
20 remain in ;he jail o-'y twenty
, more days.
Just as the jaier advanced through
! the door he was. confronted by the
( three prisoners. One of them hit him
over the head With :wo pieces Of steel,
which had been torn from one % the
sather. bleeding prefuseiy from a
"a ping wound IA tho left side % 2is
head and temporarily stunned. Dep
utv Sheriff Garnet staggered against
the big steel bars, He had the pres
cnce OF mind to grab for h's re-
Volver. but when he attempted TO draw
il from his pocket the prisoners
pounced upon him, wrested the
weapon from his grasp. and Dor, him
TO the prison aoor.
Tr, 10 Lend Aid,
r}y this time tour other white n%-
oners who We're in the rear OF the
corridor awaiting their dinner. be-
/ came aware of what was going on in
/ front and started to the jatiees res.
cue. However. they were brought to
an abrupt halt when one of the men
| ieveled the recently seized revolver at
their heads. Taking the jailers keys
and tossing them through the steel
bars on the door into the sheriff 3
Office. the three men attempted TO
place Deputy Sheriff Garnet into one
of the cells. Bu, the latter brought
all of his reserve strength into play.
/ When they found that they would be
unable 70 accomplish their purpose
they dealt him another blow and
tossed 81 INTO one side of the corridor.
They then started into the office to
recover the keys and incidentally UNI
lock the door that stood between them
ana liberty.
In The meantime Wesley Green. a
trusty. who was in tho Sherif's office.
had seen the three men throw the
keys into the place and had proceeded
10 kick them down the cellar When
the men emerged from the corridor
and failed to tind the keys thov start
ed down the cellar to look for them.
While they were thus engaged Dep
uty Sheriff Garnett recovered rom
the last blow dealt hum and anne
into the office and yelled fov help.
The calls were heard ny Polio oman
Thomas j. tagan, traffic officer at
Laurel and Franklin streets Traffic
officer Pagan resides at 2l11 East
Main street. just opposite the iail. and
when he heard the jaiier calling for
help he rushed across the street. A
Few minutes later the f1remen from
he engine company at Twenty-first
ard Main streets, and several other
people rushed up and completely sur
rounded the tail.
Went Back TO Cells.
When the three men came out Of
the cellar with the keys and found
that there was no hope for effecting
an escape they went back 10 their
cells, leaving the officers revolver and
keys in the office.
=
the jail and found that it was locked
He Immediately sought telephone
and got in touch with both the First
and Second Police stations Within Il
rev minutes the patrol wagon, with
n number of officers from the First
district. soon arrived on the scene
while within brief period later po-
licemen from the Second district put
in their appearance. they also coming
in the patrol.
Before their arrival Jaiier Garneti.
with blood streaming down his head,
had opened the door and admitted Po-
liceman Pagan. the fremen and the
other people who came to the Jail.
Sheriff Webb W. Sydnor. of Henrico
county. was also notified, and within
ten minutes after the assault had
taken place the officer was on the
scene. He Immediately took the men
out of their old cells and put them in
other sections OF the jail.
Wheeler and Padgett. both Of whom
are young men. who are accused OF
holding up a man on the outskirts of
! Hopeweli, were to have been placed
on trial this week. stanton the one
incarcerated in the jail for train-rid-
ing. Is only about eighteen Years old.
Additional warrants charging them
with making a murderous assault on
/ the Jaiier were sworn cut.
Jailer In Treated.
Dr.. Lipnick, OF the city ambulance
corps, was summoned and admins
tered treatment to Deputy Sheriff Gar
nett Later on in the afternoon DR..
J, Fulmer Bright. coroner Of Henrico
county, made an examination Of the
wound and found that II is not OF a
serious nature. The cash is not a
deep one, and 1t Is thought that the
7 jai1er will be all right within the next
few days.
This is the second time within the
last few months that a Henrico jaile-
has been attacked by prisoners. Deputy
sheriff H. G. Heckler. who was at thai