The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-09-03
KNOXVILLE MOB
WANTONLYF FREED
CONVICTED MEN
JaiIer Hall Declares Rioters
Did Not Go to Negro Cells
When They Broke Doors Of
Prison Saturday Night.
CROWD SEEMED BENT ON
PURP0SELESS MISCHIEF
Police Refused to Aid Sheriff
After Repeated Calls, Says
JalIer-Damage Is Heavy.
Court Begins Wednesday.

COurt beglnS wednesday.
kNONVILI4E. Tenn, Sept. 0. (spL)
-Ihat the assault unon the Knoxville
yalI laSt saturday night by a mob which
rFehtuaHy ruined the building was due
70 ihe terocious malice of a purposeless
mon, that conVicts. two of them under
sentence of death and two to life terms
~ tlS state prison, were liberated by
me crowd even when its leaders knew
fna' Maurice Mayes, the negro sought
LOT, was not In the jail, Is the state
ment OF Earl Han, Taller, 10 the COR
respondent of The News seimltar.
Hall said. ." ~
The damage done to the Knox coun-
" jan by the mob Saturday night will
reach well into the thousands OF dollars.
and have no way OF estimating ne
cost OF repairing and replacing the iron
work which was destroyed and dam
aged, but, a local contractor, who has
zone a good deal Of this kind of work,
gSShstlha.es me cost Of repairs at $4,000.
ms may be overdrawn, or it NAV not
pe sufticlent to place the jail In repair
again, but II Is certain that thousands
VI dOliars worth of property was de-
stroyed and stolen.
~ Is not the trouble and danger
Whlch olheF deputy ~sferiffs n mysalf
were put to Saturday night which I
deplore, 1t Is the fact that 12 prison
ers, eonViets, were wilfully turned loose
aud allowed to run abroad. Instead Of
aialhg IN their recapture, which rood
oltlzens would have done, and which
mouiu nave convinced mo that the mob
was not there for the purpose OF iail
deivery, some men actually aided and
abetted the prisoners In escaping after
they had broken the cell doors .
Simple Jail Delivery.
IT is my belief that a certain element
OF me leaders of the mob were there for
no other purpose than jail delivery. The
cell where The suspected murderer,
maurice Mayes, would have been, had
ne been in this Jail at all, and where
lne leaders Of the mob were told the
negro prisoners were kept was not
tbuonea They did not even go first to
ne negro cells, Those men were told
where the negro and where the white
prisoners were kept, and they made a
nee,hns for tho white prisoners first,
:, also deplore very much the fact
that sheriff Gates house was broken
searched that house from top 10 bottom
inside OF 20 minutes, II the purpose had
been SIMPLY to find the prisoner, Mau.
rice Mayes; AZ It was, they stole many
thlhsS IN, the house, even clothing, and
aestroSod much; cannot figure out
tust why they did this, for the sheriff
was simply carrying out the orders
which had been given him, and which
were IN conformity with tho law, in
taking, his prisoner out Of the county
Tor s~afekeeplng.
Police Refuse Aid.
The first thing | did when ii became
evident Saturday afternoon that the
crowd around the jail was there 10
make trouble, was TO put In a cali for
we police OF the city TO aid In protect
ihg the property and the prisoners. The
ssrgeant at the desk told me repeatedly
mat ~ have TO ace the chief first
meaning Chief of Police Ed NJ. HAYNES.
Alhongh called again and again, no
pollcernen came until after the mob
had already broken into the jail and
started releasing the prisoners. Even
then, the police did not offer 10 give
any material assistance, merely stand
ilE around with the crowd, outside the
lall, firmly believe that 10 the police
had given US aid when they were first
asked, much OF the damage could and
would have been averted.
Iailer Hall, the crowd outside began
yelling and shouting, and threatening to
tear up the jail personally con-
Quoted four different committees
through the jail, in an effort. to plaeate
me crowd, but they would not be salts
fled. | tried to reason with them, tell
ing them repeatedly that the prisoner
was not there, but this did no good,
and only added to their fury.
Siege Of Jail Begins.
FINALLY, seeing that no good could be
accomplished In this way, | put out all
ahe hgnts' closed U holted the doors
ana windows, and prepared for the
siege, Even before this, the mob had
begun storniug the building, throwing
rocks, and firtng. both pistols and shot
guns at the windows and door,
For y little while the mob c~ontented
tseH with shouting n shooting, but
soon | heard a heavy pounding Of wood
against steel bars, and soon realized
that thoy had forced an entrance. Tn
g this time | had been In the Jail Of
lice, TO the left Of the entrance the
small bedroom where | often slept. They
soon were ~ the main hallway, leading
g main cells. | tried 10 reason with
tho men AZ they came into the hallway,
At ilrst they listened to me, but soon
became tnfurtato and pushed me aside
roughly pouring into the Jail by the
hundreds, Cuffed about by the mob,
and the mob went straight to the cells
occupied by The whites,
Each OF the corridors Is protected by
heavy ron half moon doors. bending in
ward In a half circle. and giving u max
mum OF resisting ability. Heavy tim
bers were brought into play against
Y ' those doors, handled by large numbers
y OF men, Failing Of forcing the doors In
this manner. they brought guns and
eroWh2rs into play, tearing at the locks
until they finally broke,
IhcS then set about ltherating the
prisoners, A few OF them were caught
as they started out. hut most of them
made a clean getaway,
ON one occasion a prisoner Objected
Z 10 leaving the jail, stating that he had
~ | ntlE lN al Ng ~ a.. a,wr 80 49, A.
4 did not want any trouble now that his
sentence was almost completed, But
some IN the crowd showed him out
n shouting Get out, or wen kin you,
n That prisoner has since returned to the
Jail Of his own accord. lie Is the onl,
y one Of the II who escaped that is back
N The jail Is badly torn up. can.
n not estimate the cost of repairs, but
am sure that II will take a good dea
OF money, and some time to place it Il
good repair again"
Court Begins Wednesday.
The criminal court grand Jury will h
# convened here Wednesday to pass upol
* whether an Indictment shall be Issue,
against Maurice Mayes, charged witt
M the criminal assault and murder Of
white woman. Mrs, Bertte Lindsey. At
torney General Il, A. Mynatt stated thi
morning that the grand jury also wi
IN examine into the mob violence, and II |
predicted that a large number Of indict
N meuts win be returned,
M While the limited number OF officer
an at the jail was impoteut, being utterl
NJ unable TO cope with the mob that sur
rounded and invaded the prison, never
Il theicSs they identified many, and a lon
list nf names of men In the throng hav
~. been reported TO the attorney genera
M A singular fact about this mob was tina
no effort whatever was made TO con
zeal identity, there being not ono ma
masked, Street lights IN front of III
jail were not disturbed, they illuminat
ing the environment throughout the al
W fair and nEANiQa a pprtinn ~ thu In