Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-09-03
KNOXVILLE JAIL sToIssIED.
Sheriff Saved His Prisoner by Re-
moval to Chattanooga.

and inspections Of the Jail by three
: separate committees of citizens, q
mob tonight stormed the Knox
county Jail in search Of Maurice f.
Mayes, negro who had been ar
rested as a suspect in connection
with the murder Of Mrs. Berthe Lind
sey early this morning.
In series Of fights between
deputy sheriffs, police officers and
militiamen and members of the mob
in the jail corridors and outside the
building, several men were wounded.
In the confusion all were taken away
before their identity could be
learned, excepting National Guards
men, who were beaten, but not seri-
ously hurt, aud were able to remain
on duty. One man was carried away
by friends unconscious and suffering
from what appeared to be serious
wound on the head.
Most of the window glass in the
jail was shot out; one front window
and the main door were battered in
and all other exposed windows.
broken during the disorder.
Mrs. Lindsey was shot to death in
her home at 2.30 o'clock Saturday
morning as she was preparing to
h>eP Aioih q Hihuo" " CSCdpS q
negro. Her neice, who was sleeping
with her, was threatened by s the
same negro. The two women were
alone in the house.
The negro Mayes, who had been
arrested Hen days ago for prowling
about house occupied by another
white family, was taken into GUS
tody in connection with the murder
an hour after the crime wast com
| mitted. He had been at home only
a short time. Mayes denied his
guilt. 3{.,xEtf
Fearing possible violence, Sheriff
Cate took Mayes to Chattanooga by
roundabout way this afternoon
Jail Delivery and Robbery. Srts
Knoxville. Tenn, Aug, 31.-As a,
result Of the rioting here last night
and early to-day there Is, 1a6tga Sfrea
arm Of any description to be found
in a store in the city. Plate glass
windows were crashed in, locks
forced and in some cases doors
knocked from their hinges in an
effort to secure weapons.
Deputy Sheriff Hall, day jailer at
the county Jail, declared that all
prisoners who escaped had been re-
! leased by the mob and that none
| were turned out by the officers them
selves.
The mob which broke it's way into
the jail and the residence of Sheriff
Cate, adjoining, was not satisfied
with damaging property but every
| thing Of value, including money,
guns, whiskey, clothing, books, were
| taken. Part Of the Jail records were
destroyed.
Window Bars Give Way.
For little while the mob con-
| tented itself with shouting and
shooting into the air. Soon they
began pounding on the heavy iron
bars Of one Of the front windows,
and eventually it gave way. Men
began swarming into the Jail and
the jailer and deputies were over
powered. Heavy timbers were
brought up through the mob, passed
from hand to hand over the heads
OF the men. Using these as a bat
| tering ram. they attempted TO force
the doors to the white cells.
railing with the battering rams,
guns were brought into play, and in
| this way the locks were broken and
all white men confined on the upper
| floors were released.
One Of the federal prisoners told
the men that he did not want to
escape. 81 only have eighteen more
| days TO serve and | don want to
| get into trouble" he said. = rouph
voice replied:
Got out Of mere. or VIC will kill
YOU"
While this mob was releasing pris-
oners another was looting the Jail.
| Every revolver, all the Prisoners
money, almost All the food on Hand
trunk OF clothes belonging TO the
jailcr. and even bed covering and
medicines was stolen.
Then after they had looted the iail
they went through the sheriff's
house, which adioins. There thev
took even ;thc children's dresses.
besides breaking windows and de-
stroying such property as could not
be taken with them.
Soldiers Badly Beaten.
Tho first soldiers who arrived on
the scene, sixteen men and one Off
Ger. were ovcrpowered. some of them
disarmed and eight badly beaten.
An hour later $50 soldiers rejn-
forced the early squads.
After the doors OF the county iail
had been battered down number
Of prisoners escaped through the
crowd.
Among them were several con-
vctcd Of first degree murder and one
under sentence to be electrocuted.
Sam Huffmaker, an alleged murder
er from Sewer county, was among
the prisoners who refused to leave
the Jail.