The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-05-11
PRISONERS MUTINY
AT PENITENTIARY
MEN BECOME SULLEN AND AN
CRY OVER ORDER TO SURREN-
DER CIVILIAN CLOTHES.

lnS SCdCe soSitIStiIldiy huIliu0o az
the noon hour today ard city police
men, state officers and county depu-
ties called in as reinforcements, fired
on the prisoners. shooting eleven Of
them, two wounded seriously. The
two prisoners who were seriously
wounded were taken to the city hos
Eital. An attempt was made to burn
the chair factory CT the Eenitentiary.
The riot took place following the
dinner hour. Capt. Roberts ordered
the men TO bring from their cells
their civilian clothes and other ar
ticles which would not be needed for
their prison lives The men obeyed,
but some of the leaders were sullen,
thinking the officers were planning
to take away their personal effects
used daily. Capt. Roberts assured the
leaders that there was TO intention
of depriving them of their personal
effects, but that what was wanted was
for the Unnecessary articles to be
stored in the commissary building.
The men filed out of the chair
factory and announced through their
leaders that they would not go to
work. There vas muttering and ours
ing and the mer were armed with
sticks and knives, mostly tools used
in the manufacture of the furniture
in the chair factory.
The penitentiary officials telephon-
ed for reinforcements. A score Of
city policemen and dozen county
and state officers responded. armed
With riot guns.
The prisoners, during the mutiny,
set fire TO the chair factory in the
basement. Those outside cut the fire
hose of the prison. At this point,
the city fire department was called
with a view to putting water OH the
prisoners in order to drive them back
into the cilalr factory.
After the city, county and state
officers arrived the Iaob of prison
ers, about $50, worlmen on the sec
ond floor OF the chair factory, surged
toward the detachment of officers.
They cursed the officers and threat
ened to kill them. 1t was at this
point that the officers opened fire.
Eleven men fell wounded, the others
scrambling back into the chair fac
tory. With probably half hundred
officers on duty, quiet WAS maintain
ed and within a short time the pris-
oners We're marched back to their
cells and locked up.
The ring leaders of the trouble, it
IS said, were: Frank Fortner, a North
Carolina prisoner; A. j. Rowe, 4 pris-
oner named Searcy, Howard Clark
and David Suggs, the latter from
Columbia.
1t is reported that a man named
Rosen, sent up from Charleston, is
the most seriously injured and will
probably die.
After the trouble had subsided and
the prisoners We're locked in their
cells, one Of the men ordered to re-
move some of his effects from the
doorway of the main building, stood
before a group Of officers and cursed
them. One officer struck him with
q walking stick and knocked him
down and he was taken to the prison
hospital, bleeding profusely, but not
seriously hurt.
The prisoners ere being treated in
the prison hospital except for the
two who We're brought to city hos
pital.
All the convicts employed on the
second floor Of the chair factory were
involved in the mutiny, there being
about 15c prisoners, only a few of
them negroes.
The Officers Of the prison, assist
ed by the Richlard officers, city po-
lcemen and all available peace Of
ficers, had the mutineers under con-
troll and in the "new prison" build
ing by 2 o'clock. The wounded were
taken to the hospital and given medi-
cal treatment by Drs. Jennings and
Payne. Among the wounded were
Dave Suggs, of Columbia, who was
shot twice in the legs; Frank Fortner,
nature of The wound not stated, and
Howard Clark. DR.. Jennings said he
would prepare a complete list of the
wounded prisoners later in the day.
Two of the most seriously wounded
prisoners were ta.:en to city hospitals
for further treatment. Jack Davis
was also hurt in the clash with the
officers.
That one of the prisoners was arm