The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-05-11
Prisoners Mutinied;;
Fourteen Wounded


state officers and county deputies call
ed in as reinforcements, fired on the
prisoners, shooting fourteen of them,
two being wounded seriously. The
two prisoners who were seriously
wounded were taken to the city hos
pital. An attempt was made to burn
the chair factory of the penitentiary
The riot took place following the
dinner hour. Capt. Roberts ordered
the men to bring from their cells their
civilian clothes and other articles
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 no inten-
ton of depriving them Of their per-
sonal epects, but what was wanted
was for the unnecessary articles to be
stored in the commissary building.
The men filed out Of the chair fac
tory and announced through their
leaders that they would not go to
work. There was mutterings and
cursing and the men were armed
with sticks and knives, mostly tools
used in the manufacture Of the fur
niture in the chair factory.
: The penitentiary officials tele-
phoned for reinforcements. A score
of city policemen and dozen coun-
ty and state officers responded, arm
ed 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 on the
prisoners in order to drive them bacA
into the chair factory.
After the city, county and state
officers arrived the mob Of prisoners,
about $50, workmen on the second
floor of the chair factory, surged to-
ward the detachment of officers. They
cursed the officers and threatened to
kill them. 1t was at this point that
the officers opened fire. Eleven men
fell wounded, the others scrambling
back into the chair factory. With
probably a half hundred officers on
duty, quiet was maintained and with
in a short time the prisoners were
marched back to their cells and lock-
ed up.
The ring leaders of the trouble, it
is said, were: Frank, North Caro-
lima prisoner; A. j. Rowe, prisoner
named Searcy, Howard Clark and
David Suggs, the latter from Colum-
bia.
It 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 were 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 a
walking stick and knocked him down
and he was taken to the prison hos
pital, bleeding profusely, but not seri-
ously hurt.
The prisoners are being treated in
the prison hospital except for the two
who were brought to city hospital.
All the convicts employed on the
second floors of the chair factory were
involved in the mutiny, there being
about $50 prisoners, only a few OF
them negroes.
The officers Of the prison, assisted
by the Richland officers, city police
men and all available peace officers,
had the mutineers under control and
in the "new prison" building by z
o'clock. The wounded were taken to
the hospital and given medical treat
ment by Drs. Jennings and Payne.
Among the wounded were Dave
Suggs, of Columbia, who was shot
twice in the legs; Frank Fortner, ma
ture of the wound not stated, and
Howard Clark. DR.. Jennings said he
would prepare complete list Of the
wounded prisoners Later in the day.
Two of the most seriously wounded
prisoners were taken to city hospitals
for further treatment. Jack Davis
was also hurt in the clash with the
officers.
That one OF the prisoners was arm
ed with a gun or revolver was gener-
o11u ho1ieved as Rural Policeman