Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-30

were locked in the bull pen, a,
ganization on the day on which it
was so important. No one had ar
ranged to post Is to SO men at each
polling place as had been planned.
Instead, as things began to happen
around the time the polls closed, the
GIs had gone from one precinct to
another in confusion.
Otto went across the street to his
garage. His two brothers, both GIs
and one boxing champion, were
with him. Just then two of the
deputies came walking down the
street from the courthouse.
They were strutting so big with
their badges and their guns" said
one of the GIs later in telling the
story.
Kindle Spark of Fury.
The youthful deputy sheriffs' atti-
tude was the spark that kindled the
fury. The hard work Otto and the
GIs had put into that election, the
money they had spent-frustratio
and resentment at its being stolen
mounted to the explosive point. Otto
and his brothers jumped the depu-
ties.
Chattanooga Times reporters were
in The street at that time, and they
recorded that the Kennedys were
unarmed. The deputies were dragged
| into the garage and beaten unmer-
cifully.
Did you ever watch mob spirit
mount?" Harry johnson. jr., asked
me in recounting the events. I told
him I never had. Its awesome,"
| he said.
Two more deputies came along
They passed Johnson's hardware
store and went on to Kennedys ga
rage next door. Both are across the
street from the CT headquarters.
Young Harry johnson was in front
of the garage. When the deputies
tried to enter, he threw his body
across the door. Harry, who is 81,
was a slender door block. He is 5
foot 10 and weighs 145 pounds.
Taken at Gun Point.
1--WE are going in" said the depu-
ties
"Oh, no you're not" said Harry
Just then Otto, who was behind him,
poked the two ASS taken from the
first deputies past Harry's ears. The
deputies were grabbed ano thrown
with the first two on the garage
floor One Of them whimpered and
said lie had nothing to do with the
opposition. He had been arrested
for speeding that morning, he said,
and impressed as deputy.
Four more deputies came down the
street. Three of them were caught
and carried into the garage. The
fourth ran back to the Jail. Emmett
johnson, Harry's 65-year old grand
father. offered the use of his car and
Inc seven deputies were driven out
of town.
Sheriff Mansfield was mobilizing
his deputies at the Jail. The dep
uty who had escaped had reported
what was going on. 1t was revolu-
ton, armed attack on legally con-
stituted authority. And it was also
$50 pm. Every one who knows
the South will understand what
happened next. The GIs went home
to supper.
Harry johnson, jr., reflected at
the supper table on what a fool
ne had been. Harry is member
of the Methodist Church-joined
just before going in the Army. He
had gone on the beer parties with
the other boys in high school and
drank his full. During his four
years in service, he had never
touched hard liquor and drank beer
only once when no other beverage
was available. He was married and
expecting offspring in December
And here he was legally guilty Che
had no moral qualms) of aid in
attacking officers of the law and
shanghaiing them out of town.
GIs Return Armed.
II would have gone to the peni-
Tertiary if things had not worked
out the way they did," he told me-
At 7:30 the GIs began to gather
at their headquarters. This time
they were armed Most of them
had shotguns used in the quail
and squirrel shooting, which is about
all the hunting there is in the
Sweetwater Valley But many of
them had Garand rifles and Thomp-
son submachine guns and there was
one Browning automatic rifle
(BAR), a two-man affair. Some
how or other the GIs had found
the magazine of the National Guard
unit in the county unlocked.
They marched on the Jail at 8:45.
One CT went forward, knocked on
the door and demanded the sur.
render of the ballot boxes. The
ultimatum was answered by a shot.
1t was then that the siege began.
ut was a good military opera
ton" former captain of infantry,
who had been in the campaign
across France, Luxembourg and
Germany told me. After the first
big burst, the boys did just enough
firing to keep them scared and
away from the windows"
The GIs were critical of Pat
Mansfeld's military tactics. They
seemed to feel he had violated
maxim any one who had been in
combat would know. He had con-
centrated his force instead of de-
blowing IL and left II in Y,Osifior