Evening star., 1947-07-13
Warden Half Drunk
Convict Says al Probe
In Death Of Seven
BY Tho Asseeiotsd Press

BRUNSWICK, Ga. July IA
colored convict told coroner's jury
today that Warden w. G.. Worthy
opened fire with pistol and yelled
to guards "let 'em have 1t" as q
prisoners raced for q high wire
fence in an attempted escape yes
terday.
Another convict testified the war
den was half drunk" and wanted
to kill me-"
Five convicts In the all-Negro
State highway road camp near here
died instantly in the blast Of pistol
and shotgun fire. Two others died
later in a hospital. Six were wound
ed.
Warden Worthy and County Chief
Of Police Russell B. Henderson both
denied the warden had been drink
ing and Warden Worthy testified:
Il did not say let 'em have it,
When they run they (the guards)
knew to let .'em have it. Those are
my orders"
Verdict Withheld.
The investigation, conducted at
the prison camp by Coroner j. D.
Baldwin, 80, and attended by five
colored members of the Brunswick
chapter of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People, adjourned without a ver-
dict. o
Coroner Baldwin said 1t would be
withheld until after the Glynn
Superior Court grand jury meets
here next Wednesday to investigate
the shooting.
Willie H. Bell, described by War
den Worthy as the ringleader Of the
massed break, testified the warden
asked him to step away from the
group of convicts lined up in the
prison yard.
He said he refused because I
knew he wanted to kill me" Bell
also said Warden Worthy was half
drunk"
The warden said he shot Bell in
the leg when the convict charged
him and tried to take his pistol.
CndTKeS lHTcdt Uy Vdiuch.
Charles Veal, an Atlanta convict,
also said the warden was drinking,
and declared he heard the warden
say to Willie Bell:
Come out, Peewee, I want to kill
you."
Howard Adams, an Atlanta con-
vict, told the jury the warden began
shooting with his pistol, and yelled
to the other guards 'let 'em have it."
The coroner asked Remmer Baze-
more, a guard, If there wasn't time
to yell halt" to the fleeing prison.
ers.
mo, there wasn't time" Mr..
Bazemore said. They were all run
ming"
Guy McNabb, who said he shot q
prisoner going over the wire fence,
declared that II was trying to hit
him in the legs"
Pleaded With Men, Guard Says.
J. L. Holmes, another guard, said
Warden Worthy talked and plead
ed an hour or more trying to get
the prisoners to quiet down"
Dave Golden, q colored trusty In
the camp prison, said he didn't
hear the warden threaten to kill
Bell.
Bell" he testified, has caused
most of the trouble around here.
Warden W. N. MoCann Of the
Folkston camp prison said 23 Of the
n Negroes were transferred re-
Gently from his camp to Brunswick.
'They were an uziruly bunch he
said, ~and had to keep most Of
them In solitary confinement.
seys Strike Preceded Melee.
Warden Worthy asserted that the
fatal melee was preceded by q four
hour strike OF Negroes assigned to
q road repair job. Forty convicts
were in the detail but only II en-
gagged in the strike.
The prison officials herded the II
into trucks and returned them to
the central camp, meantime asking
county police for reinforcements.
County Police Chief Russell B. Hen
derson said he and two officers
armed with tear gas and shotguns
were called by Warden Worthy to
"quell possible disturbance"
Removed from the trucks, the
Negroes were lined up In the prison
enclosure and addressed by Chief
Henderson. They were told they
must obey the warden. 1t was then
Chief Henderson and Warden Wor-
they said. that Bell attempted to
attack the warden. The latter fired
and all of the Negroes started flee
ing
They started toward 12-foot
barbed wire fence marking the
camps boundary. shotguns roared.
Men started falling. Only one
reached the fence. He fell dead.
Warden Worthy said some of the
convicts were armed with short iron
bars and sticks. One carried an ice