Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
The Nome Nugget
Nome, Nome County, Alaska
What is this article about?
In Buford, Ga., 36 prisoners at Rock Quarry State Prison broke their legs with sledgehammers during a rest period to protest heavy workloads and hot conditions, injuring 29 white and 7 Black inmates, as reported by corrections director Jack Forrester and Warden Hubert Smith.
Clipping
OCR Quality
Full Text
Break Own Legs
To Protest Work
BUFORD, Ga., (AP)—Thirty-six prisoners broke their own legs with 10-pound sledge hammers Monday in protest against working conditions at Rock Quarry State Prison, the "Little Alcatraz" of the Georgia penal system.
Jack Forrester, state director of corrections, said a prison doctor told him 29 white and 7 Negro inmates cracked bones in their legs during an afternoon rest period at a rock quarry where they were working half a mile from the prison.
He said the men placed their legs on rocks and "started whacking away" with the hammer normally used to crush rock. There were no cries of pain, he said.
Guards watching the 189 prisoners in the fenced-in quarry were taking a rest at the time and said they did not notice what had happened until they ordered the men back to work.
Warden Hubert Smith said the injured men told him after the incident that they felt that their wheelbarrows were too heavily loaded and the sun was too hot.
What sub-type of article is it?
What keywords are associated?
What entities or persons were involved?
Where did it happen?
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
Buford, Ga.
Event Date
Monday
Key Persons
Outcome
29 white and 7 negro inmates cracked bones in their legs
Event Details
Thirty-six prisoners broke their own legs with 10-pound sledge hammers during an afternoon rest period at a rock quarry half a mile from Rock Quarry State Prison to protest working conditions, including heavily loaded wheelbarrows and hot sun. Guards did not notice until ordering them back to work. There were no cries of pain.