The Rusk Cherokeean (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 107, No. 42, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 17, 1955 Page: 1 of 4

                                
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BLANKET CIRCULATION
An Estimated 13,000 People Will
Read This Publication, Based On
Circulation Figures
The Rusk CKerokeean
TEXAS’ OLDEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER, ESTABLISHED AS THE PIONEER JULY 5, 1847
SERVING THE GREATER RUSK TRADE AREA
RUSK
RODEO CAPITOL
OF EAST TEXAS
VOLUME 107
THE RUSK CHEROKEEAN SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 1955
FREE
FREE
NUMBER 42
Riot Is Ovei At Rusk State Hospital;
11 Known Injured; Dr. Castner Is Unhurt
Ben Riley Torns-In
Weapons LateSaturday
( “This is not a State Hospital, it
The big riot is ovei at the Rusk -s a Hell-Hole,” said Riley. He
State Hospital. It ended at 3.25 stated that, attendants on his ward
p.m. Saturday, when Ben Riley and
Joe Murphy, Negro patients, turn-
ed Dr. Chas. W. Castner, Clyde
White and Bill Curtis loose. Cap-
tain Bob Crowder, Company B of
the Texas State Rangers, talked
to Riley, and persuaded him to
turn his hostages loose.
Of the 80 patients on this ward,
only 20 actively engaged in the
7 hour rebellion.
The riot started early Saturday
morning about 8:30 to 9 a.m,. when
the Negro patients on the Crimi-
nally Insane Ward assaulted C. W.
Patterson, 64 year old white pat-
ient, who is a trustee. The Negroes
slapped him and beat him. He ran!
in the office, and found more of
the Negroes holding a “Jubilee.”
Dr. L. D. Hancock, was beaten
with a baseball bat, and forced to
call Dr. C. W. Castner, superin-
tendent, and say that there was
“an emergency on the Negro1
ward.” Dr. Castner reported im-
mediately, and when he arrived
at the front door, he was told by
Ben Riley, leader of the riot, that1
there was a state of rebellion up-
stairs. Dr. Castner asked Riley
what he was doing loose with the
keys. The superintendent was then
seized and taken upstairs.
Dr. Castner saw Dr. Hancock,
who was bloodied up, and in a very
bad condition. Dr. Castner told Ri-
ley and Joe Murphy, the leaders,
that Dr. Hancock was in a bad con-
dition, and must be taken to the
hospital
The Negroes agreed to allow Dr.
Castner to stay and allow Dr. Han-
cock to be taken to the hospital.
They then sent word via hospi-
tal Business Manager Cecil Par-
rish that they wanted to talk to
E. H. Whitehead, owner and pub-
lisher of the Rusk Cherokeean.
This took place around 9:45 a.m
Whitehead showed up, within min-
utes, and published the following
complaints of the patients:
Two of the injured Negro Patients are pictured above
Cherokee County Sheriff Allen Dotson.
with
Tense officers and hespifal personnel wait as the "madmen" hold Dr. Chas. W. Casfner, Bill Cur-
tis and Clyde White as hostages.
—photos by wiley shattuck
A FEW COPIES OF THE SPE-
CIAL "EXTRA" PUBLISHED TO-
DAY CARRIED THE NAMES OF
HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES WHO
WERE ALLEGEDLY FIRED BY
GOVERNOR ALLAN SHIVERS.
THIS CORRECTION IS INTEND-
ED TO CLARIFY ONCE AND FOR
ALL THE MEANING OF THESE
FEW PAPERS, AND WHY THEY
WERE PUBLISHED. WHILE DR.
CASTNER AND OTHERS WERE
BEING HELD PRISONERS, THIS
WAS ONE OF T H E DEMANDS
MADE BY T H E RIOTING PAT-
IENTS. IT WAS NECESSARY
THAT THIS INFORMATION BE
PRINTED TO TRY AND PER-
SUADE THEM TO FREE THE IM-
PRISONED OFFICIALS.
have made a practice of beating
the Colored Patients with a rub-
ber hose, sticks, and clubs. “We
want this beating of our patients;
stopped, and we want to eat the
same food as the white patients.
We also want to be able to go out-
side as many times as the white
patients. We have not been out-
side for two weeks,” said Riley.
Riley also said that patients on
his ward could not bathe unless
they get permission from the at-
tendants. He further stated that
the patients wanted to be able to
talk to doctors without having td
go through the attendants first.
“The attendants hide a patient af-
ter they beat them up, and will
not let the! doctors see them,” Ril-
ey said.
Riley said that he was forced
by attendants to hold and help
whip other patients.
The Rusk publisher returned af-
ter publishing the special edition
and along with Delman Mayes, an
attendant, negotiated with Ben Ril-
ey. Riley took the papers, thank-*
ed Whitehead, and returned to his
ward. The Negro was assured by
Whitehead that James Marvin
Windham was on his way to Rusk,
and would hear their complaints.
Ranger Captain Bob Crowder
was then called to talk to Riley,
and after a period of persuasion
by Capt. Crowder to “act like a
human being,” the final release of
Dr. Castner and the other attend-
ants was negotiated.
The real Hero of this riot is Dr.
Chas. W. Castner, superintendent.
This man prevented any more at-
tendants or patients from being
hurt, and without his help from
the inside, the riot would have
lasted for days and days more.
Riley stated that he believes in
Dr. Castner, and stated that he
did not believe Dr. Castner knew
of the real conditions which the
patients are living under. He statr
ed that he nor any of the other
patients are allowed by t h e at-
tendants to talk to the doctors
When they come on the ward.
Dr. Castner explained that it is
very hard to “screen” the attend-
ants. Half the patients on a ward
Will say that the attendants are
“devils” and the other half will
say that they are “angels”, com-
mented Dr. Castner, after he was
released.
“We explain to them that the
men in our criminally insane ward
are mean, and must be treated
firmly, but kindly. We screen
about 90% of the ‘sadists’, but
there are still around 10% that
get by us,” the Superintendent
said.
(See RIOT, Back Page)