Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-07-25
A strike roR LrnrRrY.

| Attempted Outbreak Of the PeniGen-
tiary CORyIcIs They MuzzIe the
WIng-tenders and Try 10 Carve Their
Way ThrOugh-HerOfe Conduct of q
Guard and Is0ose Management In
| Some Quarters.
Yesterday morning about six O'Clock, as
the penitentiary breakfast bell was rang,
and the cell doors Of the conyieis unlocked
for their egress, in the hurry and hustle, the
guards nnnoticing the absence of three Of
the worst characters that grace the books
Of the institution, marched the remainder
of the prisoners into the dining room. 1t
appears that preconcerted arrangement
had been on hand for some days for bold
strike for liberty. The prisoners connected
with this movement were JET. Davis, a
barglar, imprisoned for Ten years; Charles
Shears, military prisoner and desperate
character, bat with only six or eight months
more to serve. Allen, the notorious muir
| derer Of Jack Kennally ia this CITY some
two years ago, and confined here for robbing
d. Weaver, Esq, last winter, 'fIke Morris"
the fancy horse thief" and supposed par
ticipant in the RusseIlville bank robbery,
and another convict named Sullivan.
While the guards, with the exception of
one in the yard and one in the office were
in the dinning-roOm with the prisoners
these scOundTels, who had secreted them
selves beneath their hunks, came out noise
lessly, and armed with sharp-bladed shoe
knives ground down TO a point, CON
fronted Without, the wing tender of the
West wing, who also, par pdreathesiS, is
a notorious East Tennessee murderer,
imprisoned for life, one of the prime
movers in the burning OF east wing, 22d of
June, 1867, but now one OF the "trustys,"
or more properly speaking, pimps of
Warden Mcclure, promoted on account of
favoritisms. These fellows ordered I'D
Without to enter a cell, which he did, and
was Immediately fastened in. Allen was
left TO guard him, and Wilhoit says, told
him, SHOULD he grunt he would kill him"
The other four assembled the top of the
four tiers of cells, and commenced furious
carving with their knives, hole through
the ceiling out on the prison roof, from
whence they expected to lower themselves
to the ground, having previously prepared
themselves with a rope. .
The loud noise attracted the attention of
another convict named Hood who has also
been promoted to "wing-tender" of the
east wing, as kind of recompense for Che
extreme breVity of fifteen years for horse |
stealing. Hood came in, and Of course, he
too was pushed into a cell and locked up.
The "strikers" then went back and com
mencsd their work, which at this time be.
came so loud and furious as to reach the
ears of Mr.. Gibson, one of the guards he
FASTENED across the courtyard and into the
door, when he was met by the five williams
with drawn knives, coming toward him
with menacing looks. Drawing his re-
volver, he ordered them to halt and return
to their cells, which they, of course, obeyed
and he followed and locked them in. He
then released Without and Hood from their
temporary imprisonment, and thus ended
the movement of the scoundrels. 1t is said
that Allen, from an old grudge against
Without, would certainly have killed him
while under his guard had it not have been
for Morris. There certainly is very loose
management of affairs out at the prison,
and they need thorough oYerhauling.