The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1871-10-04
4 BREAK I'M THE NEVADA
STATES PRISON
Twenty-nine Desperad oes Es-
cape.


Twenty-nine Desperad oes Es-
cape.
Mafs pix1ey KILLED and Nearly NIL the
0mcers OF the Prison wounded.
CAnsoS. Septemper 1sth.-At six O'Clock
asst evening the wind was blowing gale,
and the whole valley was filed with blind
ING dust. IA desperate break was made by
the eonyicts ia the States Prison, which ter
minated III the death Of Matt Pixley OF the
Warm Spring Hotel, the wounding OF nearly
ali. the officers of the States Prison and sey-
eral Of the prisoners, and the escape OF ~ as
desperate Williams as ever trod the earth. At
the hour named all the prisoners being IN the
eell-room. Volney e. Robins, captain Of
the guard, entered the room Us usual, Tor the
purpose OF locking the convicts in their re-
spective cells for the night. just as ne step
ped inside the door prisoner struck him on
the top of the head with bottle, cutting
cash three inches and half long, and al
most at the same instant another struck him
with slung-shot over the left eye, cutting to
the bone. He fell bleeding but not senseless,
and as be sank, half dozen conyicts rushed
at him to deal the death blow, when Pat
Hurley gathered Robins by the body and
threw him into an adjacent cell and closed
the door, thus saving his life.
All this took place without alarming the
guards outside. The prisoners then climbed
to the top Of the upper tier OF cells, and pro-
ceedea to cut hole large enough to admit
the passage of a. mans body through the
wall into one of the rooms occupied by the
family of the Lieutenant~G Governor. Each
prisoner had provided himself with slung-
shot, and piece Of iron or steel sewed up in
his clothes--the piece being so torn as to
form loop around the wrist; and some OF
them had knives Of their own manufacture.
Rushing into the room occupied by Mrs.
Denver, her mother and daughter, the break
of the prisoners was first discovered and the
alarm given. Instantly they were met by
Lieut-G Governor Denver who commenced fir
ing on them. The break appeared to be
under the leadership of Frank Clifford, a ten
year horse thief. from White Pine, and at hira
the Warden directed his fire.
The Lieutanant- Governor had been follow
ed up stairs by Robert Dedmal, young
man in for life, who was acting as servant in
the officers quarters. Denver shot Clifford
near the naval and stunned him; the tide
poured on and soon Lieutenant-Gove
Denver was struck in the back of the head
with some sharp instrument that penetrated
to the skull, and on the forehead above the
eye by ], sIung-shot which opened the skull
for distance of three inches and half.
This felIed him on the door. when the con-
victs rushed upon him, seized his pistol and
fired at him. AS the officer fell, Bob Debman
seized chair and fought like a tiger, knock
one of whom he knocked over the balustrad-
ing and down the stairs. His heroic conduct
doubtless saved the life of the Lieut-Goy-
ernor, and was the theme OF universal praise
in this city as soon as it became known.
Debman, himself, was eventually knocked
senseless and left for dead, but was only
slightly injured.
Wounded as he was, Clifford made bis way
down stairs followed by the crowd, who at
once seized the armory OF the prison--the
office, clothing, ammunition, etc. Matt Pix
ley, one of the proprietors OF the Warm
Springs Hotel, hearing the firing and mag
lining the cause, seized a six-shooter, and in
company with man named Perasish, rushed
into the prison yard to assist the officers.
The eonviets were still inside the guard room,
firing through the main door of the building
at Isascs, Newhouse, and Perasich. Pixley
rushed up to the window and commenced
firing at the prisoners inside when Charles
Jones, ten-year young man from White
Pine, fired at him through the window. The
ball, probably from Henry rifle, carried
away two panes of glass and struck Pixley
just below the the left eye, passing entirely
through his head He fell upon the stone
porch in front of the prison, dead.
DR.. Lee went to the prison to attend to the
wounded officers. all the Woanaed prisoners
having been carried away by their comrades.
He found that in addition 10 his other
wounds, Lieut-G Governor Denver had received
a shot in the right hip, which passed up the
back and lodged near the spine. DR.. Lee
extracted the ball.
THE ESCAPED CoNvIcTs.
The following is a list of those who es-
capped Frank Clifford, from White Pine
county; J. B. Roberts, Washoe; Patrick Nc
Cue, White Pine; David Lynch, White Pine;
E.. Ingram, Nye county; q. B. Parsons.
Washoe: John Kurk, Esmeralda; Tom Hef-
ron, Elko; VIM. Russell, Story county; Geo.
Roth, Washoe; Ed. Bigelov, White Pine;
Chris Blair, Story county; J. G.. Watson,
Elko; Thomas Flynn, Washoe; Thomas
Ryan, Lander county; Charles Jone, White
Pine; T. Cockerell,. Washoe; Pat Murphy,
Ormsby county; John squires, Washoe coun-
ty; II. Prllilt, Douglass county; VIM. Willis,
Story county; ]. E. Chapman Washoe; Lean
der Morton, Elko; Tim McNamara, Story;
county; VIM. Forrest, Story county; Dan
Bake, Elko; Thomas Carter, Elko; John J.
Jacks, Lincoln; Moses Black Lincoln.
Tran MISEs.-A correspondent of the Sac
ramento Union, writing from Salt Lake, says
of mining matters: There is considerable
activity in mining matters, and sales are of
frequent occurrence. The transactions pass
ing through the Office OF "A. S. Gould & Son
average over million weekly, at present,
many of them bona fidEe sales. Still there is
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