The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-17
SHOT IN THE scUFFLE.

FIFTY coNvICrs REBEL AGAINST sHovELlNG
ASHES AGAINST THE WIND AND sTAMPRDS
ONE OF THEM SHOT.
Tbs New York Herald of Tuesday says:
AT o'clock yesterday afternoon ITO con-
victs were employed near Lighthouse
Point, at the north end of Blackwell's Is
land, in filling in the waste spots with
ashes. Some of the convicts seemed very
much dissatisfied with the work they were
engaged in. Discomfort became rife, and
the murmurs of the men soon became quite
audible to the deputy warden and the
keepers in charge of the gang. At last one
of the men cried out: This is hell of
biz on such day as this-shoveling ashes
in gale of wind" Immediately af-
ter another man cried out: "Let us
kick aginst it." Fifty of the gang of men
refused to work, and we're picked out by the.
keepers and sent toward the prison-which
Is three-Quarters of a mile distant-in charge
of two keepers. Among the convicts was a
desperate character named Henry Smith.
He was sentenced on December IA to one
years imprisonment for assault aud bs'-
terry. This Smith seemed to be the ring
leader in the emeute; but it was evid ent
that plans had not been clearly made or the
men might have been more successful in
the attempt to escape. When the fifty men
had marched toward the penitentiary for
Point
SIX OF THEM BROKE AWAY FROM THE
KEEPERS
and made desperate attempt to escape, al
though there were no boats or other means
of conveyance from the island to the main
ana at the time. Warden Fox aud Com
missioner Brennan were engaged outside OF
the wsrden's house talking about repairs at
the time of the break among the c1nvicts
From where they were engaged in CONVEX
sstion they could see what was happening
among the cOnvicts. The warden and the
commissioner ran up to head the six escap-
ing convicts of, while Keeper Foy ran after
the ringlesder, Henry Smith, who, followed
by the other five, WAS making for the aims
house. in the direction of the river, to
get away. Foy shouted to Smith to stop,
but the latter would not heed him. Very
soon Foy caught and engaged in q deadly
clinch with Smith, the latter making des-
perate attempt to take revolver from him.
In the struggle they rolled over and over
on the ground. By this time Commissioner
Brennan and Warden Fox had arrived at
the scene, the former crying out to Keeper
Foy, "Don't shoot, don't shoot, we have
Them" In the excitement of the struggle,
however, Keeper FOy shot Smith in the
right side. the ball passing up and into the
LETT shoulder. It could not have touched
his lungs, as there was no internal hemor-
rhsge up to 10 O'Clock last night. 1t is also
reported that more than
ONE SHOT WAS FIRED FROM FoY's REVOLVER
and that the keeper shot himself in the
fingers of his left hand. Strange to say, the
other FIVE convicts did not attempt to as
sist Smith in his struggle with the keeper,
and were rather stupefied with the result of
the conflict. The prisoners, having been
brought together, were taken to the prison,
and two were placed in ball and chain last
night. The other three will have these or
nanlents affixed to their limbs this morning
They will then be sent back with these
troublesome appendsges to do the work
which they refused to do yesterday. Smith
was assisted to prison after he rose from
tue ground, and the warden said to him, 81
guess you are not hurt very bad" He an
swered, "Well, 1 think / am hurt pretty
bad" He was taken to his
assistants state that they could do more for
him than in the hospital. DIR. Kitchen alter
ward conveTssd with Smith, and said to
him, "Don't you want to get well?" TO
which Smith made reply, 81 don't care
whether get we'll or not. 1t doesn't make
much difference to myself or any one else
if I should die now" 1t is believed that
Smith will recover. The ball was extracted.
tempted to escape and their offences and
sentences are as follows: Henry Smith,
sentenced December 14th, for assault and
battery; James O'Neill, October 18th, for
larceny; Charles Edwsrds, August 11tb. one
year for assault and battery; Joseph
Mccormack, August 10th, for larceny; Geo.
Buttman, October 18th, six months for
larceny; Alex. Kennedy, November 18th,
six months for assault and battery.