The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1878-08-17
i FATAL FIGHT WITH CoNyICTs.

An Uprising In the st. Lonis Work-house I.
A Fractious Inmate Killed and Several
Wounded.
A desperate fight at the work house
in st. Louis, between four of the guards
and number of the prisoners, who had
evidently been organizing an attempted
escape. resulted in the death OF one OF
the prisoners and the serious wounding
of four others. For some days past a
spirit of unrest had been observable
among some of the prisoners, but no
overt act occurred until the afternoon
of the trouble, when one Of the guards,
named Merkel, saw paper communica
ton passed between two of them. This
at once precipitated matters, and led to
the fatal encounter. The dead prisoner,
George Stevens by name, was an habit
ual vagrant, who for q year past had
gravitated between the police court and
the work-house. He was an epileptic,
and on this account claimed an immunity
from the severe labor of stone-breaking
at which the city's offenders are put
when sent down; but the work house
authorities believed that his sickness
was sham, and compelled him to take
his place on the rock piles with the
other prisoners. Since this was done
Stevens had been noticed to be morose
and sullen, and a few days before the
previous affray he committed murder
GUS assault upon George Merse, one OF
the guards, for which he was punished.
Of late he had been seen in mysterious
communication with other prisoners,
and as he was known to be desperate
and powerful man, he was closely
watched by the guards. While he was
working in the gang superintendent by
one of the guards named Christian
Kelbs, Stevens was seen by Guard Mer-
KEEL to pick up a piece of paper which
had been dropped at his feet by another
prisoner. Merkel Immediately ap
preached him and asked him to sur
render the paper. Stevens clinched it
in his hand, and declared he would die
before he would give it up. The pris
oner who had dropped the paper offered
to get it back, but Stevens refused to
surrender it under any consideration.
After some parleying on the part of the
guards, who wished to obtain possession
of the suspicious communication peace
fully, they attempted to take it from
Stevens by force, when he, though
heavily shackled, proved able to fight
like lion. He seized large rocks and
began assaulting the guards, at the same
time calling on his fellow prisoners to
aid him. Guard Coy drew revolver
and fred at Stevens, inficting a slight
wound, which Stevens responded to by
striking Coy on the head with a huge
rock, inficting serious wound. The
scene at this moment was one of great
excitement and confusion. The prison
ers were collected together from differ
ent parts of the yard, and we're evident
ly ready to follow Stevens lead when he
called on them. The guards did not
wait for the attack, but ran to a shanty
in which number of loaded shot-guns
were kept. Aiming themselves, they
returned and found the prisoners. They
had apparently made up their minds to
resist boldly and their presence was
greeted with volley of rocks, one of
which struck Capt. McQuard on the
head, knocking him senseless. The
guards fred upon the prisoners, and
Stevens and four others fell. the former
MORALLY wounded. Two of the other
prisoners, Henry Watson and Mont
gomery Morgan, were badly wounded,
the others received flesh wounds only.
Stevens died seven minutes after being
shot, and the rest surrendered.