Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-24
Nd OF THE GRAYSON TRIALS.
Craft Found Guilty and Sentenced to
Hang Nay 1J.

PANDENONIUT IN THE MISSOURI PENITEN
TIARY.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, Feb. 23.-The con
victs in the penitentiary had just returned
to their shops from dinner to-day when
preconcerted mutiny broke out in the har
ness shop of Jacob Strauss & Co. Foul
men seized Van Horn, foreman of the col
lar shop, and told him to remain quiet anG
four men also seized Snider, foreman oi
the harness shop, and stripped him of his
clothing. Jno. B. Johnson, the ringleader
highway robber under sentence of twelve
years, ran into the department where
horse collars are, stopped and
set lot of loose straw
on fire. In moment the building, with
the three shops-harness, collar and whip
was on fire. Pandemonium prevailed.
When the guards ran in with hose, they
were met by the conVicts, who cut the hose.
johnson made an effort to escape over the
walls, but despite the fact that he had a
knife and club, was captured by Jesse
Tolin, and put in a dungeon. His seven
companions were also confined in dark
cells. The fire was got under control, but
has completely destroyed Strauss & Co.'s
harness shop, collar and whip factory, loss
$1OO,O0O; the Giesick & Co. Boot and Shoe
company, loss 100000; the Mysenburg
Shoe company, loss 100000; state weaving
and state machine shop, loss $4,000; Ex-
celsior loom factory, loss $4,000. Total
loss, with damage to minor state build
ings, 100000.
The latest advices from Jefferson City
say that the excitement attending the fire
has partially sUbsided and the affairs at
the prison are getting into shape again.
The blow dealt the state is severe one,
and the penitentiary, which has not recov-
cred from the disastrous oonfagration of
nearly two years ago, will be of little use
to the state for another six months. The
buildings destroyed are owned by the
state. The stock and machinery belonged
to contractors. The mutiny is described
as follows: John B. Johnson, q safe blower
by record, was sent up for twelve years
from Shelby county last November
on conviction for highway robbery. He
declared his intention to beat the prison,
and from the first he came down as dan
gerous man. The desperate act of to-day
was his third attempt to escape. The men
had just marched back from dinner to the
shops, and were seeking their various
benches, when, in recognition of some pre-
concerted signal, eight men employed in
the harness shop of Jacob Strauss d Co.,
seized formidable leather cutting knives
and the revolt began. Four of them seized
the foreman of the harness shop and
stripped him of his clothing. The
other four ran to the floor below
seized VanHorn, foreman of the collar de-
partment, and, with knives at his throat,
ordered him not to resist. He did not |
Then Johnson ran back into the collar
stufing department and fred lot of loose |
straw. Satisfied that the flames had taken |
hold the desperate man dashed out of the |
building, ran to the saddle tree factory of |
John Sullivan, with the intention of excit |
ing a revolt there. At the main entrance |
to the shop he met Pat Krump, one of the |
guards, who, seeing him with knife and |
club in his hand, warned him off. |
At that moment the flames burst from the |
windows of the Straus factory, and Krump |
saw what was up. He was not armed, but |
yelled to johnson, Zone step more and you |
are dead man." The desperate turned |
and ran towrads the northeast corner of the |
grounds, with the intention of scaling the |
wall. On mis- way he ran against Jesse
Tolin, the "dresser in of the prison, who |
had sought the court yard at the first |
alarm. johnson paused and stood de-
fant with his knife and his
bludgeon, threatening to brain Tolin if he
came near enough. Tolin is small man,
while the convict is giant in build, and
strength, but plucky. The guard, looking
his man squarely in the eye, walked up to
him and placing the muzzle of cooked
revolver against his ear ordered him to
walk to the blind cell. The convict lost
his grit and obeyed. Deputy Warden
Bradbury came up at this juncture and
the promptest efforts were made to cap
ture and confine in blind cells Johnson's
companions. One of them was
Jerome T. johnson, doing twenty five
years for murder in the second degree,
from Clay county, and another, Perry
Martin, who was one of the stage robbers
who last year terrorized southwest Mis-
souri, and held up several stages between
Seligman and Eureka Springs; Williams,
of Kansas City, who inaugurated a revolt
in the Kansas City jail last spring, was
another of the party. They are all desper-
ate men. While the guards were attending
to the discipline of the prison the
alarm was blown. and the great bell changed
out the warning that mutiny was in prog
ress in the prison The telephone in
formed the people of the turn of the state
of affairs. As great volumes of smoke and
flames shot out from the building and al
tracted attention, there was a general
movement to the penitentiary. Adiutant
General Waddell employed an armory of
guns, which with the ammunition was i'm
mediately loaded in wagons and hurried to
the prison, where plenty of willing
hands were ready to receive
them. In less than ten minutes lines
were formed surrounding the prison walls,
and digniied senators, bankers, capital
lists, merchants and woodsawyers stood
shoulder to shoulder prepared to vindicate
the majisty of the law, by putting hole
In any convict who dared make a break
for liberty. The walls were covered with