Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-03-09
A PENIfENTIARY REVOLT. !

11utinous Convicts Apply the Torch to the
Il Missouri Penitentiary-Ao Bold Plan of
Z Escape Frustrated by Determined
Guards. -rs 4.f
JEFFERSON CITY. Mo. February e.
This city was TO- day the scene of one of the
most exciting events in the States history
fire in the penitentiary, attended with O
threatened outbreak 81 convic.s. Ts
s.r,r, ORIGIN OF THE FIRE. @ T'
The fire was set by desperate named John
b. johnson, who was sent up for highway
robbery in October, 1882, from shelby County.
lie Is serving a twelve years sentence His
object, 1t appears, was to effect his escape
He once before tried to make his escape in
December last, by cutting the bars in the new
sell building. Among his accomplices are w.
Z. Taylor, who was sent up from jackson
county for sixteen years, also for robbery
and Perry Martin, who is on a twelve years
sentence from Barry County, for stage rob.
berry; also John Williams, here for two years.
for breaking Jail in Jackson County a little
alter twelve noon johnson with three of his
accomplices went into the drying depart
ment of the straw collar shop and
commenced an assault on Mathew
schinberg. formerly of the collar department.
lie made several passes with big knife
raised his arm TO ward OF the thrust and was
severely cut i'm Two places on his arm, the
gashes going to the bone. The desperadoes
then knocked Schinberg down, stood him up
again and walked him over into a corner and
CoRRALLED HIM THERE.
Having thus Iixed Schinberg they next a.
tackled his partner, John snyder. made him
ans rip his clothes, which Johnson put or
anu thus dressed in Square clothes ne
walked out ofthe shop, seized n short ladder
and going TO the northeast angle of the peni-
Tertiary yard placed the ladder against the
wall. i. j. Love, guard OF the round-'
house, not suspecting a convict there in
square clothes, inquired, what are you go
Ing to do, with that LADDER" johnson an
s"ered that there was a little trouble among
the prisoners in the yaId above and he was
sent there to assist in Guarding the point
The guard then threatened to shoot him if he
did not get down from the ladder at once
johnson then went back to the stufing shop
and with a match set fire to the loose straw
used in stu1ling collars, He also cut the hose,
and meeting again with Schinberg he threat
ened to kill him.
~ HE ARMED HIMSELF
with a club in one hand and knife and shoe
hammer in the other. AMI then ran into Suili-
vans saddle-tree shop, drove in the guard
4.
and attempted to rouse the convicts to re-
volt, and, had he succeeded, amid the geaeral
confusion caused by the fire, he would have
been successful in making his escspe Fail
Ing in this he went into the old cell-house
where he was captured by Captain Bradbury.
He dropped his weapons on seeing Bradbury
He was then conveyed with his accomplices
into the blind cell
5000 CAPTAIN BRADBURY's STATEMENT. <
Capt. Bradbury, the Deputy Warden, made
the following statement: 1.-The fire occurred
about 1890 o'clock, just ut the time when
nearly all the contractors and forem an had
gone TO dinner. Word WAS sent me that there
was trouble and II mutiny among the convicfs
in the collar department.. L immed i-
ately notified Warden Willis and then
went into the yard, revolver in hand,
and captured ali the convicts then
running loose and sent them to their
cells. i Wis not aware until after this that
fire had been set, but as soon as this fact
was ascertained turned ont all the conVictS
who could be trusted to help save the prop
erty. / was Informed that johnson had
started the fire, and i'll company with mum
Der of COME lerates were doing al in their
power To keep it from being extinguished. In
company with Nr. Tolin, captured johnson
aud Taylor, who were armed with knives,
and had been cutting the hose whenever an
opportunity afforded. johnson failed to es-
cape by climbing over the wall He then
hurried back to the co liar shop and
=. SET 1T ON FIRE. Nfr
The shop was full OF straw and other com.
bustible matter and consequently burned
very rapidly. About twenty five of the con
viots were in the mutiny and the number in.
creased until they were. checked. johnson
was the ring leader, and with his confeder-
ates they overpowered the guard, Van Horn.
whom johnson compelled to change clothes
with him, thinking, no doubt that he could
pass the outside guard without detection if
dressed in citizens clothes"
Captain Bradbury further stated that John
son was desperate character and would fire.
quentlv make serious trouble in the prison.
Recently iIe made an unsu ;cessful attempt to
escape. Captain Bradbury estimates the num-
Der of prisoners that will be idle as a conse.
/ quence of the fire at 500.
at THE BUILDINGS BURNED
we're as folIows:' No. 2 sh ~, occupied by
Strauss & Co. asa collar and harness factory
No. 3shop. fTst and second floors occupied
by strauss Il Co. as tannery and whip shop
and third floor occupied by the Excelsio,
Broom Company. The east end of this build
ing also contains the State Carpenter and
weaving shops, while the basement is used Us
a machine shop. Shop No. 4, occupied on the
first floor by the Standard Shoe Company.
and on the second and third floors by the
Gie4ecke 70 1T and Shoe Company
2 THESE buildings have all been erected Nth
In che last ten years.
TIE STATES Loss (.
on this property is total, and will loot up to
SSo,97l acco rding to the inventory by the APP
praiserS and reported blythe inspectors to the
Assembly on January Is last. OF this amount
shops ,, 3 and represent respectively Sl25lO.
s95 600 and SIS 0ol. The machinery, boilers
and shafting stand for $3.50. while the bal
ance covers the oil house, hose house, water
Tanks, corn mills, machine shops. wooden
factory, carpenter shops and furniture be
longing to the State in the shons.
The fire throws $50 prisoners and fifty square
men ont of ernplovment. 1t VIII probably
take the whole of the building season to re-
buiid ana reit the shops, but the Warden
q thinks a large part OF the men will be at " DIRK
three months. 'f.i
Fl" THE CONTRACTORS LOSSES ga. a
It impossible to estimate accurately the
manufacturers losses at present. MrGiesecke
is insured for S., 00), and his loss will no,
equal this amount, as be Succeeded in savina
Z a portion of the stock. Mr.. Strauss saws he /.
insurcd for something like $4,000, but think.
4 his actual loss nstock is between $4,000 and
{ 100000, The Standard shoe Company carry
I an Insurance of $4,000. and this amount is
! somewhat in excess of their loss. Tie Excel
{ sior Broom Company's loss is s. ,OO3, and not
insured.
80 -''-i' & DESPERATE MAN. - 5t1
Johnson, the ring reader of the revolt to-
day was sent up from shelby County for rob
berry and grand larceny and was a terror TO
| that county. He put up at hotel in that
n ~ rrfn
bed room of the proprietor with a cooked re-
l r.r,I, In, -