Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1883-03-03

lily AtuNS'ys INC sOsc PxUdt tsstt
tuition Of Missouri, at noon last Friday.
The convicis had just returned to The
shops from dinner, when. at . precoi,-
c-rt-d signal Mr.. ilanahas,, foreman Of
the collar shop, was seized by four con-
vic,s, who hrlh knives to his ,hr.mt and
ordered him u keep quiet. Signals
were passed on to the harness shop,
where the convicts also seized the fore
man, who resie,ed and WAS bsdl,
pounded ard stripped of his clothes.
john b. Johnson, a sat.-blowe',
under twelve years sentence from
Shelby County fn highway robbery.
who organized the muliny, at once
sprang 10 the command ot the muiineers
and melted them to Gre the building.
The part Of the harness shop where
horse collars are made was Seized by
the mutineers. who piled straw Their.
used into stacks against the wooden
partition aud fired them.
In q very few minutes the whole har-
Tess shop, which il the property OF .
St. Louis firm, was in DANES. Pand--
moniun prevailed. When the guards
ran in with the hose they were met by
the convicts, who, with hammers aud
such other iron implements as they
could command, cut the hose. Johnson
made All rffcrt to escape over the walls,
but despite the fact that he had knife
! aud club, that he had declared his i'll
tentiun of never leaving the building
alive II opposed, he was met Ut the
main entrance by Pat Krump, one Of
the guards, who warned him 10 desisl
from melting his followers TO further
acts OF muliny. Krump was not armed,
bnt AS Johnson advanced with the
bowling mob Of convicts behind him he
yelled 10 the ringleader, "One step
more, Johnson. and you are dead man.
johnson was Overawed by the exhi-
btion of nerve. liz hesitated and was
lost on the moment. He abandoned al
thought of leadership OF what At that
mument was successful revolt, which
in ten minutes could nave freed every
convicted telun of the State vi Missouri,
and turning upon his ahject heels ran
towards the northeast curner OF the
! grounds with the intention OF scaling
the walls. On his way he ran against
Jesse Tolin, the "dresser' Of the prison,
who had sought the Court yard At the
first alarm. Johnson PAUSED and stood
defiant, with his knife and b!udgron,
threatening to brain rulin it the latter
got near enough. Tolin is u small msn,
while the convict is a giant III build
aud strength.
But the plucky man, looking his
man square in the eye, walked mp to
him, ami, placing the mnzzlc of cock
ed revolver against his ear, ordered him
70 walk to tho blind cell. The Convict
ob.ye,i, and with his surrender the re-
volt WAS at al end. Ills companions
were soon got under control. Among
them were murderers, stage robbers,
burglars and other high class criminals.
The revolt was hardly suppressed
when great volumes vi sII"ke aud flames
shot heavrnwards, and the whole Of
Jefferson CITY rushed towards the pen
itentiary. The militia turned out aud
organized aud the citizens tell in and
shuuldered mnskets, ready to proven, or
suppress a mutiny OF the State c"nvicts.
There were no further deupust raiiuns
OF consequence on the part OF the co'-
victs, some Of whom tr.nzied with dis.
appointment at the failure to escape,
tried tu rush into the flames ut the
burning buildings, aud were with diff
Guilty prevented from seeking this hor
ble form Of death. AS soon Is it became
apparent that the mu,iny Mas unsuc-
crssiul the cOnvicts were formed Into
line, and at the word of cOrnnIanL l,lt0
Of the l,40O cnnvicts were marched To
their cells and locked up The remain
der were trusted to aid IN the work "f
CONTROLLING the tire. So rapidly did the
building burn that few couvicts were
seriously, perhaps, fatally burned. Over
fifty escaped from tho upper windows
ut the factories.
The flames communicated rapidly to
the State machine shops and the factory
where the cloth worn by the cunvic,s il
made. The broom factory went the
way Of the flames, and next the build
ing occupied jointly by the G-isrckr
Shoe Manufacturing Company aud the
the Meysenhurg Sh"e Company Was
taken in. The losses 10 the State
amount to fully $4,000, on which
there il no insurance, while the Losses
to private parties reach nearly like
amount, which il aluos. fully insured.
The desperate and tough characters
OF the mu!ineers organization is evil
dpncrd in the tact that after the ring
leader, Johnson, was lodged in the
blind cell some fifteen Of the convicls
managed by the use "f double key to
get to his cell and released him and
placed themselves in readiness To follow
his lead. The desperate band made
dash at the guards, but were at once
COVERED by the repeating rifles aud IT,
vol.ers Of the guards and We're forced
| To surrender. For some time past the
management of the penitentiary has
heen ct - very severe, perhaps crnel,
character. and the outbreak will very