The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-02-08
STATE PRISON BURNED.
The Cell Building of the SILVIA
ter PRISON Consumed by q Fire
Breaking Out just Before
Midnight.

~ W. OIlO SNltItSSl
ter Prison Consumed by Fire
Breaking Out just Before
Midnight.
The building Entirely Destroyed
with Offices and Papers or the
Northwestern Car Company
II The Warden.
A. FIRE csugh. in the basement of tn,
Minnesota state penitentiary at Saltwater
at 11:a5 O'clock. Friday night, the 25th. Th
fire caugatu.der the main office, and wbei
the d. ptrtment arrived it was impossible to
do any effective worry or
sccount of the dense snok
The FIRE spread with remarkable rapidity
and starting at the east end OF the pr son
fronting on Main street, it soon reached the
warden's office and the ou,ns occupied by
the guards. 1t then spread to the oth ces O
the Northwestern Car company, the ent r.
front part OF the building being q mass ,
flames. From the Office of the Car com
pany the fire SPREAD to the kit hen and eat
ing room Of the prison adjoining which wa.
situated the chapel. All the above named
Departments was Quilted. The front part o.,
the bull ling where the fire started wss
compAsei D. considerable frame wood work.
thus sf>rding a means of transmitting tke
fi,m.s to the CO department OF the prison,
which unfortu atsly was capped by 9
wooden caYnica.
AT one O'Clock it became evident that the
prison in the rear OF the Offices was doomed,
and Company K OF the rtate militia was
called out In assist in removing the con.
vicss; about $50 in all. were shackled togeth-
or by means of a long fine chain and re-
moved to different parts of the prison
grounds.
The deputy warden, Abe Hall. was pros
trated by smoke, and almost sutfocnted. l.
the walls can beused again; the loss will loot
up to about $l5n COZ. The insurance is
from $4,000 to $1,000 The fx.nres and
furniture in The Northwestern Car com.
psns's ofica belong TO the company, the
bs1unce to the state.
Militia Company X was sent for aud with
their assist. nee Tho prisoners will be re.
moved out and plsced in the store room
vest ofNahe cell building. They suffered
from the cold and were soon moved by lie.
tachments into the foundry north of the
cell building, where there were fires. The
eighL female prisoners were taken to the
warden's housa erioinigS the south wall.
Tho prisoners behaved very we'll. and did
not offer to make any disturb a cs. The
gates were guarded by the mil tia. The
shachles were removed tom the convicts
and they remained peaceably in the found.
ry. Hot coffee ana tea was distributed
among them. Everything in the buildin /.
the deputy war5eD's stock, the matron and
stewards goo6s and furniture were all de.
streied. nothing being saved but q few
blankets. The warden te%legraphed to Gov,
Hubbard Tor a company of the militia
from Sc. Paul to relieve Company X. The
couvicts SGT arouni the ioundry singing
songs, mad behaved nobiy. Tae YonppeI
brothers and the st Paul negro murderer
were with ,hs others aud perfectly quiet.
The smoke hal penetrated the cells before
the cunvicts could be reached. When the
cell doors were opened, some Of them were
pale and trembling, ss if fearing the fire
would reach them before they could be
saved. Most I the men were cool and
careless. TIE Younger brothers when then
cells were opensd, took their blankets coolly
and iolIo%ed the guards, with no sign OF
uneasiness. One of the convicts came near
being burned to death. He was in his cell,
aad when the other %pri=onets were taken
out he was forgotten. Con Riellen, OF the
convicts, insisted on being left b. hind, and
the guards went back and fouLd him locked
in. A crowbar was used to batter the door
and he was taken out III time to save his
life.
The question OF what dispo2ition to make
of the convicts is q serious one. Some sug.
gest thfy be transferred to Fort Sn ling;
Others that they be taken to st. Paul. II is
thought they can be put lack in their cells
inside Of two days, although there is no
root on the bniloing; but temporarily tbi,
may have toEbe done. The Convicts will
necessar ~ suffer somewhat from cold, and
Their be6ding is wet or destroyed, but the
citizens will make every provision possible
to shelter AID feed them. Tho fire was
marked by an act of great heroi=m by Mr..
Geo. P. Dodd, OF st llwater. of Company
k) Immediately after the c~onvicts had
was confined in cell No. 200. The crowd
stood aghast at the horrible fate
in store for the poor wretch,
and many faces were turned in the direction
ct the eel occupied by the apparently
doomed man. 1t was a critical momeut,
and one wnch a man is called upon to
face but once in q lite time. George d ID,
in this instance, came to the front like q
hero. Pushing the crowd aside he rushed
into the building and was lost to view in
the column OF bliAdir & smoke which belch.
ed out as from a furnace. In less time
than it can be recorded, he bad reached the
cell ofthe convict, who proved to be a new
maj in the perison, and In q lew minutes
returned bearing the rescued convict. 1t lie
considered an act Of great heroisni, and
praises are to be heard on every side.
The Younger boys were seen in the foundry
by a reporter while the fire was in progress,
said CSie (the eldts'):
/ was in my cell on the ground floor on
the soutL side. l had gone to sleep. and
WAS awakened by the alarm whistle. !
looked ont OF my window, but could not
see any fire; suelied the smoke but thought
it was gas escaping in the CORR ors. / had
no knOufpdvp cf fhe fro until tho 1oor wet
opened. / did not apprehend any danger.
The guard told me that the building was on
fire and l must hurry. I had my pictures
on the wall. ard my books, but couidn't
tax them. l trapped myself up in d blanket.
In a draw l had q pair of worsied rist
let's hat Mrs. Cayon, sister of Mrs. O'Brien
had sent me Tor Christmas. ] put
nothing else. I regret chiefly the loss 0,
two books Gen. Sibiey had given me VIII
and Hunor and Gods Book OF Nature. My
brothers and l were released and taken u
the storeoom. 1t was very COLD there.
Then we were taken to where it was v, ~
comfortable, as we came ont there was
much c%,ninsion in the upper galleries. We
and meals I morrow. l wish now that !
could go back to the Rice county Jail under
sheriff Baron. until they provide for us here.
My brother and i worked in the belt shop.
i suppose we sha | have to lsy around Tor u
whitr. They ell have treated us well here,
however, and We have nothing 20 complain
of. When the. guard opened the door he
was gone TO taee ns down chained, aud I
told him ] would give my word Of honor
no. to try I'd escnpe. l have bsen here too
long to 70 out except honorably.
l. NJ. Sage OF Faribauit, In for the muir
der ut j. ". sni ley, said:
] was in cell 81 N the top fl ,or, over the
YOU GER boys; Ina snipke was si,fI nc, aud
the boys wers utuc5 wHrnaea. K 3 Con
roy OF Mihneapo is met tie eusrd Brown,
who was tx austei. He bravely vo!ua
iaeret 10 release The prisoners, and C awled