Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-08
PRISONERS IN REBELLION.
A Dangerous Outbreak at the Massa.
chusetts Penitentiary.

One brave man, with the muzZe OF his re-
peating rife pointed steadily at the door Of the
state prison work shop, yesterday afternoon
held at bay 500 yelling and infatuated convicts
until they were overpowered by the police.
This man was Officer Howard Of the prison
force on guard upon the wall facing the Jail
work shop. The plan OF the convict uprising
was to shoot this man and then for such as
could to scale the prisonwall and run away, but
the hand OF the man appointed TO kill him was
unsteady, and although fred at twice, Howard
was not hit Then the riotous convicts, not
daring to venture out within reach of Howard's
rifle, ragged back and forth in the work shop.
smashing doors and windows, breaking every
thing breakable and shouting and cursing. 1t
was not until more than one hundred police
officers, each with a drawn revolver. entered
the prison gates and forced their way into the
work shop, that the revolt was checked
This trouble at the prison, which was the
most threatening that has arisen for long
time, dates back i've or six weeks, to the time
when the Berthrong measurement system Of
obtaining and recording descriptions of the
prisoners was put into force. The prisoners
then became noisy and insulting, and during
one night kept up a constant camor in their
cells. The locking up in close confinement OF
about twenty of the ring-leaders and the de-
tention of the remainder of the ten IN their
cells for three or four days put an end to the
Gistur bance for the time. but the atmosphere
remained charged with insubordinaaon, and
any unusual event was sufficient to excite the
men to overt tactics. This came In the sue
cessfui escape OF Moore last Sunday and the
subsequent unsuccessful effort of Chicken"
WEIGH, q notorious Boston criminal and leader
of the Albany street gang" recently impris-
oned.
THE SIGNAL FOR AN OUTBREAK.
There are 593 convicts in the prison, great
part of them being employed i'll the shoe shop.
At 2:35 yesterday afternoon, evidently upon
some preconcerted signal, nearly all of the men
in the shoe shop broke out into terrible shout
ing. yelling and all sorts of disorderly noises.
In the shop where the disturbance occurred
many Of the albany street gang were said
to be at work, and it is supposed that they
raised the row in the hope that some of them
might escape during the excitement and con-
fusion. The new prison officials IN the shop
were utterly unable to uuell the riot and fled
for their lives. Officer Howard was patrolling
the prison wall opposite the door which opens
from the shoe shop INTO the yard
1t would appear that the plan was to intimi-
date the shop officials and then to shoot the
man on guard and scale the wall. William
Evans. one of the rin9leaders, had become pos
sessed of a revolver and two cartridges. Two
minutes after the outbreak began Evans, stand
ing by the open window. aimed his revolver at
Howard and fired. He missed. Again he fired
and again he missed The men, who had
clustered Just inside the door, only waiting for
Howard to fall before making rush for the
prison wall, retreated with bowls and curses
Howard stood on the wall like statue, covering
the workshop door with his rifle, ready to
shoot down the first maQ who crossed the
threshold, but not a man ventured forth.
Meanwhile aid had been summoned from sta
ton Is, near by, and within five minutes the
patrol wagon from the station with twenty-five
men, under command of Lieut.. Brown, das he'd
up to the entrance of the prison. Police aid
was also summoned from the city proper, and
patrol wagons from the Boston stations loaded
with policemen hurried over to Charlestown
with the greatest possible speed.
More than 100 men were on the ground as
soon as possible. Lieut.. Brown ordered his
men to draw their revolvers, and they dashed
up the steps leading from the prison to the
inner door of the workshop. As the lieutenant
crossed the threshold hammer was thrown at
his head. 1t missed him and struck the officer
behind him in the hip, disabling him. The
sight of the twenty drawn Tevolvers cowed the
rioters, and no further demonstrations were
attempted. They threw down the shoe knives
and hammers and submitted, one by one
They were searched by the officers and then
conducted to their cells and locked in. It was
$3.50 before this was completed and comparative
quiet reigned. The Boston police superintend-
ent has detailed 100 officers to report at the
prison at o'clock this morning for fear Of
further trouble.