The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-21
shot BY THE GUARDS.
Two Seattle Convicts Killed at
Walla Walla.
VAIN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE.
Eight Cpur d'Alene Miners Killed nv
Dynamite Explosion.
VAIN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE.
terrible Disaster At the Black Bear
Tunnel, Near Gem, Idaho-Thomas
Sutherland, Editor Portland s.weI-
come" Drowned in the Willamette.


attempt was made at the penitentiary to-
day by convicts to escape, and two pris-
oners were killed and one wounded. The
break was frustrated only by the bravery
of Warden McClus and the coolness of his
guards. There were about lbs men in the
brickyard when train came in with ma
teriai. A plot had been arranged among
about forty prisoners to make a break for
liberty. Four men seized Warden McClus.
and four more jumped on TO the loco
motive. The engineer, before he was
thrown of, reversed his engine and
put on full head of steam.
This sent the locomotive in an opposite
direction and spoiled the original plan.
The locomotive crashed through the gate
and was stopped by ditched cars. In the
meantime the warden, with sharp knives
at his throat, was being carried forward to
open the opposite gate. He was told that
he must order the guards to lay down their
guns or he would be killed. When within
short distance of the guards at the gate,
Guard Berry opened fire, killing one of the
men who had knife, and the other tried
to run. He. too, was shot down.
The men killed are William Gleason,
sent up last year from Seattle for thirteen
years for robbery and attempted murder,
and John Morris, also sent up for seven
years from Seattle, for robbery. They and
Latin, the Tacoma murderer, were the
leaders of the crowd.
Before the coroner's jury this evening
Warden McClus gave the following ac-
count of the riot:
This afternoon at o'clock an engine came
into the yard with load of wood and -four and
coupled on to two of the empty cars When
done told them to clear the track. | waited
till the engine backed nearly to me, rnd turning
to speak to the yard foreman, was caught from
behind by. four men, two of whom know.
They told me to throw up my hands or / was a
dead man. / said, "Hold on boys, no one is
hurt" by this time the engine had started
back. Two men had jumped on the engine
from my side The four men then
started with me towards the east gates,
which were closed. In going toward the gate
Gleason did the most talking. He said / must
have the guard throw his gun down, or was a
dead man. / said to keep cool, as no one was
scared or hurt. l said: "Come on; we will go
up there and marched alongwith them to-
ward the gate. They held their knives dis
played in front OF me- The two men beh nd let
60 of me when we were halfway to the gate,
but / did not see those men at all. They
marched up to the gate, Gleason continuing
throw down his gun. When we were within
twenty feet of the gate ordered Will swash,
the guard, to keep cool, as he had his gun
so he would shoot all three. When within fif-
teen feet of Guard Berry, Gleason said "Make
him drop that gun, or down you CO." His knife
was still at my throat. said, keep cool, :" and
he was then shot down by Phil Berry | then
tried to hold the other man, who escaped from
me. He ran twenty or thirty feet, when he, too,
was shot At the report be turned once around
ana started TO run again. Philip
Berry shot him down. He still
had knife in his hand. The
orders tosthe guards are, in case OF trouble,
to shoot and prevent escape at all hazards
think about thirty convicts are involved in the
demonstration. There were I35 men in the
yard. don't go around in the yard, as do not
think It safe. Gleason said: make him
throw the gun in here meaning inside the
stockade. did not think they had any chance
OF escape, and knew that when led the men to-
ward the gate If the guard kept cool both Glea-
son and Morris were as good as dead men.
Thomas Doris Scott, overseer of the
penitentiary, testified: l have charge of
the brickyard. The first I knew of the
trouble saw two men getting on the en-
CINE. told them to get off, They then
made a jump and grabbed me around the
neck. They said: You keep quiet
and you will not be hurt" They
started to take me toward where
thev had McClus. While part way there
a shot was fired. / saw Gleason drop.
They let me go and ran for the sheds.
Very soon 1 heard another shot. and
Morris fell. The first shot was fired
by Berry and the other two were
divided between Berry and Swash. While
they were taking McClus toward the gate
the men had knives with their points
to McClus' head. l think the plan was a
general one among certain class to break
out
William s. Washand and Philip Berry.
guards, both gave substantially the same
account of the riot as the ward and over
seer.
Both Gleason and Morris are well known to
the authorities OF Seattle. Eight months ago
Gleason, and a man who Is wanted for murder
in Montana. held up Dan Sullivan, railroad
man one night in q dark corner in White
chanel Sullivan knocked the second man down
and Gleason shot at him. bat the bullet did
not take effect With blood streaming down his
face sullivan chased the two burglars down King
street uutil Officer Hamilton arrived and
headed the men of. In arTesting Gleason Ham
ilton was shot in the leg. The second man
made good his escape. For shooting the police
man and for assaulting Sullivan Gleason got
thirteen years.
Itis known that he has served seven wears in
the san Quentin penitcntiary for highway rob-
berry.
When Gleason left the county jail to go to
Wala Walla, he said:
u will not stay there long. I'll either get out
or fail"
How well ne tried TO get out and failed is told
in the above dispatch Gleason was a Swede.
While in iail here he told a fellow prisoner that
he had once murdered man for $l65, which he
knew ne had in his pockets. Where the murder
occurred or who the murdered man was could
never be ascertained and the dark secret is now