The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1891-03-28
CONVICT KILLED.
Deputy Warden j. w Mar
shall Shoots a MutinOus
Prisoner.

A negro convict by the name of
Reuben Collier, sent to the Peniten-
tiary from Fulton county, for seven
years, on the charge of mule stealing
his term beginning on the Sd of
March, 1s9O-stole lamp from the
cell of fellow-convict on Tuesday,
and under the rules of the prison a
convict guilty of theft forfeits all
good time earned and is punished
with twenty lashes. Wednesday
morning Warden Bolan sent for Col
lier, questioned him in regard to the
matter, and ordered him to be locked
up in his cell until Deputy Warden
J. w. Marshall came in, whose duty
it is to punish refractory prisoners.
When the Deputy Warden arrived
a colored prisoner employed in the
cell house, was sent to unlocked Col
lier's cell, which was on the
eleventh walk" or upper tier of
cells, and bring him down. When
the door was unlocked Collier refused
to come out, and the convict sent for
him called to another, white man
by the name of Smith, to come up
and help him bring Colliar down.
When Smith arrived at the cell door
and started in Collier threw a heavy
glass bottle at him which he lodged,
the bottle striking the wall and was
broken into thousand pieces. The
colored convict also started into the
cell, but Collier struck at him with a
heavy piece of timber shod with iron,
used as support for his bed, with
which he had armed himself, and he
too retreated. Deputy Warden Mar
shall then went up to the cell and
ordered Collier to give up his club
and come out, but he refused, saying
he would die with the club in his
hands rather than surrender, unless
the Deputy promised that he would
not punish him. Marshall told Collier
he was acting fool, that he did not
want to hurt him but would have to
do SO unless he came out and sub
mitted to punishment, but he still
refused, and Warden Bolan also
came up and tried to reason with
the refractory prisoner. He stood
with the club raised ready to brain
any one who should enter the narrow
cell, and stubbornly refused to move
an inch unless they promised not to
punish him. The walk in front of
the cell door is but three feet wide
and there was no chance for the men
on the outside to get at Collier but to
go in at the door, when blow from
his murderous bludgeon would have
sent them over the slight handrailing
to the floor fifty feet below. Finding
that Collier would not listen to
reason, Warden Bolan told his
to fire upon him. Deputy
Warden Marshall stepped into the
door, with his pistol in his hand,
saying: 81, 2, 8, give up that club"
But Collier only raised the weapon
he held in his hand. leaned forward
and was in the act of striking Mar
shall when that officer fired, the ball
striking Collier just below the right
nipple, passing through his body,
cutting one of the large arteries
leading to the heart, and came out on
the left side. He fell corpse upon
the floor of the cell, his body was
taken up and carried to the hospital,
where it was viewed Wednesday
afternoon by Coroner Dehoney and a
jury. After hearing all the evidence
in the case the jury returned YER
dict that Collier came to his death by
a pistol-shot wound, the pistol being
in the hands Of Deputy Warden J. w
in the discharge of his
official duty.
Collier had been quiet and peace
able prisoner from the time of his
until he got into this