The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-02-01
DESERVES BETTER CARE.
rhe Hero Of Prison Break An Inmate Of the
Ormsby County Poor House.

on in 1870, Is now an inmate OF the
ormsby county poor-house, having
been sent there recently from Lyon
county. He is paralyzed and almost
helpless The Carson News tells the
storv of Bowen's heroism as follows:
On the morning of the break over
eighty prisoners were in the assem-
Z blv room A gate from this room led
to the hallway. Captain Dingman was
Stationed at this gate as inner guard
At the other end Of the hallway was
another gate, together with a small
guard room, in which was seated Outer
Guard Hawkins. One branch from
A the hall led to the outer guard-room,
/occupied by guards, and one in chair,
II as now. Another branch led to the
\ kitchen. The inner gate was opened
to allow the kitchen crew of six men
to pass out. When they arrived at
Hawkins station they made a rush
under Mcclure, life termer, who gave
4 Hawkins a blow under the chin that
81 put MIN Out. MC1luTe ldQ Occl
guard over prisoners at San Quentin,
and was thoroughly acquainted with
prison arrangements and systems
Hawkins fell to the floor with the low
er part of the lock in his hands. The
desperate men then broke into the
general guard-room. They were gen.
orally armed with chisels that had
been used in the quarry, which they
had secreted and covered with strips
from their colthing in the form OF the
regulation billy" They had gained
possession of a large butcher knife,
however, which they gave to convict
named Swanson. a big, strapping fell
j low who was supposed to be able to
put up a hard fight He did not want
to fight, however. but ran out of the
building and down into the cellar,
where he was subsequently recaptured.
Mcclure also had dangerous knife.
Only one revolver was allowed TO be
Y in the guard-rooms, and guard nam
Led Rowe was supposed TO have 1t. He
las shaving before glass and saw
f'the approach of the convicts just in
time to dodge and save his life from
the murderous blow leveled at his
mead, which. however. did not disable
him. William Bowen. another guard,
and at present in the poor farm, really
had the much priced revolver and lost
no time in getting it INTO operation. He
shot Mcclure through the arm and
convict Heffron in turn struck Bowen
on the head and knocked him to the
ground. While lying on the floor he
shot Heffron under the shoulder blade.
Weakened as he was. Bowen staggered
to his feet to assist the other guards,
who were unarmed and In a life to
life struggle Convict Shay struck him
another blow on the head with stone
cutters chisel. and Bowen WAS 0, ee
more driven to the floor all but uncons-
cous He gathered his scatte,sd SIN
senses together. however, and shot
Sha through the navel, which put
him out of the fl hit, he dying some
forty-eight hours later. Mcclure,
though with a shattered arm from a
bullet directed by Bowen, still was
aggressive and things looked bad for
the wounded guards scattered about
y All during this time things had been
lively in the hallway. Just as the six
members of the cooks gang downed
the outer guard, Captn Dingman was
endeavoring to lock the inner gate,
against which about seventy infuriat-
ed men We're struggling and fighting
for liberty. Dingman had succeeded in
getting the upper portion of the lock
through the hasp, but the hands thrust
through the bars prevented him from
attaching the paddock proper He held
out as long as he could, calling for
help, which did not come. He then
abandoned his gate and ran to the
outer one, finding the insensible Haw-
kins there He slammed the gate and
again succeeded in getting the half
OF the lock in place. The prisoners i'm
mediately rushed up the hall, under
the leadership of Garet, Virginia City
iootpad. The prisoners knew 1t was
against the rules for Dinsman To have
any firearms with him, and Garret,
reaching through tine bars, grasped
paved his face up against the bars.