The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-21
DASH FOR LIBERTY
IMPRISONED MURDERERs' WILD
RUSH To ESCAPE.
RIOT IN KENTUCKY PRISON.
ONLY QUELLED WHEN ONE DIES
PERADO Is FATALLY SHOT.

Brooks, Bishop and MuIligan. All
Murderers, Made the Attempt to
Escape-One Had RevOIver-Fore-
man Used as Screen to Shield Des-
peratc Men-Bnrricaded in Factory,
They Defied Arrest-At Last Seem
ed to Yield, Attempt to Draw
Weapon Resulted in VOlIey and
Bishops Fatal Wound.
Frankfort. KY. Aug 20.-Fired by a
desire to gain their freedom. Wallace
Bishop and Thomas Mulligan, of Ken
ton county. and Lafayette Brooks. OF
Morgan county, all murderers and des-
perate criminals, made futile attempt
to escape from the state penitentiary
here this morning. AS result Bishop
is dead, Brooks Is shot through tie
shoulder, apd Alfred Ransome, color
ed, Louisville murderer, who for a
few moments essayed to follow the
three daring leaders, is suffering from
a wound in the shoulder.
The mutiny, which lasted for four
and half hours and ended in an ig-
nominious surrender by the convicts,
caused great excitement in the PRISON
and among the people Of Frankfort
Brooks made a statement to the war
den this afternoon. He places the re-
sponsibility for the attempted out
break on Wallace Bishop. He says that
| he and the other two men had worn
shackles constantly for months on ac-
count of bad conduct and that Bishop
assured them that he could get them
| out.
| The rioting started while Brooks,
Mulligan and Bishop. one of whom
| had a pistol concealed about his per-
| son, were coming out of the dining
room to answer a hospital call. Sud-
| denly one of the convicts drew a wea-
pom and compelled Guard A. H. Gin
| to give up his arms. Guard F. r.
Hurst, who rushed to Gilrs assistance,
was also captured by the convicts.
Foreman Used as Shield.
Capt Mat MadIgan, acting warden.
| then rushed forward with six guards
| and fired on the bunch, but no one was
wounded. The convicts then ran
across the yard, and at the
entrance to the reed depart
ment of the chair factory. captured
Charles Willis of Clark county fore
man. They covered him with their pis-
tolls and placing him between them
and the guards retreated to the rocker
department in the chair factory,
whence they could command a good
view of the entire yard. At window
| they stationed Willis, and Brooks, with
a revolver in his hand, took a position
just beside the captive, resting the
NJ rH0lA Of he
mans side. The convicts then defied
| Warden Lillard to attempt to capture
| them, shouting that they would kill
| the foreman at the first move made
| against them. a3
| Answered summons with Taunts.
BY this time several hundred citi-
zens, many of them heavily armed,
had gathered at the prison gates, but
! the warden denied admission 20 all He
| issued orders for all the shops to close
and for all the prisoners to be return
ed at once to their cells. He then plac-
ed guard of sixty men around the
building in which the desperadoes had
barricaded themselves and called on
them to surrender. The convicts' only
reply was taunt For the protection
of Foreman Willis the warden then
determined to starve the desperadoes
into submission.
| James Buckley, former city work
| house keeper. and Morgan Brewer, q
former guard at the penitentiary.
climbed to the roof of residence over
looking the building in which the
convicts had taken refuge and
| fired several shots into the
| the room where the desperadoes were
| intrenched. They were compelled to
desist however, as Foreman Willis was
| forced to the window in the line of fire.
Finally letter was dropped from the
window saying that If the warden
would come to the head of the steps
| leading to the reed department the
| convicts would surrender first sending
| their weapons down by Frank Brooks.
The Surrender and Results.
Warden Lillard prepared to accept
| the terms of this note and as a matter
| of precaution half dozen guards were
| placed in the hospital overlooking the
reed department Warden Lillard, ac-
companied by eight men, then proceed
ed to the foot of the stairway. The
prisoners emerged from the reed room
as they had promised, with hands up,
but they proceeded down the stairway.
Bishop dropped his hands to his side as
II to draw weapon. He had hardly
made the motion when one of the war
denis party fired. the bullet striking
Bishop in the breast, inf1icting fatal
wound.
When Bishop fell Mulligan and
Brooks sank to their knees begging the
warden to save their lives, and at 1890
o'clock the two desperadoes, heavily
shackled and accompanied by ten men
with drawn pistols, were placed in their
| cells and quiet had been restored
Wallace Bishop. alias Burns, died
| tonight. He was conscious up to an
hour before his death. At his request
Father Major of the Catholic Church,
was sent for, and baptized him short
| ly before he died