Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-03-13
CONVICTSGIVEFIGHT
MONTANA. PRISON GUARDS
FIERCELY ATTACKED.
Three Lifers at Deer Lodge Made
Dash for Liberty-Warden Coniey
seriously Wounded and His First
Assistant, John Robinson, Was
kilIed-Two ConVicts Were Shot.

Deer Lodge, Mont, March O.
Warden Frank Conley of the Montana
state penitentiary was fearfully
wounded Sunday morning and his first
assistant warden, John Robinson, was
killed, when three life convicts, George
Rock, w. H. Hayes and another whose
name is not given made dash for lib
erty in the penitentiary office. 1t is
thought the warden will live. Robin
sons throat was cut from ear to ear
and the jugular vein was severed. Con-
leys throat was gashed and he was
stabbed several times in the shoulder
and groin before he was able to draw
his revolver and shoot two of the as
sailants down. Convicts Hayes and
Rock were both shot down by Conley
after the latter had been wounded.
Rock was shot twice through the
lungs and Hayes three times through
the abdomen. Both are badly wounded.
but it is believed they will recover.
The attack on the prison authorities
according to the prison authorities,
been long planned by Rock and Hayes,
who were cellmates. Both were armed
with penknives, the blades of which
were sharpened like razors.
The three convicts were brought to
the Office of the prison this morning
at O'Clock by Deputy Warden Robin
son to be tried for some trivial infrac-
ton of the prison rules, and Conley
was waiting to sit in judgment. Hayes
had for several months been "trusty''
and had been given the position of
turnkey. He had been placed in the
same cell with Rock because the au-
thorities believed he would watch the
latter, who was the most desperate
criminal in the institution.
Cut, Slash and Jab Victims.
The moment the men entered the
Office door Rock turned swiftly upon
Robinson, who was closing the door
behind the men, and, quickly drawing
a knife, he began slashing at the dep.
uty warden's throat. Robinson was I'M
able to retreat or move before his
throat was cut wide open and he sank
to the floor dying. At the same time
that Rock attacked Robinson Hayes
also pulled out knife similar to that
of Rock and started for Conley. The
latter retreated to the rear of the
office before the oncoming desperate.
Before Conley could draw his revolver,
however, Hayes had slashed his throat,
cutting him from the left ear to a
point under the chin. The convict,
seeing his intended victim getting
away, grappled with him and stabbed
him several times in the shoulder and
the groin.
Although bleeding terribly, Conley
managed to draw his revolver from his
pocket and fired four times with the
weapon pressed against Hayes abdo-
men.
AS Hayes sank to the floor Rock
rushed at Conley, who emptied the
two remaining cartridges in his gun
into Rock and the latter also went
down. The third convict took to his
heels at the first of the battle, but was
quickly captured and placed in his
cell. The authorities refused to give
out his name until they had investi-
gated whether he was concerned in
the plot or whether he had merely
been called to the Office at the same
time as the other two.
How the convicts Hays and Rock
secured possession of the knives is a
mystery. The infraction of rules had
been planned in order to reach the
warden's office where the convicts
would have more chance in making
dash for liberty.