The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-09
THREE L|FERS
MAKE 4 DASH
FOR LIBERTY
Warden of Montana State
Prison FrightfulIy
Wounded.
ASSISTANTS THROAT
CUT FROM EAR TO EAR
TWO OF THE CONVICTS SHOT
DOWN AND THE OTHER
CAPTURED.

Deer Lodge. Mont, March S.-Warden
Frank Conley of the Montana state
penitentiary was fearfully wounded
this 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 a dash for liberty
in the penitentiary about o'clock. 1t
is thought the warden will live. Robin
sons throat was cut from ear to ear
and the jugular vein was severed. Con-
ley's 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
sistants down. Convicts Hayes and
Rock were both shot down by Conley
after the latter had been wounded
Attack Long Planned.
The attack on the prison authorities
and a subsequent effort TO escape has.
according to the prison authorities this
afternoon, been long planned by Rock
and Hayes. who were cellmates. Both
were armed with pen knives, the blades
of which were sharpened like razors.
The three cOnvicts were brought to
the office of the penitentiary in the
courtyard this morning at o'clock by
Deputy Warden Robinson, to be tried
for some trivial infractiOn 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 authorities believed he
would watch the latter. the most des-
perate convict in the institution.
Robinson's Throat Cut.
The moment the men entered the Of
flee door, Rock turned swiftly upon
Robinson, who was closing the door be-
hind the men, and, quickly drawing
out a knife. he began slashing at the
deputy warden's throat Robinson was
unable to retreat or move before his
throat was cut wide open and he sank
TO the floor, dying. At the same mo-
ment that Rock attacked Robinson
Hayes asSo pulled out a knife similar
to that of Rock and started for Con-
ley. The latter retreated to the rear
of the office before the oncoming des-
perado. Before Conley could draw his
gun, however. Hayes had sIashed his
throat. cutting him from the left ear
to point under the chin. The convict,
seeing his intended --ictim getting
away, grappled with him and stabbed
him several times in the shoulder and
the groin
Conley Was Game.
Although bleeding terribly. Conley
managed to draw his gun 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 i'm his gun into
Rock, and the latter also went down
The third convict who had been called
TO the carpet took to his heels at
the first of the battle, but was quick
ly captured and placed in his cell. The
authorities refused to give out his
name until they had investigated
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, Hayes and Rock
secured possession of the knives is a
mystery. The infraction of rules had
been planned in order to reach the
wardens office, where the convicts
would have more chance in making a
dash for liberty.
Warden Pratt of the state penitenti-
airy was deeply grieved to learn of the
casualties in the Montana prison. Rob-
inson was a friend of his and he is well
acquainted with Conley. Warden Pratt
said that neither Rock nor Hayes has a
record in Utah, so far as he knows.
Rock was shot twice through The
lungs, and Hayes three times through
the abdomen. Both are badly wounded
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