The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-09-04
CONV|CTS REVOLT
IN MICHIGAN PEN
One Convict Was Shot Down When
He Failed to Halt When
Commanded.

Jackson, Mich, Sept. 3.--Five com
Ipanies of national guardsmen are to-
might camped within and without the
walls of the Michigan penitentiary
here, guarding prisoners who today re-
Ivolted and caused a reign of terror
within the prison enclosure. The con-
victs, whom the authorities allege were
responsible for the outbreak are lock-
ed up in the heart of the penitentiary,
many of them being chained to their
cells.
Every convict was in custody tonight
and not prisoner was badly hudt, ac-
cording to the statement of Warden
Sampson. He admitted that during
the riot a trusty was seriously shot
and that then he had escaped
Fifty men lodged in the prison bull
lpen" have been held responsible for
the riot, which ragged for over an hour.
Warden Simpson declared after the
trouble that he ha dconsidered the
lpenitentiary impregnable, but it fail
ed when pitted against the skill, the
Ingenuity and the recklessness of con-
Iyict safe blowers. The building in
which the so-called desperate char
acters were quartered is composed of
twelve sections and attached to the
lcell house. Some one in the cell near
est the prison stone house succeeded
in forcing the doors This occurred
shortly after the noon hour In a few
moments number of the conyicts un-
iobserved, entered the stone house and
armed themselves with mallets and
Isledges. The other doors of the bull
pen" quickly We're battered in Yell
ling like mad men, the majority OF the
convicts streamed into the prison kit
chen and began smashing everything
in sight
The convicts we're so successful in
their early movements that the riot
was in full progress when Warden
Simpson was notified. He immediate
ly asked the military authorities in
Jackson to hurry to the prison, at the
same time ordering his guards and
special deputies to hold the rioters at
bay.
There was no checking the prison
ers, however, until the soldiers arriv-
ed and then the demonstration ended
almost as suddenly as it had begun.
Several of the convicts told the war
den they would go back peacefully
The men considered most liable to at
tempt further trouble were handcuffed
to their cells, while the others were
searched and locked in their steel
rooms
The only convict wounded, was shot
by man said to be soldier in civil
ian clothes The prisoner, who was
running at the time, failed to obey the
command to halt and received a bull
let in his arm. Warden Simpson re
fused to tell the name of the victim
After order was restored, two othei
companies of the Michigan Nationa
Guard arrived at the prison and the
adiutant general took command. Gov
- ernor Osborn, also in Jackson, said ht
was satisfied that the members of the
prison board of control were justified
in asking for the soldiers.
1t is understood the prisoners viii
be given an opportunity to return
lpeaceably to work. The guards will
be on hand as moral influence Wal
den Simpson stated that thus far h
has not allowed any of the conyicts T.
be flogged, although the board of con
: troll allowed him to use his own jude
ment in the matter. He did not say
however, that he would fail to exel
else that prerogative if necessary.
4. There has been trouble between tn
convicts and officers for some time
= but the open break came Friday in tn
dining room. 1t is said that disput
= over food was responsible Sine
then, over two score of the men hav
spent most of their time sulking i
their cells or hammering against th
4 grating. Fearing outbreaks at an
: time, the warden has had numbe
g of emergency guards working with tn
regulars.
= Everything was quiet about the pr
son tonight
ly
n. hose wagon for $1,400 makine the tw