The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-14

afternoon. Senator Waggener told the
warden and governor to draw on the
sary. The Atchison senator will trust
to future legislatures to take care of
the claim and was willing to help save
the state the expense of special seS-
sion of the Legislature. With the same
spirit, dozen other prominent KAN
sans are expected to provide all funds
necessary to Immediately rebuild the
structures destroyed IN Saturdays fire
When the fire was at its height Sat-
urday, the prisoners were ordered to
roll the numerous barrels of oil to
places of safety. Some of the barrels
leaked and oil was. spilled on the
ground. Outside the prison walls the
report spread that the prisoners were
spreading the fire and feeding it to
new buildings with the oil supply.
Like many other reports, this one had
no foundation.
Source of funds for the prison ball
team were destroyed by the fire. A
car load of old papers, which the
prisoners were to have sold to pro-
vide funds for new equipment, was
lost.
For the fight which they made
against Saturdays blaze, memb ers of
from the state a pay of three and one
half cents day. Yet no drawer or
more determined fight was ever made
by high salaried and trained firemen.
Offers of extra guards came to War
den Codding from the federal prison
and the Leavenworth fort All were
declined with thanks. Not an extra
guard was on duty during the fire or
during the night vigil. of the prison
walls without the friendly aid of the
big arc lights. Not one Of the guards
within the walls carried weapons either
during the fire or at night. Reports
that Warden Codding and his son Har-
old Codding, stood in the warden's Of
flee heavily armed during the fire, were
false Both the warden and his son
were within the walls. and directed the
fight aaginst the flames. Neither
carried gun.
Every day since came here War
den Codding told the Saturday night
dinner party, 81 have worked against
such a condition as this. My one aim
has been discipline. 1 never knew just
when the test would come 1t came to-
day. This has been the saddest day of
my life. But I want to tell you that
every man stood UP under the test like
a hero. We had absolute order and
system every minute. That's what
won the fight
Then the tired and worn warden
dropped his head a minute.
I'm awfully glad; he added, that
this happened at this time instead of
at the beginning of Mr.. >Botkin's term
If it had to happen. Such a situation
would have an awful disappointment to
him. Now we will have things back in
reasonably good shape when he takes
charge
Q. J.. Poland, an 5e1S-year-o1d youth, |
serving life sentence for a Reno county
stood with Leland Roberts, a !
second degree murder man from Gra-
ham county, in the burning warehouse. J
The two men worked with a line of 1
hose until the roof began to fall above
them.
"Once I thought we were gone" said |
who recentlys had his prison !
sentence committed to 20 years, but !
somehow we managed to crawl out a |
window before everything fell. There
was no one else in the building when !
We left Try ~ ea-uts4H te
Both men were slightly burned
Lantern in hand, Warden Codding
left his bedroom a half dozen times
Saturday night and went out into the
prison yards where he visited with the
guards and prisoners and directed the
lighting of, the dying flames. At 5
o'clock Sunday morning, Codding was
out for the day. With his son acting