Evening star., 1914-11-23
Five Men Killed and Twelve
Wounded When 1900 Try
to Escape.
COMPLAINT AS TO FOOD
EXCUSE FOR OUTBREAK
London Charges That Rioting on
Isle of Man Had Selling of
Ship as Real Object.

LONDON. November 23.-n is re-
ported today from Douglas. Isle of Man
that the rioting last Thursday in the
alien detention camp there. in which
five prisoners were killed and twelve
wounded, was due not merely to dis
content with the food and treatment
given them. but was part of a desper-
ate plan of the prisoners to escape
from ,he camp, with the ultimate hope
of sezing a vessel in the harbor and
making their way to some neutral
country.
| The dining room of the camp, where
the trouble occurred, gives access
through the adjoining kitchens to the
! only part of the camp not protected by
a double circuit of barbed wire. The
prisoners employed in the kitchens
were aware of this condition. The pris-
| onerS Wednesday went on a hunger
strike. This rapidly developed into an
angry demonstration against England.
The prison commandant succeeded in
quieting the disturbance, but not be-
| fore the union jack had been torn
down.
Window Smashing a Signal.
nal for the outbreak being the throw
prisoners, instead of making for the
main doors leading from the dining
hall. all rushed toward the kitchen
doors. Only six soldiers guarded these
doors, and this half dozen men were
attacked by $500 men. The prisoners
desisted, however. the moment volley
was fired into their midst.
The correspondent of the Manchester
Guardian expresses the belief that the
prisoners hoped to secure enough arms
I1II Il how fl,n
sailors in the camp had time to get
possession of boat in the harbor. The
medical officer at the camp assured the
correspondent that the food was suffi-
cient, but it was admitted that Ger
tain consignment of potatoes was bad
and that some of the tents leaked.
Many prisoners in this camp are men of
title and wealth. They were allowed to
purchase their own food and they en-
joyed course dinners. This was an
other source of discomfort.
The captains in charge of the divi-
sions of prisoners were chosen from
among the educated aliens and it is not
believed that they had any knowledge
of the uprising. Extra guards have
been placed on duty al the Isle of Man
camp, and the number of prisoners per-
mitted in the dining room at one time
has been reduced.
Prisoners Dined Together.
The guards of the detention camp
consisted of 800 men of the national
reserve. The prisoners were confined
in two separate camps which were con-
nected by an underground passage. but
all dined together in a large hall. Most
of the prisoners belonged to the work
ing classes, being walters, sailors or
mechanics.
Everything went well for a time, but
about three weeks ago there were
signs of insubordination, and the SEN
tries began to complain that they were
being insulted by the prisoners. The
first overt act. however, was COM
mitted "a fortnight ago, when large
body of men refused to leave the din
ing hall on "a stormy night. They were
allowed to Lemain indoors instead OF
being sent to the tents. After that the
authorities started building huts IN
order to furnish better accommodation
for the prisoners.
The next ebullition occurred Wednes-
day, when a number of prisoners dur
ing dinner complained violently and
in contemptuous terms of the food.