The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-01-21
At THE
PEN|TENT|ARY
AND STORY OF EVENTS AS
TRANSFERRED IN AWFUL TRAG-
EDY AT McAlESTER.

McAlester, Okla, Jan. 2O.-De-
termined to discover, if possible,
where the blame should rest for re-
sponsibility Of Monday evenings
prison trouble, Dr. A. X. West OF
Oklahoma City, chairman; A. V.
Shelton of Okemah and Paul II.
Jones of McAlester, members of the
board of prison control, spent all of
Tuesday investigating the AFFAIR.
Their work was not completed Tues
day night, and indications are that
it will continue at least anotner
day
so far as we have been able to
learn, no blame can be attached to
the prison management or any of
the prison officials" said DR.. West
Tuesday night. I'VE find, after an
all day investigation. that there ap
pears to have been nobody connect
ed with the affair except the three
men who were killed and some ac-
complice who furnished the one gun.
So far as we can see and under
stand the situation there was no
negligence or caTelessness on the
part of prison officials, which con-
tributed to the unfortunate affair.
We are now seeking to find out,
and have several lines of investiga-
ton under way, relative to placing
responsibility for smuggling in the
gun. Private interviews with twen-
ty-five or thirty prisoners seem 10
indicate that the mental attitude of
the inmates is and always has been
one of cooperation with the Off
cials, and they appear to regret the
action of their fellow Convicts as
much as the officers. We are here
to probe the bottom of the affair
however, and will stay until We do
The revolver which the prisoners
had when they first came into the
was but one at that
time, although it is said they had
another in the office fight-was pur-
chased in McAlester ten days ago. |
There was story on the streets
this morning that one trusty called
Silver" had bought the gun and
it in to the convicts. A
picture of "Silver" was presented 10
Barney ResniCk, the shopkeeper on
South Main, and Resnick said that
wasn't the man who bought it. This
testimony was also corroborated by
Ed Lee, a restaurant keeper next !
door, who was in Resnick's place
when the gun was bought.
TRUSTEES Called in.
The prison board called in all |
TRUSTEES who were in town on the
day the gun was bought and both
Resnick and Lee said none of them
were implicated in the purchase. 1t
was the belief of prison board mem
bers Tuesday night that some friend
of the convict, not convicts, Snug |
gled it to them.
ut is just such an affair as might !
have occurred in any prison" said |
Paul Jones, McAlester member of
the prison board. "Only three men
Interested in getting away made any
to assist in the trouble or
to make break for liberty, al
though there were more than a hun
dred convicts in the rotunda when .
the three men got into the outer
corridor; in fact, if the TRUSTEES
outside could have obtained guns
they would have helped the Off
GERS, and some of them did.
Mr. Jones cited the case of Char
lie Jagers, a life-termer, who was
Just returning from town in charge
Of a guard, Mont Grady, when the
fight began.
Charlie" said Grady. "If there's
lny man in you, now is the time
10 show it."
I'm with you" said Jagers, Get
ne a gun"
1t is against the prison rules
or Jagers to have a gun and the
guards refused to give it to him
out he stayed on the outside and
gave information to the officers as
-apidly as he could get it. Jagers
S from McAlester, serving a nfe
erm for murder.
CasteIl Assists Oates.
J. w. Castell, another convict held
he side door open for Oates to
enter and notified him of the loca-
ion OF the three Another life
CONTINUED on PAGE FIVE)