The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-18
1000 PRISONERS RIOT,
SET BUILDINGS AFIRE;
MANY SHOT BY GUARDS
Several Reported Killed
80 Women Inmates
Participate.

| ItISUuIS ISus I'd, july Io.-ttull-
| ed Press while flames cracked
in prison buildings and dense
clouds of smoke rolled over the
scene. 1000 conyicts. including so
women, fought desperately with
guards in Western Pennsylvania
penitentiary today.
Guards fired pointblaRk into
mobs of prisoners who came at e
them armed with pieces of furni-
ture and other weapons. Scores.
were reported wounded. Six frame
structures within the walls were
destroyed by fire.
A policeman on guard at the
prison stated that six or eight con-
victs had been killed. There was
no confirmation of this report.
The riot was started in the pris-
on dining room by 200 convicts Just
transferred here from the eastern
penitentiary. 1t was reported they
demanded rations of cigarets for
the men and face powder for the
women.
Several prisoners rushed at the
guards. They ripped furniture to-
bits and used table legs and chairs
as bludgeons. Others grabbed
knives, forks and tin plates from
the tables The air was filled with
| flying missiles.
| The fighting spread from the din
| ing room until the whole peniten-
tiary was involved. Guards on the
walls ran up and down threatening
with their rifles the convicts mill
| ing around the yards.
! Other guards, armed with rifles
e. fIi.
| convicts as they rushed them again
and again in an effort to capture
the gates and effect a general Jail
delivery.
Fires Started Rapidly.
The fires were started one after
! the other in rapid succession, and
soon the air was heavy with smoke.
| in the midst of which the hand-to-
hand fighting ragged on.
Hundreds of prisoners, clad in
their gray and black striped gar
ments, paved frantically liked Gag
| ed maniacs at the bars through
| broken windows and screamed and
| cursed like madmen at the thou
sands who had gathered around tho
| prison.
/ Hundreds of shots were frGd il
an effort to quiet the convicts, but
this only increased their fury.
Armed with the knives and forks
and in the tin plates from the din
ing room torn into strips with ra-
Zor-like edges the prisoners storm
ed the groups and threatened to
assume possession of the great
gray structure, but they We're final
ly overpowered.
Stray shots were heard here and
there throughout the prison. but
these were to quiet some groups of
men that had been penned in a
single cell.
State Troops Called.
State troopers were enroute from
Greensburg barracks to patrol the
prison tonight and to prevent any
new outbreak Practically every
available policeman in the city was
on guard patroling the outer walls
and holding back the tens OF thou
sands of curious that had gathered.
At frequent intervals blOodcur-
ding yells would arise from the
prison as the inmates would let
loose another vicious howl.
The latest report Of the fire dam
age lDClUOSS the IO4lO " AAl = C@4--
ings most-of which crumbled 10
ruins at 1870 p. m. The weaving
shop, shoe shop, tailor shop. nam
dining hall and inspection and drlil
rooms. A financial estimate was
not given. The prison contains
about one thousand inmates at
present.
Five doctors were rushed to the
prison by John J. McKelVie. direc-
tor of city charities, at 1:30 p. m,
when he received an appeal from
the inmates of the prison for med
ical aid.
Throw Beds on Flames.
Huge clouds of smoke swirled
through the corridors, driving the
prisoners to the windows. Con
yicts in the west wing, apparently
not locked in their cells, ran along
the halls hurting shoes, bedding
and other infiammable material on
the fire. The flames quickly spread
to three lookout towers along the
prison walls.
A hurry call to city detective
Headquarters and the sheriff's Of
fee brought a score OF detectives.
Civilians of the Wood Run dis
trict were impressed into service
and patrolled the grounds with
rifles.
a newspaper man who succeeded
in looking into the windows Of the
prison stated that some of the IN
mates were dancing others were
hysterical and acting like maniacs,
while others were crying.
Scores Are Injured.
Many were injured, it was re-
ported, Ind were given first aid
at the prison hospital,
while others were removed to city
hospitals A large squad of de-
tectives, each with a revolver, en-,
tered the building and guarded the