San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-07
.C0NV|CTS TAKE
. OWN LIVES TO
V0|DcAPTU|RE
One Dead for Some Time,
Other Two Apparently
Killed Selves.
AMMONIA TURNS TRICK
Guardsmen Risk Lives to
Place Pipes Carrying
Fluid Into Refuge.
AMMONIA TURNS TRICK
Eddyville, H., Oct. s.-Thc "siegc

Of Eddyville prison" ended tonight.
The national guarlsmen who storm
ed the mess hall where three CAV els
had stood Off small army for four
days found that the prisoners bad
been killed.
Following an attack with ammonia
gas and hand grenades. four mene in
gas masks entered the convicts
stronghold and found the convicted
murderers who had held off opposi-
ton since Wednesday, stretched in
death on the floor of the mess hall
where they had taken refuge since
their attempted jailbreak had been
frustrated.
Two of tho desperadoes, Lawrence
Griffith and Harry Ferland were
dead from pistol bullets thro1sn The
heart.
Convicts Risk Lives.
1t is believed that they commi.tId
suicide TO escape from the ammonia.
Monte Walters was the other gun
| man.
Seven men aahind iron shields wen.
across the 40 yards of opeI space. TO
the building exposed to the fire Of
the convicts this afternoon md insert
hall. --r
Two trusted convicts at the pcni-
Tertiary risked their lives to take part
in the ATTACK. ...--ss =
I.iebtensnt Kelly and Sergeant Me-
Cultbm were the first 10 enter the
Rpy,er stesr of the building.
On the floor. near the center Of
the room sprawled ths bodies cf
Monte Walters. Lawrence Griffith
and Harry Ferland.
Walters had been dead several
days.
The back of his head had been
blown off by a hand grenade.
The other two lied OF gunSbct
wounds.
Prison officials who saw the bodies
said the men probably were killed
in the firing early today.
Room n Wreck.
National guardsmep rushed to the
upper floor of the building after IL
had been flooded by ammonia gas in
an effort to dislodge the con>icts.
The condition of the bodies indica;-
ed it was said. that the bull; of to-
days attempts To break through the
barricade had been made after the
three prisoners had died.
The room in which be men had
put up their desperate battl. against
Overwhelming odds was n wreck.
Bullets from the -bssiegmy forces
had splintered the furniture.
Bits of bread and nlca- scattered
about the room indicated the pris-
oners had found time to eat despite
their long fight.
Military rule, which went into
force at the prison this morning was
relaxed at once.
A statement from Colonel Morrow.
personal representative If Governor
Morrow at the scene. Of the sie6o,
said:
"Disregard all previous reports.
The prisoners have been killed.
Bodies Sent to Norgrc.
The bodies were rushed to 4 nor
que.
Warden John Chiffon gave orders
TO move all prisoners pack to their
regular cells during the night.
The mess hail. where the ;hree con-
victs barrricaded themselves Wednes-
day morning after killing three pIis-
on guards in a break for liberty, MAY
have to be rebuilt.
Almost continuous firing by 30 ma
tional guardSmen and a dozen prison
guards has weakened its brick walls
and splintered its interior.
The beieagucred convicts apparent
ly did not give up the fight until tncy
had exhausted all their Ammunition.
Three automatic pistols win winch
they fired on their guards last We'd
nesday morning lay empty beside their
bodies.
Mrs. Monte Walters. wife OF one
of the convicts. was arrested today in
Louisville and charged with smuggling
weapons TO her husband.
She is known to have visited Wal
tiers here recently.
The other GOO prisoners of the
penitentiary have bern on war ra-
tiohs- since their three fellow convicts
occupied the esq hall containing all
prison food stocks.
The building is in the center of
the bic prison. plant.
Its location made it the most dis
advantageous of all the buildings into
which the convicts could have fled,
Even had they succeeded in driving
back their besiegers enough TO escape
from the mess b. II. they would have
encountered greater difficulties before
-. Ill