Evening star., 1928-04-15
ny JOSEPH ruLLlNG rIsHMAN.


big prisons in the East, the
~ warden complained about the diff
ficulty Of administering the in
stitution properly with the large num-
her of inexperienced guards with which
the institution was manned. We dis
c,iSSed this situation at some length.
and vividly recall that almost the last
words the warden spoke to me as was
departing for my hotel were. ITS bound
TO lead to serious trouble some day"
Never was prophecy more promptly
fulfilled. for that very night a prisoner
in small cell house used exclusively
for the most troublesome inmates gave
q sudden wrench to two of the bars Of
his cell and moment later was stand
ing out on the gallery endeavoring to
pierce the murky gloom of the cell
house. For moment he listened with
Straining ears. trying to locate the
guard, who would be either at his desk
at the end of the tiers or making the
hounds in his felt ''SneaSs," There was
no sound of the Soft pat, pat which
he knew so we'll
The prisoner worked his way softly
along the gallery and whispered word
10 the eleven other inmates of his own
tier. who had been lying in their hunks
feigning sleep and impatiently waiting
for just this moment,
A moment later the prisoner pulled
the lever which opened all the cell doors
on that side and the IL conSpirators
Joined him on the gallery. 1t was but
the work of seconds to pull the lever on
the other side of the cell block and thus
release IL more prisoners.
After what seemed to them hours OF
waiting the guard arose from his chair
and started on his rounds. AS he turned
the end of the cell block several pairs
of hands reached for his throat. Panic
stricken the guard wrenched himself
free and let out piercing scream which
was choked before its completion by q
pair of iron fingers fastening on his
neck. But the damage had been done.
The emergency alarm was already ring
ing in every department of the lnSti-
tuition. warning the partly free men that
they must work quickly If they wanted
the liberty for which they had plotted
% patiently for so many months.
With the severed bars and the iron
legs of their cots the prisoners worked
feveriShly at the windows endeaVoring
20 spread the ancient bars. while sew
eral of their number raced along the
various tiers. unlocking the cells and
releasing other prisoners.
Then several shots were fired outside.
The prisoners dropped back from the
windows and stared a. each other. each
knowing that the game was up and
each hesitating 10 admit 1t. Then.
angered beyond control by the failure
Of their plans. which for few moments
before seemed so certain to succeed,
the prisoners mad with excitement. ran
back to their tiers and began to wreck
the cell house Stools were smashed
against the bars. iron hunks torn from
their hinges. water pipes twisted and
bent and wash basins. tables and other
articles too numerous TO mention
broken and ruined while missiles hurled
from the tiers descended in crashing
shower to the cement floor below, where
q dozen hastily summoned guards
sought refuge wherever they could.
=
NEITHER officers nor inmates could
have told accurately what hap
pened during the next half hour. The
frightfuI din of the prisoners. the yells
of the guards, the screamed orders of
the warden and deputy warden who
had now appeared on the scene. the
cries Of pain from guards struck by
falling objects. the changing Of iron
doors as the prisoners retreated into
their cells. and. finally. the binding
volley of cold water thrown into the
cells BY firemen who had been hastily
summoned from a nearby engine house
--au contributed TO a Kaleidoscope
delirium which would remain In the
memory of those who witnessed IL for
many years 10 come. Then. just as
suddenly as 1t began. the riot spent
Its force
saw the place few hours later.
srnsl liant order.
IL building. the cell house had been
transformed into a scene of desolation
impossible 10 describe. Soaking wet
blankets. table legs. pieces Of pipe.
twisted iron. books. cans OF tooth
powder. soap. broken stone and dozens
OF other twisted and shattered pieces
OF material making up the cell equip
rnent were sfTewn IN piles two feet
high through the entire length of the
corridor. while thin. depressing look
ing streams Of dirty water dripped
with gloomy persistence from the gal
leries Of the various tiers. -Four guards
and three prisoners were in the hos
pital. and one fireman was nursing
bruised eye which nearly cost him his
sight
And all this because a new guard
had not known how To examine cell
bars 10 see II attempts had been made
10 cut them This guard. who had
been al the institution but few weeks.
vas ordered To make the periodical in
Spectioa Of the cell fronts He ex-
smined the bars carefully enough. in
the center But he didn't know that
prisoners invariably saw their bars
either at the lower end. near the floor.
or at the upper end. near the ceiling
Of the cell This is done for two rea-
sons: First. because detection is more
difficult and. second. because there Is
o superstition among prisoners that
9sil builders concentrate their best ef-
forts on the centerS Of bars and are
not quite 80 particular about the temper
Of the upper and lower ends.
Scarcely week goes by but one reads
of bloody riots. uutlnies and escapes
from prisons and jaiis throughout the
country. The guards and prisoners
killed and MANNED IN these periodical
outbreaks amount 10 a considerable
number in the course Of a year The
amount of property destroyed runs well
up into the hundreds of thousands
And ~ Is safe 10 say that large per-
cepiage of this loss of life and property
could De prevented If inexperienced
guards were systematically schooled In
their peculiar duties, instead Of being
left 70 acquire this experience by OBJ
serFsfSop and accident. For nowhere
else, unless u De III war. Tan 4 giignt