Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-05
FUNERALS PLANNED
FOR Z RIOT VICTIMS
Rebuilding of Colorado Prison
Is Started by Convicts.
Probe Is Ordered.
BY the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
CANON CITY, october 5.-The
tragic drama of the Colorado State
Prison riot gave way today to a COM
monplace routine as the rap of car
penters' hammers replaced the STAG
cato Of machine guns, an eight-fold
investigation of the bloody mutiny got
under way and preparations were made
for funerals of IL who lost their lives
in battle and massacre.
OF the IL dead, were guards who
laid down their lives to uphold law and
order. The other were convicts,
fatally wounded by a guard, slain
by the ringleader Of the revolt, and the
leader who ended his life when his
chances glirnmered to nothingness.
With his death the mutiny ended as
| suddenly as it began.
Investigation Is Started.
While hundreds of convicts, not par
Elephants in the mutiny, bent to tasks
of rebuilding cell houses and other
buildings, plans were taking form for
investigation of the trouble. Sanford
Bates, director of Federal prisons; ].
Edgar Hoover, chief of the Bureau of
Investigation of the Federal Depart
ment of Justice; Gov. w. H. Adams of
Colorado, Colorado Board of Correc-
tions. coroner's jurors, State Civil Serv-
ice Commission, State military authori-
ties and Warden Francis E. Crawford
were to cooperate In a sweeping study
OF the situation. hoping to ascertain
why, by whom and where the tempest
started.
Nearly 1000 prisoners were without
shelter as a result of fires that swept
the buildings. Twisted steel work was
scattered about the granite buildings.
Damage of 100000 to $500, 900 was
caused by fire and subsequent attack
by National Guardsmen and volunteers
on the stronghold of the felons.
Ten Guards Captured.
The mutiny started Thursday noon
in the prison mess hall when one of
the convicts, James Pardue, seized a
guards gun and shot the guard dead.
Four other convicts, A. H. Davis, Mel
vim Majors, Albert Morgraidge and
Danny Daniels, ringleaders, captured
several unarmed guards in the mess
hall. Meantime, they herded other
convicts into a group. Another guard
was shot from the prison wall, dead.
Continuing their march, the five des-
These men they held as hostages for
their freedom.
A note was sent the warden saying
they would free the guards if the war
den would provide three automobiles
and let the five men 60 their ways.
Death of the guards was threatened
es the price of failure to comply. The
warden refused the demand. Subse-
Quent demands were also refused.
Bodies of four guards were thrown
from the cell house. where the five
men and their captives were barricaded,
as repeated demands met refusal.
Put Out "of His Misery"
Pardue, wounded by a guard in the
first skirmish at noon, few hours later
was shot through the stomach by
Daniels to put him out Of his misery"
Early Friday morning Daniels shot and
one Of the three remaining guards to
notify authorities they were giving up.
The guard doubted, but later crept to
the cell where the men were. He
struck a match and saw he was in a
tomb-Danisls had ended his own life
and lay dead among the others.
The guard, o. A. Earl, notified the
authorities. and other convicts in the
cell house with the five mutineers filed
out, hands high in the air. The mutiny
was over.
Out of the chaos and confusion there
rose a figure above all others in hero
ism. Father Patrick O'Neil, who cried.
II can stand this no longer, let me 60
in" displayed rare bravery in going into
the prison yard under protecting bar
rage from Colorado National Guards
men outside, and placed two charges Of
dynamite with which the besiegers
hoped to blast the building to open the
way for q massed attack. That the
charges did not accomplish the pur-
pose intended did not detract from the
glory of the priests courage.
Although a fund was appropriated
by the last Colorado Legislature for q
new cell house, and construction was
to have started this month, work on it
now will be delayed until the damaged
structures are rebuilt.