Evening star., 1929-12-12
Heavy Guard on Duty at
Prison After Nine Lose
Lives in Mutiny.
WARDEN TELLS HOW
CONVICTS SEIZED HIM
Bravery of State Trooper Is Cred
tied With Stopping Des-
perate Outbreak.
Rv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
AUBURN, N. Y, December 12.-
Three hundred armed men patroled the
walls and corridors of Auburn Prison
today after Gay of rioting, in which
eight convicts and the head keeper
were killed.
The outbreak, the second within five
months, collapsed when State police in
a spectacular dash rescued Warden
Edgar S. Jennings and seven guards
held as hostages by the rioters.
The dead:
Principal Keeper George A. Durnford.
Perry Johnson, sentenced to life i'm
prisonment.
Alex Tucholka, sentenced to life i'm
prisonment.
Steve Pawlak, sentenced to double life
imprisonment.
Stephen Sporning, sentenced to IS
to 16 years.
julius Stefanek, alias Duke ]. DON
nell, serving two sentences, 25 to 80
years and to 10 years.
Henry Sullivan, serving 20 to 81
years, with an additional years for
escaping from Auburn last March.
=.
James BiancraSsi.
Those of the rioters who did not die
in the hail of police and guard bull
lets, DR.. Raymond F. c. Kieb, State
commissioner of correction, said, would
undoubtedly find themselves faced with
charges of murder, first degree. These
men, he said, were implicated in a
killing during the commission of
to escape from a
prison. Conviction on this count, he
said, meant death.
Rescue Ruins Scheme.
The plan for escape came nearest to
realization when the deSperadoeS cap
tured Warden Jennings and seven
guards With the Snatching of the
warden and his fellow officials from
this imprisonment within their own
prison, the well laid scheme first be-
gan to crumble.
These officials, in the hands of the
ring leaders for more than two hours,
were rescued by determined onslaught
of State troopers armed with tear gas
bombs. The warden himself credited
policeman for the rescue.
Jennings was dazed by blow on the
head from a convict's pistol butt, and
was badly gassed.
Fifteen to twenty convicts were in
charge of the prison for more than five
hours. before the spectacular dash of
the troopers at $50 pm. saved the day.
Any possible ardor for further rioting
was chilledeby night spent in a prison
through which Winter winds whiStled.
Glass in the cell block windows were
shattered by bullets in the days fight
ing.
Captured at IL O'Clock.
Warden Jennings was captured about
IL o'clock in the morning when he went
into the heart of the prison to investi-
gate a report that something was
doing" Returning from the kitchen,
he was met by convict who showed a
gun into his stomach and said do not
move or say anything, warden, or
will kill you"
Two other convicts quickly stepped to
his side. The first convict then COM
manded, "Just come with me, warden.
We want you to accompany us to the
punishment gallery and you will have to
cover us, or we will kill you" Jennings
went along.
Three other guards, not knowing the
warden was hostage, were captured
when they approached the group in the
punishment gallery. They were forced
to open all the punishment cells, releas-
ing the other most desperate inmates.
The officers were handcuffed to each
other.
Henry Sullivan and Steve Pawlak,
leaders in the July riot, then took
charge. Sullivan said to Jennings:
Warden, we are going to ask you to in
struct the men out front GrooperS
guards, police, to let us go out with you
and these other officers. You will have
to give the order, or we will kill you.
We are determined to go out or die, but
if you fail, we will all die together"
Handcuffed in Pairs.
"They issued instructions" said the
warden, simply telling the men in
front to open The doors and to keep all
officers from any gun play, as they
marched out with 'aS their prisoners
They handcuffed us in pairs and they
said:
Warden, we intend to put a con-
vict behind every two keepers. He has
a gun and will shoot his pair at the
first indication of treachery. You will
march out with us.
1--WE plan to seize enough automo-
biles from the streets of Auburn to
provide for us all. If you play fair
with us, we will take you all out into
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