The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-07-29
Two Convicts Are Killed; Only Four Revolters
Succeed in Fighting Way Out Of
Walls to Freedom.
BUILDINGS IN PENITENTIAR1 BURN
Furious Fighting Marks Break of Armed
Prisoners Attack Guards and Get
Arsenal Keys to Obtain Weapons.

Bp Jnitcd Press
AUBURN. n. Y, July %
Seventeen hundred convicts,
including 1.5OO believed by off
cials to be guiltless, found
themselves without even the
meager comforts Of prison life
today because Of Sunday S
bloody riot in Auburn prison.
Their diet was plenty of bread
but little water, as investigators
sought to fasten upon some 200 des-
perate men the blame for the riot
in which two inmates were killed.
four wounded and several flremen
| and guards hurt.
Destruction of the institutions
kitchen facilities in the fire which
destroyed three buildings worth ap-
proXimately 100000. and broken
water mains. lett the prison popula-
ton without warm food and with
very little water officials stated.
Warden Edgar S. JENNINGS denied
that food conditions prior to the
revolt were in any way responsible
for the outbreak.
Investigation Is Made
Major Philip G. Roosa. inspector
for the commissioner of corrections,
was at the prison today, but made
no statement concerning the in
yestigation he is assumed to be
making.
A conference between DR.. Ray
mond F. G. Kieb, commissioner Of
corrections. and Governor Roose-
Yelt at Dannemora today vas
understood to be under way.
Warden Jennings announced that
all but four OF the 100 prisoners
who attempted to battle their way
out Of their narrow world Of walls
Sunday had been accounted for
The four men apparently escaped.
Dawn found state troopers speed
ing across the roads in search of
the four men. While 400 troopers.
national guardsmen and police
guarded the smoldering ruins of
Auburn prison.
The attempted break occurred
early Sunday afternoon when the
prisoners were assembling for their
regular Sunday baseball game.
The guards failed to notice a
"trusty'' slip into the administra-
ton building. followed at a short
distance by band of convicts. The
trUSty leaped at Merle Osborne. a
guard on duty inside the adminis-
tratiOn building. and overpoWered
him, While the convicts Who had fol-
lowed crept up on Milton Ryther,
another guard, and overcame him.
Toss Arms to Comrades
Keys were seized from the two
men and the convicts sprinted 70
the prison arsenal, opened the gun
cases and carried out supply of
firearms and ammonia gas bombs.
Out into the prison yard ran the
armed convicts, tossing pistols, rifles
and bombs to their fellow prisoners.
Bullets flew and the convicts.
bearing down with their superior
numbers, we're winning the skir-
mish
Then CWo prisoners, who had been
left with Osborne and Ryker in the
administration building. forced the
guards ahead of them and walked
out into the prison yard.
Shielding themselves behind the
guards, the two convicts worked
their way to the front gate while
guards on the wall withheld fire for
fear Of hitting Osborne and Ryker.
At the gate the conyicts hurled
bombs at the two guards. tempo
rarily binding them with spray
Of ammonia. and ran through the
gate to freedom.
Inside. the battle vas mounting
and out Of the melee emerged
Warden Jennings as a hero.
Warden Proves Hero
Gripping pistol in each hand.
the warden who was an officer in
the World var rallied a band OF
guards and Waged a counter-attack
against the superior numbers Of the
conTicts
The fury and suddenness of the
offensive drove the main body Of
armed conyicts back and they took
refuge behind q. pile of lumber
Then began guerilla warfare. with
guards on the walls sniping at the
prisoners. eventually
forcing them to surrender.
Bullets failing, other conYicts re-
sorted to torches.
Flames climbed the sides Of the
prison workshops and spread to the
main buildings.
Calls for help we're sent out: soon
state troopers and flremen from the
surrounding country we're under
meath the prison walls
A fire engine was pressed into
service as a battering ram: il splin-
tered itself against a section of the
wall and caught fire.
Conyicts waved butcher knives
which they had seized in the kitch-
en-; chair legs served for war clubs.
Above the ciamor and cries cams
the rattle of machine guns. sending
bullets spattering into the walls