Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-23
POLICE CHIEF TELLS
OF AUBURN RIOT
Describes Organization for
Rescue and Suppression
of Mutiny.
Continued From First Page. )

In that part of the administration
| building known as the box office. /"
where everything sent to the convicts
is opened and examined. David J.
! Winnie, guard, was at work when an
inmate called him to the wicket.
| What do you want?" he asked.
Winnie looked into the muzzle of u
open the door," commanded the
convict.
Winnie darted to q door opening OF
| the prison yard. In a split Secono,
before the convict could thrust the gun
through the grill and fire, Whine was
| out through the door.
Original Plans Thwarted.
Thus. at a moment between 1918
and 1920 am. was the original plan
Of the dEsperadoes thwarted. Had
they captured Winnie In the box
! ONCE" egress to the front yard would
| just beyond was the outer gate.
Down to the ground level and back
to the south corridor raced the
chagrined convict. Already the sub
lection of guards had begun, timed
to the expected capture Of the box
Principal Keeper George A. Durn-
| lulu was ldllCu dS 1lS lclI his O1uCc,
at the guard room end of the south
corridor leading to the chapel, by a
convict said to have been Max Becker
He ignored the call. The first volley
| of shots startled the prison.
Durnford fell with several bullets in
his chest. Despite his wounds the
"P. K" stumbled toward the door, only
to drop again, this time TO rise no
more.
| Anh,rv rr;,o,, ,,,a. L. . R,,-o-~
| Warden Jennings was seized by three
convicts when he darted from the
| kitchen to a stairway leading to the
chapel. They rushed him to the south
gallery, second tier. Here the first
keeper they met was Subdued and re-
lieved of his gun. The convicts then
forced the other guards to open the
cells of the emergency isolation block.
| Pawlak and Sullivan took command.
I'VE, are going out!" shouted Sulli-
van. Come along II you want to.
II not. stay in your cells and shut your
| heads!"
Not more than a handful joined
them.
| Workers Barricade Selves.
Throughout the prison guards, civilian
employees in the Bertillon room and
storekeepers, with, their convict aides,
barricaded themselves from the demons
| who now held the corridor. The sellf-
imprisoned workers were shut of hope
lesSly from aiding their fellows, who
were falling outside.
| Capt. Byron Sawyer was at the desk
In the Auburn City Hall Police Station
when the telephone bell rang.
This is Auburn Prison." he heard an
excited voice shout over the wire. AN
| other riot Is in force here. The warden
and some of the guards have been cap
tured. Get all the help you can and
come at oncep'
Sawyer called Chief Bills from the
next room. 1t was Bills who set the
machinery Of rescue in operation. Or
derS few in q dozen directions in a.
many seconds. Help was called from
the Oneida barracks, the State troop
ers' headquarters, and the police depart
nlents of half score Of nearby cities
| and towns. While his aides were thus
engaged, Chief Bills telephoned Maj
Frederick s. Johnston OF the Auburn
National Guard Company. He detailed
officers to tour the city in a car and
pick up all available policemen and
rush them to the prison. Bills then
sped down to the prison to grapple with
the greatest crisis in his career.
Within those walls Warden Jennings
was captive, in imminent peril of
death. And with him was Guard
Claude j. Bills, Chief Bills father,
whose life also hinged upon the action
of those outside as well as within the
| prison walls.
But when I arrived at the prison,
reads the report Of Chief Bills, "I found
Sergt Sullivan, Capt. McGrain and
Morrison, Foster and Clark Demo Of the
! prison with my own men, Sergt. Green
and Patrolmen Bobbett, Arnold, Bun
nell, Brandstetter and Graney, holding
the guard room.
Worker Used a. Shield.
"Abou. this time John MacTaggart, q
prison shop employe, was led up to the
wicket in the south door of the guard
room. Behind him was a convict with
\ a gun. We could not shoot him with
out sending bullet through Mac
Taggart.
'MacTaggart asked for Capt. Nc
! Grain, who went bravely to the door.
| MacTaggart said:
| John, the warden, myself and 8
guards have been captured by "a IN.
| mates. They say that II they are not
allowed to 20 to freedom they will kill
the warden and all of the guards
"McGrain could do nothing. The in
mate took MacTaggart away. While
thew were below I asked Sullivan II
there was any gas in the prison. He
said there was none. Some had been
ordered, but had not arrived.
at then took steps to get gas bombs
While doing SO, Mac Taggart was
brought back to the wicket and Nc
| Grain summoned.
MAC Taggart said, The warden
wants you to unlock the doors and let
ar can't take orders like this re-
piled McGrain. How am TO know the
warden said SOP
1.-THE inmate became impatient
you've got the keys. haven't your ne
"'Yes,' said McGrain, but I'm not
in charge here
Then who is?' demanded the con-
Wet"
"'Will you unlock the door II We
bring a note from the warden? asked
the inmate"
| Decide on Tear Gas BaraSe.
1t was then that Chief Bills deter
mined upon O tear gas assault at once
Hastily telephoning to Syracuse and
Rochester, he called for gas bombs to
be sent by airplane or by any other
rapid means.
| He resisted q note bearing what pur-
! posed to be the warden's signature d.
| recting the opening Of the prison, &C
cepting instead the terse order Of DR.
Raymond F. c. Kieb, State prison COM
missioner: IF they come out. shoot
them down. If they don't come out, GO
in and get them"
In the lower hall Warden Jennings
Mac TaRgart and Guards Dempsey
Ryther, Holzhauer, Huguinen, Van
Housen and Atkins were facing a stu
alton which every instant became more
critical.
THE inmates brought Warden Jen-
nings to the wicket, q gun at his head, "