The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-03-16
new OUTBREAK
is FEARED AT
ILLINOIS PRISON
Enlarge Force of Guards.
Install Machine Guns
After Saturday Riot
By United Press

By United Press
JOLIET. H., March 16.-An air
of terrible expectancy, laden with
the submerged emotions Of fear,
anger and rebellion. hung today over
the state prison, where two convicts
were killed and several wounded
Saturday in riotius outbreak.
George Jakowanis, "a, who was
shot in the stomach and head dur
ing the rioting. died early today in
the prison, bringing the death toll
to two. He was serving one to
twenty years on robbery charges
from Chicago.
The forty-three men who led the
rioting were in solitary eonf1ne-
ment.
The LOO convicts who followed
their lead and aided in wrecking
the mess hall and furniture shops
were kept in their cells.
Fears Renewed Rioting
Six hundred prisoners who did
not join the riot suffered curtail-
ment Of privileges.
There will be no recurrence of
the riot while we have the men
confined" said Warden Henry G.
Hill, "but who can say what will
happen when they are given their
usual privileges?"
AS special guards paced beats out
side the prison walls and others
stood ready upon a moments warn
ing to man the newly Installed ma
chine guns, curses jeers and cat
calls were heard from the cells
Sunday while members OF a legisla-
tive committee investigated the dis
orders and their results.
Probe by Legislature
Shouts of when do we eat?" were
heard frequently from the men who
had been served no food since they
tore up the mess hall and scattered
provisions about the place, during
the Saturday noon hour.
State Representatives Roger F.
Little, Harry McCaskrin, M. e. Bray,
and William G. Thon, Sunday made
preliminary inspection tour Of the
prison.
Escorted by Warden Hill, they
examined the mess hall, where the
riot started in which Albert Var
beck Jr., %, Chicago, was killed
when guard shot into a group of
convicts who were beating Captain
D. A. Davenport, head messhall
guard.
After the committee had COM
pleted their inspection and had con-
verSed with an unnamed prisoner,
Representative McCaskrin said he
believed decisions of the board of
pardons and paroles had precipi-
tated the rest.
Other members intinated an in
veStigation of this board might be
made after further inspection. They
insisted, however, that no cause for
any OF the recent outbreaks could
be determined until a moro COM
plete examination had been made.
Trouble Started Two Weeks Ago
The recent series of prison breaks
began more than two weeks ago
W44C4A CAA4C NO44f4OCO WC1S Ol1Ob d11O
killed by guards as they scaled the
prison walls in the early morning in
well-planned escape attempt.
1t was reported today that Chap
lain George Whitemeyer, who re-
signed the day after the killings,
quit because he diSapproved of the
guards killing the men outside the
walls instead of stopping them be-
fore they got outside.
Whitmeyer was described today by
Warden Hill as "a trouble maker. %
Hill said Whitmeyer had been a
disturbing influence among the con-
victs since his appointment last
October.
The warden specifically accused
the chaplain of disobeying prison
orders by smuggling out letters for
the convicts, who are permitted to
write only once every two weeks.
Hill exhibited several of the let
tiers, which had been intercepted.
None of them contained suspicious
matter.
The death Of Joseph Coakley,
solitary confinement prisoner, in his
cell last week prompted an investi-
cation in which officials were re-
lieved of all responsibility.
Hardly had this matter been
cleared up when the open mutiny
was started.