The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-02-13
Foil Prison Break;
Nine Men Are Dead
Warden Of Washington Institu.
ton May Charge Survivors
With Murder
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED
Guards on Walls Shot Down
convicts as They Staged
Dash for Freedom

walla Walla, WASH, Feb. 13.-War-
den Amos M. McCauley sought the
death penalty Tuesday for rnglead-
ers in Mondays bloody prison break
attempt. In which eight men were
killed, seven Of them conNcts shot
down from the walls.
Several of them had given trouble
In the past" he said.
While q rapid investigation was un-
derway. he disclosed that he con-
templated lodging first-degree MUIR
der charges, with the death penalty
requested.
Meanwhile, slight chances for their
recovery were held out for two Of the
convicts. who were moved down UNI
der . whitening fusillade Of bullets
from the walls.
Six prison employees, five Of them
turkeys and one guard. suffered
from murderous knife wounds In
flicted by the conv.ctsi
The dead:
Wallace Turcott, a.: Paul Krouse,
%: Gerald HUI, Is: H. r. Clark, ~:
James r. De Long, IS: Ernest De
Boer, %: H. Robert Parks, 20. and H.
L. Briggs, assistant chief turnkey, who
was stabbed to death.
Warden McCauley, who has been In
office less than q year said:
Aloazo Ware, n, convict shot In
the attempt to escape, died Of his
wounds Tuesday.
No Advance Signs
'There was no indication In ad-
vance that the break was planned.
I'VE have learned, however. that
the men made their knives In the
plate shop where the license plates
are manufactured. They evidently
buried them In the prison yard. dig
ging them up Sunday. which Is yard
day
The planned prison break. which
ended in mid-afternoon with the bull
let-torn bodies lying about the prison
yard and with turkeys suffering
from knife wounds inside the cell
blocks, began shortly after the lunch
hour IN the office Of F. w. jackson,
head turnkey.
De Long and Frank Butler, another
long-term prisoner, walked In and
accosted jackson.
Sorry to do this" De Long said
Is the pair threatened the turnkey
with their homemade knives. but
we're doing too much time"
AZ other convicts came into the
office they leaped on jackson. and
bound wire about hts neck and the
throat OF H. NJ. Williams. assistant
turnkey. The convicts took jackson
to 4 solitary cell but immediately
brought him back.
Begin March TO freedom
Then the mad break for freedom
began.
Meanwhile, Warden McCauley had
hurriedly dispatched body OF guards
to the walls. The prisoners started
to turn back. When within less than
10 feet Of the gates . rifle cracked
from the walls. The bullet spurted
over the shoulder Of william Truman.
chief Of the Identification bureau, and
Clark fell to the ground, fatally
wounded.
"Just Is the shot was fired, I felt
Il muscular Jerk in my shoulder"
Truman SAID. x thought-they've
got me too"
One by one the convicts fell IN
der the accurate firing Of the sharp
shooters on the wall.
The firing let up and one Of the
guards on the walls shouted for the
convicts to give yourselves up and
lie down fiat on the ground. Or"
Terrified. with the dead and wound
! ed around them, the remaining con-
victs fell on their faces. Within >
few minutes guards were among them.
disarmed them and rushed them into
solitary confinement cells. The dead
were left on the ground tor finger
print ideutifications later.