Montana oil and mining journal., 1938-03-19
Bloody Try for Freedom at Montana Prison 30
Years Ago Recalled by Former Warden Conley

Thirty years ag0-On the early
Sunday morning of March 8, 1908
Deer Lodge heard with sorrow
and shock OF the desperate, bloody
attempt for freedom by four con-
victs Of the Montana state prison.
Word of the attempted break fil-
tered from the gray-waAled tnsti-
tuition Of the city shortly after
$3.50 o'clock that morning. Quickly
it spread. There was an air OF
suspense.
one man was dead-John A. Rob-
inson, deputy warden, brutally muir
dered as the convictS made their bid
for freedom. Another, Frank Conley,
the prison warden, was severely injured.
For the attack and murder Of one
man and the slashing Of another,
George Rock paid with his life on May
IL. 1908, and William Hayes died on
the gallows the following winter. Dram
Stevens was acquitted by the jury, and
the fourth member Of the gang, Q. b.
Young, received a life sentence. he was
paroled in 1924 when he was the second
oldest prisoner in number OF years
spent behind the prison walls.
MIR. COnley recovered from ms
wounds and still makes his home IN
Deer Lodge. Vividly he can recall de-
tails Of the terrifying experience on
that Sunday morning.
"At 8:l5 o'clock went 70 tne prlSon
to hear the complaints in the prison
court, according to my. custom, ne
SAYS. "Chief Deputy Robinson had
list of seven or eight men VINO nad
requested to see me.
sIe brought them In one at a time.
A man named M. 0. Howell came m
I got through with him. Then W. w.
Brown, and I got through with MN.
Demands Freedom
"As Brown was going out heard
a scuffle in the hall A moment later,
w. A. Hayes came into my office and
without stopping to speak jumped the
rail and came up to me. Laying ms
hand on my shoulder, he said: II you
don't let us out of here we viii cut
your head OFF,
'I saw that he had a knife in his
hand and I pulled a revolver and shot
him in the head. He fell to the floor.
Just then Robinson came into the Of
flee and said: My God, Frank, they
have got mel I said, Get out Of here,
ROBINSON He was followed into the
room by Rock, Stevens and Young. ana
/ had to shoot over his head or
shoulder at the men. I took one snog
at Rock as he came in the door ana
firing over Robinson's shoulder l shot
him again.
Cartridges Are Gone
"By this time Hayes had gotten up
from the floor and began cutting.
shot him again. My cartridges were
gone. Hayes had fallen to the floor
again and picked him up bodily and
threw him into the hall. took away
his knife and started back TO help
Robinson. Hayes, was told, went into
the prison yard. Stevens and Young
.When I got into the office again I
found Rock on top Of Robinson, cut
ting him. picked up chair and hit
Rock on the head. He went down.
Rock turned on me and slashed me IN
the neck. I knocked him down with
the butt of the gun and as he feu he
cut me in the leg. He kept yelling:
Come on, Jack, we've got EN-.
''When Carver kicked in the door
and hit Rock again, that finished him.
I went out into the other room and
everything seemed to get dark.
Knives Sharpened
Later Warden Conley learned that
the men had wire to put over his
head and lead him to the gate. The
men had secured knives for the pur-
pose of pairing their corns and had
sharpened them keen as razors.
The guard, E. M. Carver, who came
to the rescue, had gone to the dun
geon to tend the wants of prisoners
there and was crossing the yard when
he got his first news of the fight in
the prison office. He found the door
locked from the inside and battered
At down.
Old-timers will remember DR.. E. G.
Lee, prison physician, and his associate,
DR.. w. G.. Dye, who rushed to the prison
and are credited with saving Frank
Conley's life. Among his cuts was one
on the side of the throat, barely miss
ing the jugular vein. The scar Is still
plainly visible.
The coroner's jury included N. j.
Bielenberg and John Bielenberg, prom
inent in Deer Lodge for many years;
M. w. Trask, oldest hardware dealer
in the United States and Montana
pioneer; Charles Frint, well-known
early-day rancher; Tobias Schurtz,
drayman, and william Coleman, Deer
Lodge jeweler. Mr.. Frint and Mr.. Trask
are still living. Albert Bien, who pre-
sided as coroner, still resides In Deer
Lodge also.
A Bullet Wound
Hayes received a bullet wound from
Mr.. Conley's gun on the skull, near
his ear, fractured arm and shoulder /
when he was tossed from the room. |