Evening star., 1947-05-04
514 Surrender, ,
Ending Riofing
At Army Prison
One Killed, II Hurt, !,
In RocioI Fighting
AT Fl. Leuvenworth
BY the Associated Press

| BY the Associated Press
FORT LEAVENWoRTH, Kans.,
May 3.-The Army late today
quelled race riot in the Fort
lLeavenWorth Disciplinary Bar
racks in which one prisoner was
killed and five guards and six
prisoners were injured. The riot
ended with capitulation Of 514
white prisoners who had defied
a surrender ultimatum through
out the afternoon.
Earlier. 213 Negro prisoners In
cell block 7 surrendered after q
might and morning OF rioting and
disorder that forced the Army to
send to Kansas City for additional
supplies of tear gas.
The task of clearing the white
prisoners cell block No. s was
completed at $40 pm. No bodies
were found and only two of the
prisoners required disqualification
one prisoner who previously had
malaria, and another who was suf-
fering from an old injury. Both con-
ditions had been aggravated by the
tear gas.
The rioting grew out of resent
ment of white prisoners at having
to eat in the same mess hall with
Negroes. The discomfort smolder-
ing, an Army official said, since
1912, fiared into disorder 48 hours
ago. This broke into an open riot
last night after three Negro prison.
ers attacked a white man in the
shower room.
Cell Block Badly Damaged.
Maj. Henry c. Triesler, public re-
lations officer at Fort Leavenworth,
said the prisoners had damaged ex-
tensively cell block 6 and the white
men would be detained overnight in
another block.
Sinks and toilets were torn out
and broken and water was several
inches deep over the floor.
Major TriesIer said the men in-
volved In the riot ate their first
meal since last night and left the
mess hall at $50 pm. without dis
order. They were under close guard
The usual seating arrangement
was In effect, with whites and Neg
roes eating In the same room but at
separate tables and with separate
wsiters The menu consisted Of
spaghetti and meatballs, spinach,
cottage cheese and peach salad.
The major said work would be
resumed at the prison tomorrow by
some prisoners whose records were
good, end that a full work schedule
would be resumed Monday. Barring
unforeseen developments, he said,
the barracks would be back to nor
NAL by Tuesday.
Commandant Opens Inquiry.
OF the barracks, who assumed his
post only last Thursday, was con-
ducting an investigation tonight in
an effort to segregate the riot ring
leaders Plans for court martial
proceedings will await completion of
the investigation, he said.
Brig. Gen. Harry Twaddle of the
staff of the commanding general of
the 5th Army was en- route to Leav-
erworth from Chicago to look over
the situation" and represent 5tf
Army headquarters.
Hundreds of tear gas shells were
lobbed into cell blocks 6 and Z
through the night before the Negro
prisoners needed an ultimatum by
Col. Parks, this morning, to surren-
der or be drenched in an intensified
gas barrage.
The Negro prisoners were removed
and housed in an unused cell block
until their own cells had been
cleaned and repaired. They were
returned to them at double time late
in the afternoon.
The white prisoners ignored the
ultimatum for six hours, and the
army laid siege to their wing Of the
wheel-shaped building, cutting of
water and withholding food until
they capitulated.
Army officials speculated that the
men held out in the gas by placing
damp cloths over their faces to serve
as crude gas masks.
Tcid To Discard Clothing.
When the break finally came at
AIS this afternoon, Col. w. A.
Brownies, supervisor of prisoners, in
structed the men over a loudspeaker
system to leave the block in groups
of five, discard their clothing and
report to q tier on lower floor.
Bring out your injured first he
instructed, "and If any Of you do
not want to leave, stand back and
let the others do So"
About so were removed in the first
half hour.
Col. Brownies said some known
ringleaders had been segregated and
would be dealt with separately.
He told the men they had lost
all privileges, including possession of
pipes and combs, until they had
proved they were on good behavior"
again.
A statement by 1t. Gen. Leonard
T. Gerow. commandant of Fort
tsee RIOT, Page A-7.)
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