Evening star., 1952-04-23
'MichiganGuards
Smash Plot on
Prison Arsenal
173 Mutineers Still
Holding Out Despite
Peace Bid by Warden
BY the Associated Press


lives of 10 prison guard hostages
-------->~-----------
Rohwoy lnmotes End Prison Mutiny.
Poee AS
Warden Frisbie Wos Legend to Marines.
Poee At
as bargaining weapon, mean
time demanded that Gov. G. Men,
men Williams enter peace negotia-
tionS.
Gov. Williams asked the Os-
borne Association, a penal reform
organization, to investigate the
causes of the riot.
State Police upset a plot of the
|mutineers to smash into a tunnel
leading from their fortress cell
block Is to the prison administra-
ton building.
The administration building
contains the prisons big arsenal.
Betrayed by Noise.
The convictS were reported to
have ripped off a metal cover over
a tunnel entrance within block Is.
A sound of banging and clatter-
ing gave them away and score
of rifle-carrying State police and
guards rushed into the tunnel to
nip the escape attempt.
Negotiations resumed after a
midnight peace bid to the hold
out convicts from Warden Julian
N. Frisbie.
There were signs that prison
heads were willing to 60 along
with some of the mutineers' de-
mands. Subsequently came the
demand for Gov. Williams par
ticipation.
Earl Ward, insurrection leader,
made the demand in telephone
talk from besieged Block Is to
Deputy Warden George Bacon.
Ward demanded the Governors
signature to any agreement.
Talks to Psychologist.
For 10 minutes this morning
Ward talked through a barred
window with DR.. Vernon Fox, as
sistant deputy warden and prison
psychologist.
Afterward, DR.. Fox went to the
Iprison kitchen, presumably to get
food for the 173 block inmates.
now going into the third day of
their fierce holdout.
The warden talked on the phone
with Ward at midnight and said
he expected Ward to call back
this morning.
The holed-up convicts accused
the prison system of brutality"
and demanded reforms in a num-
ber of phases of prison admin
istration.
"The demands are not unrea-
sonable," Warden Frisbie con-
|ceded, "but there are no grounds
for some"
The warden sought to conciliate
the mutineers' spokesman in an
attempt to save the lives of 10
prison guards held as hostages.
The convicts say they will put
the hostages to death if any at
tempt is made to rush their
stronghold. A force Of 600 State
police and guards concentrated
at the prison.
In flaming rioting Monday that
caused 81 million damage to the
"big house." one convict was
killed and at least nine were in
jured. State police had to fire
volleys to get equipment into the
prison yards to put out fires.
Four Troopers Injured.
Before the worst of the rioting
was quelled, four State troopers
were injured and three prison
guards were beaten.
Sporadic outbreaks in various
cellblocks heightened tension
yesterday.
Violence broke out among the
mutineers themselves as they
purged their own group of dis
senters and tool-pigeons." They
repeatedly quarreled over whether
to prolong the mutiny and what
to do with the hostages.
Six inmates were tossed out of
Cell Block Is. Five of them were
injured, but one. aged So years,
was showed out unharmed as too
old for this sort of thing" Two
OF the expelled inmates had been
beaten with chains. They were in
serious condition in the prison
hospital. The other three injured
had been stabbed in the fighting.
Meanwhile, at the Michigan Re.
formatory in Ionia the prisoners
were reported "all quiet" Yester-
day officials said the 1900 in
mates had been tense and jittery"
and State police were dispatched
there in case trouble developed.
The only damage. however, was
one smashed window.