Evening star., 1952-04-21


Southern Michigan State Prison
today.
This brought to ten the num-
Pictures on Pose A.
Rohwoy Prison offieioIs Woit for Breok
in Four-Doy Mutiny. Pose A.
ber of hostages held by the pris-
oners.
Four other guards had been in
the prisoners custody since last
night.
The method of seizure of the
additional six was not Immediate
ly made clear.
The first gunfire of the prison
riot meanwhile took place.
State police fired four shots
when rioters were said to have
threatened guards of a work party
inside the grounds. The police
said the shots were warning
shots" and were fired over the
heads of the convictS.
Earlier, rioting prisoners seized
control of large sections of the
prison today and set one building
on fire.
The bulk of the Michigan State
police force was rushed to the
scene to guard the beleaguered in
stitution and prevent any possible
mass escape attempts.
Half a dozen prison guards were
injured as the rioting spread.
The quartermaster building,
containing clothing, was set
ablaze. A butcher shop was also
burning.
Tear Gas Used.
State police used tear gas to
keep the rioters from breaking
into other cell blocks.
Meantime, another group broke
into the prison theater, seized
musical instruments and paraded
in the yard.
A night-1ong mutiny Of some
of the PRISONS toughest criminals
touched off series Of new dis
turbances after daybreak.
The prison vicinity resembled
an armed camp.
State troopers encircled the
walls outside. Another Is troopers,
armed with submachine guns and
tear gas, took stations on the
prison roof.
At least two prison blocks. in
cluding a mental ward, and the
mess hall were reported in con-
troll of the rioters.
Held in Isolation Block.
In wrecked Block is, the iso-
loted block where the most dan
gerous criminals are confined, the
hostages were held prisoners.
Last nights riot, which occurred
about Z o'clock in this block, had
touched off the series of disturb
anceS.
Another followed at breakfast
in the mess hall this morning. Still
others took place. Finally, pris-
oners swarmed into the big prison
yard, taking control there. too.
Notorious "Crazy Jack" Hyatt,
robber who once used knife to
make Gov. G. Mennen Williams
his hostage in a futile escape at
tempt. led the original mutiny.
The mutineers charged prison
heads with brutality.
Hyatt's group sent out word this
morning that they would work
over" their hostages if live ammu-
milton were used against them.
prison officials said.
At about the 18th hour Of the
tumult, State Corrections Com
missioner Ernest Brooks said that
the problem at the moment was
to contain" the rioters.
Fire Threatens Clothing.
Mr.. Brooks said the question Of
"suppreSsing" the rioters would
have to be considered afterwards.
The fire in the quartermaster
building threatened the destruc-
ton of a supply of prison guards
uniforms.
State police and guards sought
o means of wheeling the prisons
fire truck into the yard to put out
the blaze.
Southern Michigan prison is re-
putedly the worlds largest. It has
6,48l inmates. OF these 4.978 are
within the walls. The others are
TRUSTEES or work camp prisoners
At the height of the riotine
officials said that fully 1000 priS-
oners were involved.
Call for Reporter.
The original mutineerS in eel
block Is went in for publicity, de.
manding q newspaperman's pres.
ence and forcing hostage, with
knife at his throat, to pose fol
pictures at a barred window.
There are ITO convicts In thu
five-tier cell block. all but q
of them there for violating prison
rules 70 discipline. Guards re-
ported, however, that q group o.
is or so seemed to be fomenter'
Of the uprising.
Before the breakfast disturb.
ance, Warden Julian N. Frisbil
reported after the guards wert
seized: Everything Is under con
troll. It's o matter Of sweating
(waiting) them out now. TIL,
building Is surrounded and ther'
is plenty Of artillery trained OF
It,"
He denied emphatically an!
brutality, So did other officials
While claiming brutality causet
the mutiny, the regellious con
victs wouldn't say on what term
they would call it OF and fre,
the guards.
l.
IN