Evening star., 1952-12-08
BY the Associated Press

20-hour uprising in New Mexico
State Prison.
BY the Associated Press
SANTA FE, N. Mex, Dec. B.
Prison authorities say settle
ment is expected within an hour
with armed and rioting convicts
who hold seven guards as hostages
at New Mexico State Prison.
Penitentiary Warden Morris
Abram relayed to the outside
world word of the prospective
peace as helmeted and carbine-
armed National Guardsmen ano
State police stood poised to storm
the mutinous convicts. He said he
expected to reach an agreement
with those boys in about an hour. "
A high police official promised
a full-scale showdown early to-
day. after describing scope of the
uprising as greater than earlier
reported.
All hostages were reported un-
harmed. Authorities said no con-
cessions had been made to the
convicts.
Several Loose in Yard.
Dawn-zero hour for the show
down brought no apparent
change in the situation. Authori-
ties said the convicts, who stormed
out of control yesterday after
noon in the 650-man stone prison,
still had control of Cell Block
and the hospital and several were
loose in the big prison yard.
Security guards from nearby
Los Alamos Joined State police
and National Guardsmen for the
expected assault. One hundred
fifty armed officers were on hand.
Authorities say the convicts are
armed. Reports of their strength
ranged from one gun up to two
rifles. four shotguns and a SUBJ
machinegun.
Throughout the night, Warden
Arbam and State Police Chief
Joe Roach negotiated with the
rebellious convicts through a port
hole into the blacked -out cell.
Robber Is RingIeader.
Ringleader for the eight OF
nine convicts involved was identi-
fed as Robert Eads of st. Louis
serving Is to Is years on an
armed robbery charge and who
has repeatedly sought his release
through the courts.
| A news blackout has been
clamped on the uprising since its
beginning. Newsmen understood
the convicts originally demanded
they be given a car and be allowed
safely to escape through the prison
gates in return for release of the
guards.
First reports indicated two
guards-Mariano Chavez and Au-
gustine Gonsales-had been cap
tured. Later authorities admitted
| five more. cut off in the hospital
across the yard from Cell Block 2,
were in the prisoners hands. They
were identified as Celestine Escu-
dero, Fred Martinez, Gabriel Ortiz,
Tony Sandoval and John Vacher-
lon.
Gov. Edwin L. Mechem, in Phoe-
nix, Ariz., for a Western Cover
nors' conference, authorized use
of the National Guard and pre-
pared for a hurried return to
Santa Fe.
Troopers Brought In.
State police were summoned
from as far as 800 miles across the
State and told to be prepared for
a long stay. Volunteer guards
were posted with arms at strategic
places around the big gray struc-
ture on the outskirts of the city.
An offer from the Atomic Energy
Commission for so security officers
with machine guns was accepted.
AS convicts in the beleagered
cell block and an adjoining one
pounded walls and whistled,
searchlights were set up around
the prisons main building which
the convicts were holed up.
Gov. Mechem'S personal aide,
State Policeman Freddie Salazar
was injured slightly when the gun
of another officer fired accident
ally. One convict was reported
slightly injured but there were no
details.
Word of the break came shortly
after S pm. (MST) yesterday
when the State police confirmed
"it's a riot"
AS negotiations apparently
failed during the night. a high
placed police official who asked he
not be identified promised a full
scale showdown after dawn today,
describing the scope of the upris-
ing as greater than earlier re-
ported.