Evening star., 1953-07-12
300 Oregon Convicts
COrraIIed by Guards,
But Won't Give In
BY the Assecioied Press


SALEM. Ore, July 11.-Ap-
proximately 800 unruly convicts,
corralled in the Oregon State
Prison recreation area without
water. continued their rebellion
against prison authority tonight.
The convicts. who had con-
trolled most of the prison since
last night, we're herded into the
area by massed guards after
they set fire to the tailor shop.
Water to the area was cut OFF
early today by prison officials.
The fire had been touched off
by striking convicts in angry
reprisal against guards who
opened up with tear gas to drive
the men away from food supplies
at the commiSsary.
But the milling convicts,
caught by surprise by the guards,
moved back silently and soon
we're behind a 12-foot wire fence
that incloses a recreation area.
One Convict Wounded.
Not a shot was fired in the
swift maneuver, but in accom-
panying action at the commits
sary, one convict was wounded
In the thigh, reported victim of
a guards bullet fired in the
course of the tear gas attack.
Salem City fire trucks came
screaming into the prison yard
as soon as the convicts were
behind the high fence. The tai
lor shop building. an old brick
and cement structure, was
burned out, with only the walls
left.
Across a millrace from the tai
lor shop, a quonset hut caught
fire and burned. It had some
laundry equipment in it-as we'll
as big store of food pilfered
from tie commiSsary.
The tear gas and fire came
abruptly after a night of rela-
tive calm in the restive prison.
In mid afternoon Warden
Clarence T. GLADDEN. said, Il am
going to wait them out until they
give me assurance that they will
come back to the cells and con-
duct themselves properly"
For nearly an hour after the
men had been corralled, guards
continued to pump tear gas
and an occasional rifle bullet
into the commiSsary.
Shortly before pm, Warden
GLADDEN. admitted four newSmen
to a catwalk on the walls. Near
the enclosure where the felons
milled. the neWsmen saw large
white lettering on the ground.
It said no water" and appar-
emily had been spelled out with
lime used for marking a baseball
field.
Several Shots Fired.
A few minutes later, con-
centration of convictS in the
center of the enclosure began
calling to others to come over
here" AS the concentration
grew larger, newsmen heard sew
eral shots and saw dust Spurts
near the group. One Of the news
men, Matt Kramer Of the Asso-
ciated Press. said several more
shots whistled over the heads of
the guards and neWsnen on the
catwalk, and they ducked behind
a parapet.
The convicts began dispensing
at the first shots, and Is minutes
later they had broken up into
small groups again.
The warden had precipitated
the morning skirmish as soon as
he got report that the convictS
were in the commissary. Once
there. he said, they could get
enough food to prolong the
trouble which up to then had
been without violence. So he
ordered them driven out.
Gas Barrage Continued.
They came out slowly, in
groups of three and four, with
their hands up. But because no
one knew how many had gone
In, the gas barrage continued.
Some 25 came out.
Newsmen were not allowed in,
but guards said that presumably
all had been cleared out before
noon. A doctor went in to treat
the wounded man. Robert Walk
er. serving five years for assault.
Guards and firemen by then
were walking freely around the
commissary building which
houses the dining room on the
second floor and the hospital on
the third
Some 40 convict patients were
In the hospital throughout. The
heat from the burning tailor
shop IS feet distant, was intense,
but there were no calls from the
convict attendants, who re-
manned there.
The trouble started yesterday
morning when the convictS re-
fused to work until the warden
had met a list of demands. These
included more and better food,
increased dining room SANTA
ton, an end to the policy of
holding out percentage of con-
VictS' pay until release from
prison and the discharge of
hospital attendant.
In the evening the warden
rejected their demands.
Damage Is 100000.
Warden GLADDEN. estimated
damage from the morning riot
ing at 100000. This included
1oSS of the tailor Shoo and dam