Evening star., 1955-01-18
-Four conyicis Seize
Five Guards in Revolt
All Boston Prison
81 ths Asseslessd prs,.

BOSTON, Jan. 16.-Four dam
gerous Massachusetts, State Pris-
on conyicts rebelled today. seized
I'VE guards at gunpoint and de-
manded q car to gain freedom
from the 150-year-old, brick and
granite bastille.
The desperadoes allowed the
Rev Edward Hartigan, Catholic
chaplain. into an isolated solitary
confinement celIblock. scene Of
the riot. to hear confessions Of
four Of the guards. The fifth Is
not q Catholic
Father Hartigan, q slim, young
priest, told newSinen:
II appealed to the men to give
up. After all it's all over. The
breakout has now failed. The
Jig is up, so to speak"
The priest said the convicts
were cool to his suggestion and
they appeared not to be too
much afraid Of DEATH"
Talks With Reyolters.
Deputy Warden Perely s.
Vance answered, Il won't COM
ment.r when asked If the des-
perate prisoners made any
threats against the guard host
ages in bargaining for liberty.
A few minutes after 10 am,
Mr.. Vance told newsmen he
talked by telephone with the re-
VOTERS. He said the telephone
was answered by Walter n. Bal
bin. 81. one of the prisoners.
Mr.. Vance said Ba1bin let him
talk with Warren L. Harrington,
one of the hostage guards, and
Mr.. Harrington said they were
"okay. .
Theodore lTeddy) Green. 80,
bank robber and escape artist,
was described as ringleader Of
the rebels. Mr.. Vance said Green
and Balbin both had pistols.
Balbin is serving q long term
for rnurderous assault. He. and
Green were participants in a
mass escape attempt November
Z, 1858.
The other two rebels, Mr..
Vance said. were Fritz Swenson,
80. serving life for killing d
police sergeant, who was in
volved in d riot at the prison
in July. 1852. and Joseph Fla
herty. serving a term for as
sault Flaherty once was named
Boston's public enemy No. /.
Guards Identified.
Prison officials identified the
guard hostages, in addition to
MIR. Harrington. as Thomas D.
Ryan, Gerard Kadlick, Martin s..
Mulkerrl and Eugene Wills.
First reports that an apparent
wholesale delivery Of the 600 in
mates was being attempted
brought about 200 heavily armed
Boston and State police to the
scene.
They were withdrawn from
their deployed positions about
the prison after officials deter
mined that the revolt was con-
fined to the isolated two-story
brick cell block known as the
Cherry Hill section.
Prison guards found in the
yard a crude ladder made of
pieces Of wopd, wire. pieces of
betting and " necktie.
Three Seized at First.
Mr.. Vance said the prisoners
first captured three guards be-
fore dawn When those three
failed to report on schedule, the
other two went to check and
were arnbushed.
That prompted an alarm
which brought police details,
armed with riot guns. Guards
inside the cell blocks do not
carry weapons.
The prison is In an indus
trialized area of the Charles
town section. The Cherry Hill
section is used for men held in
solitary confinement.
In the early morning hours
between the time Of the alarm
and the isolation of the revolt
there was much yummering and
jeering by the desperadoes at
police on guard in the prison,
scene Of several riots and escapes
In recent years.
Corrections Commissioner e.
Lawrence Spur visited the pris-
on and then reported to Gov,
Christian Herter, who told re-
porters:
ut seems to be q mystery how
the prisoners got the guards into
the building. The outside door
is steel, and 1t apparently still is
locked from the outside, with the
key In the guardroom."
y