Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-02-11 | Page 1 | Convicts Kill Two Guards in Prison Break

KilL I Ii i TWO GUARDS IN INI I PRISON BREAK I II I Inmates in Western Penitentiary Peni I t Near Pittsburg U Us Use 8 e Explosives in Attempt to E Escape s cap e FOUR HORSEMEN ENGINEER PLOT Blast Rips Main Gate and Mad Dash Is Made to Freedom Hours Hour's BatI Battle Bat Bat- 1 I r tIe tle Ends the Uprising I i PITT PITTSBURG BURG Feb 11 Two Two prison pris pris- on officers s were shot to death eath and anda I a number of ot convicts were wound ed more or less In seriously in a ariot ariot ariot riot today After Atter an hours hour's fighting tight fight ing during w riot guns tear teargas teargas 1 gas bombs clubs and b bricks were I used the prison guards assisted I by Pittsburg police succeeded In quelling the disturbance which started when the convicts us used d explosives explosives ex ex- ex- ex plo plosives In an effort to dynamite their way to freedom No prisoner escaped The dead are William II a assistant dep dep- uty warden J J. J A. A Cox Cor an overseer BAD MEN IN PLOT Warden J. J M. M Egan gan reported the plot was born boin in the minds d four our or five thc bad men recently transferred trans trans- fo to the prison here here from the I Eastern penitentiary to b b be I He added that he believed the plot was engineered by bv a quartet quartet I tet of ot convicts known as The F Four ur Horsemen They had helped from the outside the warden declared Prisoners numbering more than 1000 had just breakfasted and were about to to go to their tasks task in n the workshops when the blast ripped Ipp d the main gates and a section of ot the wall wail rocked the entire district shattered windows and caused residents resi resl dents to flee from the their r homes bOW r and Cox were ne ner nery r by PY y They started on a run fo for foJ the th hole nole in the wall wan but were Intercepted by fifteen convicts who disarmed them beat them and then shot the officers with their own guns The prison yard became a battle ground as other prisoners and other guards Joined in the fight The guards concentrated near the gates and threatening the the- prisoners with the I sawed off shotguns ordered them to their cells But Dut the e explosion had signalized an an attempt to escape and with liberty in sight they were stubborn and showed light fight Even the prisoners In their I c s added ridded their voice to the confusion confusion con con- fusion shouting and beating upon the walls and bars and crying de defiantly defiantly de de- to the guards in the the tiers HAND TO FIGHT A few tew of ot these convicts got loose but the guards met them hand to hand and threw them theta back Into the llie C cells L When It became evident that the guards In the yard were not faring so we well a ca call for help went out to the city and the county and arid these officers were soon In the thick of the fight tight f i With this large force at his disposal dis dis- pond Warden Varden Egan took command He stationed the county detectives I on the wa wall while guards and pa patrolmen patrolmen pa- pa n took up the battle In The prisoners used pistols pis and anything else lying around arlund loose The Tho officers trained to handle handie such men bore In and soon son I got the upper hand The convicts were backed against one of or the gray array stone walls and after atter a 11 brief to hand struggle the prisoners prison prison- ers gave up They were driven back to their cells ces and Warden Egan nn immediately called together the prison board so 80 that the leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers of ot the revolt could be punished hed I without delay