Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-08-27 | Page 2 | Prison Deaths 'Plot' Charged

PRISON DEATHS PLOT CHARGED PHILADELPHIA Aug 27 p- p Coroner Charles H. H Hersch charged today oday there was a definite c conspiracy con con- n- n on the part of of guards to cover up what really happened at atthe atthe atthe the Philadelphia county prison where fo four r convicts met mysterious I deaths in superheated punishment cells ceIls The coroner said the conspiracy had lad temporarily delayed his plans to arrest higher ups and a blackjack black jack ack squad of guards whom he blamed lamed for turning steam on in a battery lattery of large radiators outside he the the cells and literally baking the prisoners to death The convicts' convicts bruised nude bodies were found Monday in the thel prison Klondike a a stuffy foot by building in which Hersch lIersch said 25 unruly prisoners prisoners prisoners pris pris- were given the heat cure for participating in a hunger strike Besides s those who died five others are are in iri hospitals ill from shock and fever The guards obviously rehearsed their stories in an attempt to whitewash whitewash whitewash white white- wash the whole affair the coroner declared Assistant District Attorney John A. A Boyle who with Hersch is conducting conducting conducting con con- ducting the investigation asserted that hat the four dead men had been tortured tortured for three days b by b the airtight airtight alright air air- blackjack squad in the nearly tight ight cells where investigators estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated the temperature was as high as degrees degree Those four men were put in early Friday afternoon Boyle said They were given the heat how how long I dont don't know A small number of hunger strikers refused to go back to food and kept on making trouble Saturday Satur Satur- day That day the gu guards took 11 more o out t of ot their cells in the prison and locked them up in the punishment punishment punish punish- me ment t block They continued to yell and once more the guards turned on the heat The first four weakened by their own treatment felt this punishment punishment punishment punish punish- ment more severely than the new new- comers corners On Sunday the last handful hand- hand tul ful ul of ot 10 lOot of them were locked up and once more the heat was applied That was more than human flesh could bear for the four who were the first victims Hersch and Boyle questioned guards at the prison until late last night and then summoned eight who were on duty the night the convicts convicts con con- died for further interrogation Two guards Francis Smith 43 and Alfred AUred W W. Brough 39 already are held in 2500 bail each as material witnesses