OCR Text |
Show Three Minutes to Leave Prisoners have rioted since the beginning of prisons, but few of such disorders have been suppressed under more dramatic circumstances than those which occurred in Massachusetts Mas-sachusetts State Prison in 1824, according to a release by Postmaster Post-master Ray K. Bohne. Three of the convicts were to be publicly whipped in the prison yard. They cverca-me a guard, sounded the alarm to their fellow inmates ttho joined them in an open rebellion rebel-lion against the prison officials, and then gathered in an unruly mob in the dining room. Armed with all manner of weapons they defied the warden and his officers to evict them. A call was hastily sent for the U. S. Marines, and soon they had marched into the large room where the rioters had assembled. At its farther end milling convicts were brandishing their weapons and muttering threats, vowing that they would not return to their cells until the whipping order had been rescinded. res-cinded. Major Wainrlght, the marine leader, calmly told his men to load and aim their firearms in full view of the priscners. He then stepped forwa d and urged the rioters to depart. They refused, even while the marines' firearms were pointed directly at them. "Don't fire until I give the cami-miand," cami-miand," the major told his men. Thereupon he drew out his watch, told the prisoners that he would ;ive them exactly three minutes to withdraw, and would say no more. One minute passed; no one moved. Two minutes had ticked away, and then two or three of the convicts departed. Soon the withdrawal became a rout and the men returned return-ed to their cells. Bloodshed had been avoided by the neat use of a yisychology, as unplanned un-planned as had been the unexpected call to the marines to restore order in the prison. |