Convicts Hold Guards as Hostages

Chronicle (Levin), 4 May 1946, Page 5

Convicts Hold Guards as Hostages

Press- Assrii-

MARINES RUSH TO ALGATRAZ:

By Telegrapfa

'Copyrigfif

Receiv.ed Friday 8.20 p.fln. SAN PRAN.eiSGOy May ' 2; Seven navy coa^tguard" and "poliee* boats rnshnd fo Alca.tWy pri§on today tp quei! a seHoun i-i.o.t., >yli-jil.e a of ig.arines' landed; at nigMf.'SLlI aa'med wi'th. aanbomafeie- weappns. TLe convic-ts ajte- reported to have hnrd.ecL n>,dat of th;e- pj-ison guards intb a eelilffloiuse and ara- Itold&g; Jthiem- .as hostages at g-unpoint. ■' Ofle irepdrt states the- cpinvic-ts. ha-ve- a maefldnegiin.. First naws of tlie riot annpunceq ]>y Warden Johnston wh.o s^cid ^ isssned a riot call beea.use of' serioi&tnouble''. An Asso.cia.ted' Press' p-l).6.togra^ker wh.0 went within 5.0 yards of Alcatxaz m a boat,. safd he saw trac.e,r bujlefs. stuea-m-ing from windows of a c.eIlhoiise whare tlie convicts wa baiiricaded.v; Guard-s enept ,a»long' the 'bnj-j.dfaig^ ti^vlixg to .-fire into the windows with teargas- and guns but their fire did not seem to be- very effectiv.e. ' ^ ^ : Latest report from th.e prison states that the firing is still- going on.. Law eufor/euient oflficers who knb.vV the island,. said that although the prisoners migut c«mj;!,etely control the sitmutiou i nside tlie cellhouse-, it wonjd- be inipossdble for them to get outside. There are at least oue hundred ofli.cers at th.e prison, 30 to 40 of whom would be on dutv- at any given time. It- is not known Iiow majiy are lield captive. Doctors and nu.rses from tb.e nearbv San Quentin penitentiary, were summoned to Alcatraz by. radio and tke San Francisco health, ofiicer ordered two emergency hoSpitals to stand by ready to receive patients from Alcatraz.