PRISON HOLOCAUST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4463, 10 June 1930, Page 1

PRISON HOLOCAUST.

TRAPPED MEN GO MAD. A wild cry of “Fire!” rang down tin; corridors oi“ the Ohio State prison at Colnnlms in the night of April 21, and within an hour 317 convicts had been burned to death. Another 157 men were taken to hospital, many so badly injured that their lives were despaired of. One man escaped. Donning civilian clothes lie walked quietly out oi! the raging' tumult.

The prison was built to hold 1500 men, but when the tire started 4300 were locked in the cells. Aten serving life sentences are believed to have been responsible for the lire, which broke out near a wooden staircase and spread rapidly to a block of cells holding 800 men. The wooden roofs were fuel for the furnace in which so many were entrapped.

The keys which would have liberated the men from the burning cells had been lost, for, as the prison warden, Mr. Thomas, said: “Pseiit a guard with the keys to open a dormitory in the path of the tire. Ido not know why he did not. That dereliction cost scores of lives. The men never had a chance to live.” TROOPS STOP ESCAPES. The chances of complete escape by a larger number of convicts were effect ually Coiled by troops, who were rushed to the prison when the liesl: tire call rang out. Wjith machine guns mounted on the walls and at the gates the possibilities of escape were nil. Meanwhile the most terrible scenes were being- witnessed where the lire raged. Some convicts, seeing the flames speeding toward I hem, prayed to be shot, and some wen I mod, hut, on the other band, hundreds, according to eye-witnes-.-os, heluivud like soldiers. With -cmrves wrapped round their faces, they fought their way through flame

and smoke along steel corridors that were almost lied hot, and at the mi mo time they tried to effect rescues. One of the most terrible discoveries was the death of 130 men on the sixth tier of the doomed building. They were crushed and burned by the falling roofs. DEATH OF GALLANT "DESPERADO.” It was at this spot that Wild Bill Croilinger, a well-known desperado, gave his life for others. Twelve limes; he made his way into the furnace, each time returning with the limp body of a prisoner.

On the thirteenth effort he collapsed and died. Big Jim Morton, a Cleveland bank robber, broke open his own cell with I;is hands, but; instead of seeking to escape re-entered the blazing cells lo rescue his companions. William Wade, a huge negro, broke down a door with a .sledge-hammer and released 25 mjMi. The heat finally drove him away. Like many others he complained bitterly of the, prison management, saying, "Tlrey could have saved lltese men, but they let human beings burn lo death.” Certainly it is I ho height of irony that while more Ilian 300 men died the damage to the prison is estimated at only £2OOO.

One convict, Boy Tyler, lost his life on the eve of obtaining his freedom, which had just been granted by the Supreme Court. Another hero was Howard -Jones, who was serving 12 years for theft. Single-handed he broke open cell locks and released 100 men. A GIRL IN CHARGE.

The guards also played their part in the rescues. Unable to stand by and see the condemned men die wi lb out a chance, they plunged into ihe lire and dragged many to safety. Doctors were summoned by the prison broadcasting station. I)r. Betty Morris, the lirst woman physician fm the scene, was a calm and courageous figure. She was treated with the greatest respect by convicts both white and black, and they brought her medical supplies. Miss Amanda Thomas, the warden's daughter, took charge of the outer office, issuing machine-guns and ammunition, ordering the guards lo their posts, summoning troops, and sending for medical supplies. At least one former prisoner could have written a masterpiece on the night’s events, for "0. Henry,” the novelist, served three years there for embezzlement, and drew from the inmates the material for some of his finest stories.

An investigation into the disaster was opened and a storm of criticism developed. The demand was made that the warden he suspended until responsibility for the outbreak is fixed. It is sarcastically said that the State prison is up-to-date in one thing only—its radio. While the fire was burning Convict 46,812 stood in front of the microphone in the prisoners’ radio room and calmly told the story of the outbreak.