jrorJ Leased Wire Report of The United Press

THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

7^
i i 7~i . ,.,-r^
i'OUOdeil, Jill/ 24, 1S29

Months Average. Ending Sept. SO. 19290683. Meaften A. B. C.

319

Prison Tragedy
At a Glance

Great Britain FormallyRelinquishes Suprem- j

acy of the Seas Which;
She Has Held Manyj
Years.
!

^7, ^V , ^'-.-TT^ r.,r'T--T^ *-tr T>T>TT oo IOOA

EIARIA, OHIO, ILEbDAl, AFKLL 22, 19,50

Where More Than 300 Convicts Died

By United Press.
l*ire: Ohio State Penitentiary. Columbus.
Dead: 317 bodies removed.
Injured: 15O in critical condition.
Cause of lire: Presumably
incendiary.
Kitent: Three blazes, one in
cell house, one in chapel and
one in woolen mill.
(\tnvicts in penitentiary: 4,UOO. of whom JfcJ."> were in
burning cell house.

to

WEATHER FORECAST: Ohto: Partly rfoudy. slightly cooler

g^th portion tonight; Wednesday increasing doodtoes*.

-yRTn? TWfk
-..ttlUE A t t U

PRISONERS ARE TRAPPED IN

CELLS LIKEJAGED ANIMALS
Cell Block of Ohio State Prison Transformed Into Bearing Inferno, Probe Alleged Plot By Vengeful Lifers, Doors of Cells Locked and Men Perish Before Keys Are Obtained, Troopers Avert Bloody Battle, Hands of Convicts
Burn Off As They Clutch at Bars of Cells, Investigation Under Way.

OFF MIL LIST

|
COLUMBUS. O.. April 22.Three hundred and
: eleven convicts perished last night when fire, appall ing and terrible, transformed the west cell block of
s the State Penitentiary here into a roaring inferno.
!
The blaze was believed set by a band of vengeful
! lifers who supposedly conceived the fire as a means of
; inciting a mutiny that would deliver the prison into "
i their hands.
{
Instead the tiny blaze, originatiag in section "I",
;. licked along dry timber into Section H. from section

ST. JAMES PALACE. London.

April 22 The London XatvaJ!
Treaty of 1D30. in which Great j
Britain formally reiiuqtiishes s u - j
premacy of the- seas whirh E!K J
ruled for so long, was signed to-"
day.
The treaty recognizes absolute
parity between the Xavies or
COLUMBUS, O., April 22.Britain and the United Slates; limits the navies of Britain, the Uniter States and Japan until 133'"-;
imposes a battleship-building: holiI bars that became their pyre.
day on Eae five chief sea power?; John NiciceM of Grafton',
Albert J. Weiiaaa,
ksicsauises submarine warfare and {
t Co.
It was a twilight of indescribable liorror.
and Frank Myers Alias [
limits the si:e and armamenis 01 j
! James Collins, Seneca Co.
There Avere 835 _prisoners in section Cr and H. It
|
Lee
Shipman.
Franklin
Co.,
submarines.
I
Raymond Miller of ElyThe treaty was signed by Great j
i robbery. 10 to 25 years in March jwas 5.45 p m They had just returned from the prisria Victims in Prison
Britain, the United States. Japan. I
1
Anton j. Kramer, cnyahoga Co. on mess hall and were locked in their cells for the
France aact Italy. The latter two. \
Phoiograph taken early in the evening yesterday as the firemen first arrived at the scene of the
Fire.
however, did not participate in the !
Nicholas Reich, Stark Co.
Ohio Penitentiary Blaze at Columbus. Two fire engines are seen pumping water into the doomed cell
m.%nt.
limitations sections, having been i
T. E. Dolhy, Columbiana. Co.
7
blocks.
BULLETIN.
-James Anderson, Hamilton Co.
Spmeone shouted 'fire. ' The alarm spread. It
unable to agree on their quarrel j
The Lorain county deaths
Robert Pendleton, Hamilton Co. reached the innermost points of the prison and within
over parity.
j
Although the treaty achieves,
Life.
in the Ohio penitentiary fire
only three-power limitation, it reg-! last night was increased to
Floyd Farris alias Joe Lundy, a moment- stark terror and utter confusion prevailed.
!
Franklin
Co.14 to 25, robbery
ulates the navies of the three i
three today when authorities
More than 4.000 other convicts mingled screams'greatest sea powers, and is the j
j in March 4, 1930.
identified as one or the
Jesse Baughman, Seneca Co. and curses with the shrieks of those who saw fiery
first comprehensive naval limita-
burned convicts the body of
tion treaty in history, covering i
; Life, bank robbery.
Pilar Ontisra, of Lorain. serv! .Robert Stone, Franklin Co. death, horrifying; inevitable, licking up the timbered
warships of every classing a minimum sentence of
It was the culmination of the :
rfurder, first degree with mercy, in walls to their cells.
five-power conference began, with . ten years for manslaughter.
May 31, 1929.
Cell Doors Locked
Ontiga
was
bound
over
to
George Cyrus, Ross Co.
high hopes 52 days ago, on Jan.;
the grand jury from the Lo21. The final plenary session o f ;
Floyd Brown. Putnam Co.
The only means of escape was through the ceE
rain municipal
court on
Frank Myers alias Raymond
the conference and the signing of i
doors.
These were locked and the guard in custody
June
1O,
1925.
on
a
charge
the treaty took place in the dingy i
Miller, Loraia Co.
magnificence of Queen Anne's | of second degree murder.
i Elmer Fetter, Franklin Co. of the keys said he had orders not to unlock them
Indicted by the grand jury
}! 10 to 25 vears, robbery in June
drawing room of the palace.
;
when a disturbance was threatened.
The treaty apportions sea pow- j
on Oct. 5, 1935. his trial
" i 14, 1929.
er until 1936 among the three j started on Oct. 36. and the
! Albert King. HamHton Co.
It was too late for those on the upper tiers when,
chief
navies.
Therr - figbtins} following day-the jury found
j Robert Branniek, Clark Co.
strengths are stabilized for six'
him guilty of manslaughter.
i
Richard Korak. Cuyahoga Co. the keys were obtained. They were trapped. Most
years, equilibrium of sea power J
Judge W. B. Thompson
Norris Snelling, Licking Co.
of them were dead or dying. Others were shrieking
in the Atlantic and Pacific is es- j sentenced him to serve a
Jaznes Lazette, Lucas Co.
from
pain, or were lying unconscious, overcome by
tablished. and the foundation for j
minimum term of ten years
Jess Shively, Franklin Co.
Anglo-American parity laid.
j in the penitentiary.
i 14 to 25 years, robbery, in Feb. deadly carbon monoxide.
Dwight "W. Morrow, American !
I 10. 1930.
Mutiny under the most frantic pressure never
ambassador to Mexico, to whose ! Two Lorain County prisoners,

Ray Meyers. Lucas Co.

work the simplicity and clarity of ! neither of whom had been in the
i
George Mullinex, ' Jr., Miami developed/but tfie presence of Federal and State
the treaty is in iaree part due, j penitentiary
for
quite
three
Co.
watched the signing "with all the | months, were identified among the
John Xicieeki, Lorain Co.
troopers was believed to have averted a bloody
American delegates.
j dead at the Ohio State PemtentiKenneth Crouch, Colambiana i -L if]p
In addition to the failure to 1 ary at Columbus this morning,
Co.
achieve a five-power agreement.' following a night of fire ana terRichard Happcr, Union Co.
Xew tiers were being erected in Section ""T".
ror
which
resulted
in
the
worst
i
the treaty fails in the amount? or
Ko. 1 Continued on Page 5
where
the fire started. The section was unoccupied
tonnage reduction hoped for by disaster in the history of the State
of
Ohio.
and was unlocked. Convicts work in there by day and
the United States and England at
The two were John Xiciceki. 41.
the start.
France refused to
it
was believed that there the plot, if there was one,
participate in the faii five-power of Grafton. and Frank Myers, alias
treaty beceause the British re- Raymond Miller, of Elyria.
was conceived.
Xiciceki was sentended to one
fused to guarantee French securA general alarm brought all available" fire apparyear
for
a
third
offense
liquor
ity. Italy refused full participation because France rejected the possession violation.
atus
and police to the scene. The flames, by then,
Arrested in a round up of Loprinciple of Italian parity with
had penetrated the roof of the antiquated oid strucher. They signed the portions of rain county liquor law violators
the treaty agreeing to a battle- last May, Niciceki was bound over
ture. Shrieks of the convicts intensified. A general
ship holiday until 1336. humaniza- to the grand jury by Justice S. J. \
riot impended and Warden Preston E. Thomas sent
tion of submarine warfare, limita- George, on May 17, 1929. The
A scene of confusion, terror and death in the courtyard of the Ohio Penitentiary iast night at the
tion of submarine size and ar- grand, jury indicted him on June
out calls for Fede?al and State troopers.
mament and other minor matters, 7, but meanwhile the Grafton man height of the conflagration which abruptly ended the prison terms of more than 300 convicts by suffoSoldiers Called To Scene.
promising to continue their nego- had jumped his bond, and failed cating them, or burning them to death.
to
appear
for
arraignment.
Guards,
convicts
and
volunteers
may
be
seen
here
carrying
out
dead
bodies
and
covering
them
with
tiations towards eventually joinA cordon of penitentiary guards was thrown
Search was conducted for him blankets, administering medical aid to injured and dying, or sitting about in blankets, attempting to ward Several Sweep Through
ing the treaty fuiiy.
about
the towering prison walls. Other squads took
for
several
months,
and
finally
on
Flames to Death In Efoff the chill wind, made colder by spray from tons of water poured into the biasing cell blocks.
The signing ended at 1:25 p.m.
the
first
of
January,
this
year,
he
having larsted only 14 minutes.
fort to Rescue Fellow up vantage points in sentinel towers and by this time
It started when MacDonald* an- was located in Eastern Pennsyl500 soldiers from Fort Hayes, local military post
vania,
where
he
was
working
in
a
nounced, in a solemn voice, we
have now reached the moment steel 'plant.
were on the scene.
Brought back to Elyria, he was
?OLUMBUS, O., April 22.
for signing the treaty."
Machine guns were mounted at the gates and on
lodged
in
county
jail,
and
on
Jan.
j
Epochal feats of heroism stood
Stimson, first to sign, arose,
3. was arraigned before Judge W. |
out today as the only bright spot the walls. Bayonets were fixed and the troopers wer<*
dipped a new gold pen in the ink B.
Thompson, pleading not guilty, j
on the mourafnl picture of the
and signed. Da-ves followed imArraigned
again on Jan. 29, he j
ordered to shoot to kill. A troop of National GuarasCOLUMBUS, O.. April 22 The
Ohio penitentiary catastrophe.
mediately.
pleaded gailty, and was sentenced i
Stories
of
heroism
of
men
who
men
soon augmented the regulars and a half hour aflast
man
admitted
to
Ohio
peni(No. 4 continued on Page 2)
by Judge A. R. Webber to one
risked deathsome to succumb
tentiary, an inmate for less than
year in the penitentiary and fined j
ter
the
fire started the prison was completely surto aid their fellow men were
an hour before the fire, was nuruS500 and costs.
i
recounted from the parched and rounded.
He was taken by deputy sheriffs
ed to death.
:
twitching lips of others who reAlbert Holland, of Coshocton :
on Feb. 4 to the institution that
Inside
scenes of horror and Theroism
weri being"1
.. _ t I iIi2.Ilir^U
mained glued
secure -Jt/w;-j
spots **-<v*
and
CtlUdA to
HJ o^viAi.-^
* " " "
couniy, sentenced to from six to
was to prove his funeral pyre.
Mike Takacs. 25. 220 West paralyzed by terror, watched the j enacted. The lower tiers, one and two. in tne doomed
30 years for burglary, arrired at River street, was instantly killed
AilHERST. April '22 Word j Myers, as it develops.
Sheriff Awaits
the prison shortly before 5 o'clock.
cell block, were opened and prisoners were staggerwas received here of the death of own. death warrant shortly aiter
e he
tions Regarding Men j His charred bodv was identified !a?t night, when
Rev. Samuel Lindenmeyer, 66. last Christmas when he conceived
were
identified
as
convicts.
er crawling to safety or were being carried out by
was driving was struck '. y a YelSentenced tO State In- j shortly before midnight.
which occurred at Portsmouth what he believed to be a clever
assigned
to
the
category
of
i
!ow
Line
csr
at
Fiilton
and
TwenHospital, Easter, death being dae way of gaining money from Elyria
killers as-i major criminals. In I " rds or comrades.
stitution From County. ]
y-eighf a streets. Lorairs.
to pneumonia. Rev. Lindenraeyer banks.
Here heroism cropped out in unexpected places.
the
space of three gruesoae hours, j
According to reports given LoDepositing a. small amount of
was well known in Ainherst. hav1
r i e:
they
expiated
for
a
rain
police,
Takacs
drove
off
money
in
one
of
the
Elyria
banks,
What
disposition
is
to
be
made
I
ing been pastor of St. Peter's E~In squads acd ^i j - ?c . j Though miraculously escaping from wh? c seemed cerr'nlioTi strcer. a^d as he struck
aagelical church for ten years be- he established a checking account of Lorain county prisoners sen-
fought
against the sio^procedarc j tain death, most of the liberated convicts gasped
the street car tracks, one of the
fore accepting the charge at Ports- there, and then, using a check on tenced to the penitentiary this:
j
o
t
awaiting
orders to tear k e s j ^
| - - ^ t j^ e j r ]ul3SrS, aimed th'/niSelveS With
six
occupants
of
the
car
shouted:
that
bank
started
a.
similar
acmonth where he has served the
"You're on ihe wrong side of t h e - from reluctant guards and an- i -"-_' <-';" "_ x
- ,
past 17 years. He was al<o treas- count in another bank. By work- month, and not yet taken to behammers ami crowbars and rushed back into
terms, was cot known
*^,.~. ,_
road!" Takacs turned the <*ar di- Jock doors until solid walls
urer of the Evangelical Syr.od o f ' ing his checks back auu forth, he gin their
. . ,
Tnat a duphcation ot the Ohio
North America and treasurer of gradually increased his profits, un- early this afternoon.
ruing tiers to help rescue the less fortunate.
, gta,e Penjleatiary catastropheon rectly in the path of a Yeilow flame blocked their passage.
the Board of Foreign Missions.'; tit he was caught, and arraigned
Sheriff Clarence E. Adams saia a smaller scalewould be possible- Lino car, snd th" nischine was how many will never b^ ki
Locks"were knocked off. Caso-hardened steel
thrown against one of the metal revised to be imp-ru-rd
At one time he served as president; before Mayor James A. Hewitt,
that he would not be able to say should a fire gain headway in
^wept their way through the bars were spread. Cell doors were ripped away and
of the Ohio district of Evangelical | Bound over to the grand jury, what would be done- with such Lorain county jail here, was the pos's and d^monshed.
Miraculously all o: the occu- flames and to death,
churches. He is survived by his on Jan. 10. he was indicted on prisoners until he had received in- impression gained today after aa
jv-ct rescuers! convicts and guards plunged into the inferno to drag
widow, oae son. Armin. Cleveland,! Jan. 1G. and on Jan. 20, pleaded structions from Columbus.
Lives of the con's
bv par.ts of ih car escaped with
inspection of the county
two daughters, Mrs. A- C. Van Pus- , gailty to a charge of issuing
minor itijnria- except Takacs. were repeatedly imperilled ny j on4. OJ. carrv screamings 7UCK tO Sc
It
was
believed,
however,
that
i
newspaper
men.

seleu of Brussels, Belgian1. Mrs. T. ' checks with intent to defraud. these prisoners would be held at j Although that portion of the j a i l : They were 'akon to St. Joseph's ' crashing walls and debr:?. A w a ; l - ,
lliembers of Com
Ogden, Valatio. N". Y.
Fcneral Judge A. R. Webber sentenced county jail here until other qaar-1 which is apportioned off as cells hospital for treatment.
ing only momentarily, the las' !
:
rites will be held in Portsmouth him to a. minimum of three years ters have been provided in the f or pr i 5one rs is entirely of brick.,
The aocidnt
happened
ia somber echo to die'away, t h e y !
who are
' in the penitentiary, and he was state penitentiary, or room is. concrete and iron, except for a fe^- front of the The*.- Shovel com- pushed forward.
this afternoon and burial rises
| ."";_ ^"^^
"- '*trbllble makers."1 They inbe held here Wednesday afternoon: taken to his death cell on Feb. 3. found for them at state reforma- furnishings, all exits are of wood- pany plant.
at 4 P. M. Burial will be in Cro^rnCounty officials today were tories or prison farms.
of firemen; spired past riots, fires and escapes, but last
incers of
Takacs head was crushed when from tired fincers
en construction and should thv
placing after the names of Nicicehill cemetery.
It is entirely probable -that it catch fire, prisoners in the ceils, the car was wedged against the others carried clubs snatched at
.....lumber
..,_ piles
,,.,______
ki and Myers the words, "sentence may be some months before such ; nnabie to escape down them. steel pole.
random from
in ihe their courage was supreme. Grievances were forcommuted by death."
prisoners will be moved from Lo-; would be in danger of suffocation,
yards,
others
used
only o-ottcn and ^uard an,! prisoner
fought side by side unr
Details of the manner in which rain county, in which event this i The portion of the jail used for
re strength which was in- ^
=
.
their bare
the two Lorain county residents county might be faced with a residence quarters by the sheriff
. .
creased to superhuman propor- der a common bona.
_
met their deaths were not avail- crowded jail of its own.
tions as the gasping wails of trapis entirely finished off with wood
It
was
8
p.
m
before
the
fire
was
under
sufiwieni
Only one prisoner now awaits on the interior, and would crea;.v
Eugene Bates, 21, and "his 'able today, and it is probable that
ped eorcrades penetrated tlie
Brother, William Bates. 23, wera j the actual details of their deaths being taken to the state penW. , a hot enough fire, were it once to
crackling flame and ^mote the control to enabk siiards and firemen to see what the
L. Snllivau, alias W. L- Scott, hav- get under way, to threaten the
arrested by deputy sheriffs in May- j never will be kco7,-n.
ears of their rescuer?.
fire, had wrought ^ They saw men, dead and tlymg,
ing been sentenced to three years (No. 3 continued- on Page 2)
field Heights yesterday,
and
Occasionally, a wall sagged and
COLUMBUS, O., April 'J2 On-' ;
yesterday by Judge W. B. Thomp- j
brougTit to county jail, charged STUDENTS VISITORS
ed as a squad of relief piled in grotesque lieap;?, some of them charred, othprisoner. Michael Dorn. '-Z. soul workers was inside. Another
IX COURT HOUSE son when he pleaded guilty to obwith looting stone quarries in
ers unscathed but dead from acrid gases.
up from Wood connfy tor burglary, stfiiad entered to bring out
About 75 students of the Ridge- taining mony under false pro- | return them 10 th college,
Columbia township last fall.
] , , . . . ,
New Blaze Breaks Out.
j Among the :?5 men indicted by escaped during the s!at" paniton-- ad
The two are to be charged with ville High school were visitors in tenses.
"na.1smoke-seared and gaspgrand larceny, since they took the common pleas court of Judge Sullivan admitted taking 65 fire , the grand jury, however, there are ttary fir* last H fcbt, it v.as Lamed | *Men,
Meantime,
those prisoners who escaped an-1 aid
from the old stone quarries prop- W. D. Thompson this morning, extinguishers from Oberlin collego i expected to be several others who torfay. Dorn donned a C i v i l i a n ! ing, stumbled from exits, the
suit
and
walked
awav
d
u
r
i
n
g
the
(Continued oil Page 2.)
erty valued at about 550, accord- listening to evidence in a criminal under the pretense that he was an will receive penitentiary sen(No. 2 continued oa Page 2)
confusion incideut to the blazeofficial repair man, and failiug to
1 trial..
ing to the sheriff's office.

IT

Confusion, Terror and Death

Newest Inmate
Burns To Death
In Fire At Pen

Men.

Former Amherst
Pastor Dies

INLOGU

Brothers Face
Robbery Charge

Prisoner Makes
Escape During \
Ohio Pen Fire