The Outbreak at Pentridge.

Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2499, 28 March 1878, Page 2

The Outbreak at Pentridge.

[BY TELEGRAPH.]

(Fhom Ouk Own Correspondent),

WELLINGTON, this day. Tue " Melbourne Argus," of the 14th, just to hand by the Albion, gives the following account of the outbreak at Pentridge : — "An extraordinary outbreak, which wa3 not quelled without considerable difficulty, and after a desperate resistance, occurred at Pentridge Reformatory, a little before midnight last night. There are about 170 boys aud young men iv this Reformatory, and some 40 of them, including a large number of elder boys, sleep at night in the dormitory known as the lower ward, on the ground floor. The boys went quietly to their dermitory, and remained there for some hours without making any noise that attracted the attention of the warders ; "but about a quarter to twelve o'clock, they commenced to shout out " Fish, oh !" " Rabbits, oh !" and other street cries, apparently for the express purpose of drawing attention to themselves. Remonstrances from the warders were met with yells of defiance, and all attempts to unlock the iron door of the ward were strenuously and successfully resisted. The disturbance was reported to Mr G. O'Duncan, InspectorGeneral of Penal Establishments. A large force of warders belonging to Pentridge Stockade was promptly collected for the purpose of restoring order, but the difficulty which confronted them waa how to get at the boya, who, by this time, seemed quite beside themselves with

EXCITEMENT AND PASSION. The long ward in which they slept was entered by means of a strong iron-barred gate, through which the movements of tho inmates could, if necessary, be overlooked. After destroying the furniture and bedding, the boys had piled the debris agaiust the gate, and behind this rampart stood yelling defiance at tho authorities, resisting every attempt to unlock the door by sinking the warders through tho opon bars with long piccos of stick. It was at first thought that they would be very soon dislodged from this position, but the task was found extiemely difficult. Directly any of the men advanced to tho doorway" they were violently assaulted by the boys, who pushed sticks into their face?, and hit them over the head and body. A variety of devices were adopted to drive the inmates back. The hose waa turned full on them, but this did not damp their courage, for they continued to yell out defiantly " We wilfresist to the last;" taunting the warders with cries of ". Come on, we are ready for you." Tho warders were instructed to get their rifles, and several rounds of blank cartridge were fired into the corridor over tho heads of tho boys. It produced no other result than to still more infuriate tho boys, who still continued to shout out—

"WE WILL FIGHT EVERY INCH !" "Come on; wo are ready for you." Mr Duncan directed a Jar^c table to be fetched. in order by its means to close tho upper part of the door while some of the men tried to unlock tho gate ; but this device did not succeed. At length, after the tight had lasted over an hour, a suggestion vras made that a man standing at the side of the door, pretty well out of the reach of the sticks and missiles of tho defenders, could, with the help of an American axe, knock away the lock of tho door. This idea was at once adopted, and happily it proved successful. Directly the lock was oif, five or six warders rushed up to the gate, and succeeded in drawing hack the holts, and thus secured an entrance to the dormitory. A rush was at once made into the darkness, font should be mentioned that the boys had turned out the gas at the commencement of the disturbance. The warders were for a brief period engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle with the inmates. It was, however, soon over, though not before some of the boys got punished with considerable severity. The lads were then handcuffed, by Mr Duncan's direction, and left in their dormitory till morning. So far as can be ascertained nothing had occurred to cause such an outbreak. What was the origin of it will, of conise, be strictly inquireofintq. Several of the warders received nasty cuts about the face and body, but no wounds of a serious character were inflicted, a i