PRISON RIOT QUELLED

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24867, 6 May 1946, Page 5

PRISON RIOT QUELLED

Convicts’ Leaders KiUed GRENADES USED IN CELLS

(Rec. 11 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO. May 5 The riot at Alcatraz prison ended tonight. The Warden (Mr Johnston) announced that the bodies of three of the mutiny leaders, Bernard Paul Coy, Joseph Paul Cretzer. and Marvin Hubbard. have been removed from the cell block.

All prisoners are now being checked cell by cell to determine how many are still at large. This, Mr Johnston said, would take time because the call block corridors were dark and the maze of steel saltwater pipes and conduits would be extremely difficult to search. Itjvas quite certain that none of the prisoners had escaped.

Earlier the mutineers telephoned Mr Johnston asking for a truce. A spokesman said: “We want to make a deal.” Mr Johnston replied: “We will make a deal when you throw out your guns and ammunition.” There was no response from the convicts. After five hours’ silence, the prisoners fired six wild shots from a cell block window. The firing then ceased again. Yesterday a Marine warrant officer. Charles Buckner, volunteered to try to blast out the mutineers. He climbed to the roof of the cell block, drilled three holes with an electric chisel, and lowered an anti-tank grenade on a length of string. Buckner heard some of the convicts scream to be let out. Then he heard a shot and there were no more screams. Buckner dropped more than 100 grenades into the cell block.

A grim story of crazy convicts shooting into a room full of imprisoned guards was told by a wounded guard, Robert Baker, who feigned death for 10 hours.

“I was shot down in cold blood by Cretzer.” said Baker. “One convict suggested that they hold us as hostages. Cretzer just laughed and said: ‘We don’t need hostages. We are not going to make agreements. We want the keys’ “They then threw Guard Miller on a bench and punched and kicked him until he could not take it any longer. He gave up the keys except the most important one for unlocking the back gate. #

“The convicts seemed to go crazy. They jammed us into the cells. Cretzer emptied a .45 automatic into us. Guard Simpson, who stood on the bed, received two bullets in the chest. Before I could get under the bed a bullet dropped me. I thought Cretzer would come in and finish us off. but he left uS.

Coy did plenty of damage. I saw him pick off three guards with as many shots during the start of the fight. He was deadly.with a rifle.”