A PRISON TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6829, 6 October 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

A PRISON TRAGEDY.

A terrible tragedy was enacted tha other day in the St. Augustine prison, at Valencia. In the course of a quarrel between two of the prisoners while at exercise in the yard, ona of them, Jose Casalta, pulled oat one of those Valencian knives, the blades of which are a foot long, and plunged it six times into the breast of his companion. One of the warders named Manuel Fernandez, ruß.ied up and tried to seize the murderer, who was too quick for bim, however, as he turned round and in a trico stabbed the warder to the heart. - Two other warders were attracted to the spot ty the noise and the sentinel on duty called out for further aid. Jose Casalta in the meanwhile had worked himself up into a paroxysm of fury and was rushing about dealing thrusts with his knife right and left, his clothes hanging about him in ribbons and his face besmeared with blood. The sentinel attempted to shoot him down, but his musket missed fire, and Casalta rushing., on him like a tiger, literally disemboweled him. A corporal of the guard, who arrived, npon the scene at this 1 moment, succeeded in disabling the infuriated wretch with a bayonet; but even after he had been wounded it was found almost impossible to secure him. He died of his wounds in the infirmary of the prison two hours afterwards,