ANOTHER REBELLION AT SAN QUEENTIN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 788, 27 June 1864, Page 5

ANOTHER REBELLION AT SAN QUEENTIN.

(From the " Alia California," 4th April.) At 2 p.m. on Saturday, another emeute, which seems to have been contemplated for some time by the convicts, although entirely unexpected by the officers and guards, broke nut in the State Piison a h, Sar. Quinten. A number of the officfrs were conversing together at the office, when the report of a musket was heard from the direction of station No. 4. One of the officers remarked, A chance shot;" but words wre hardly out of his mouth when arspid fiviua: commenced, and a dozen or more shots were heard in quick succession. In less tlr-tn p. minute every officer and guard was at, his post, either working the cannon at the different stations, or firing muskets from the walls.

At noon fifty-seven oonviefs h?.d b*en turned out into the brick yard to fo id brick on the vessel at the wharf, but nof liing occurred to create a suspicion <f a plot to escape until five minutes to 2 p.m., whtn the sentinel at Prst ■ xo. 4 saw men. scaling the southern wall at two different point?, and instantly gave the alarm, his three companions and himself firing u'>on them with their muskets. ■As the foremost mai scaled the the walls, the convicts in the brickyard gave three loud cheers, an>! da> ted towards i'osfc No. 4. Twenty-three pii^oacis from the inside git over the wall before tli2 guards on the wall could reach a point where they could i;sb their arms ('{factually, aid hy firing into the crowd, prevent the escape of any more. Those joined the brickyard gang1, and the whole force (80 strong) closed on the guard afc Pot No. 4. with the evinent purpose of capturing; the cannon for future operations T"e assailants attacked with desperate energy, burir.ig bricks, throwing stones from slir.gs. and shooting; arrows from bows, with, which four of die convicts had armed themselves. The guard fought with a determination worthy of all praise, in spite of the fearful O'ids, nntil two of them were overpowered and hurled over the em'wnkm nt, when the other two inside the guard-house an-1 closed the doer, having spiked the cauuon, which they hud not time to fire again. In this contest one of the convicts named Augustine Truhio, a prisoner for life, closed on one of the guard with a slun^-shot or club, fuH fought like a tiger, until the guard succeeded in getting his musket to his shou'der. when he received a bullet tlv.ough the heart, and tho term of his sentence ended in an instant. The convicts, as soon as they had disposed of the guard at this po«f., rushed for the cannon, bub, to their disappointment, foun' it already spiked and useless Before they hal time to take counsel and determine what next to do. the cannon fom the northern side of the prison had been brought to bear by the other guards, and opened on them with volleys of grape-shot, while the mounted guard, and a number of other guards on foot, charged dowu on them and commenced firing. Seeing that tl>e ciay was lost, aad that no hope of escape was left, the convicts now broke in a body and ran at the top of their speed for the lower gate or the prison, which they enters I, aud the rebellion was over. The moment that trie convicts abandoned their attempt to escape, aad ran. lor the sate of the prison, the guard eea?ed firiufr, from a desire to avoid unnecessary slaughter, as the lessou already given was a sufficiently salutary one. Every freeman about the prison did his duty g-Handy in the "brief but sanguinary struggle, and especial credit is due to the guard at No. 4, Messrs Watson, Monroe, Freeman, and Farrar, through whose desperate resistance against the most overwhelming odds, the struggle was prolonged until the balance of the guards and officers could rally, and the well-planned (leterminedlyprosecited attempt at escape was defeated. Watson, Monroe, avid Freeman were all seriously, but we are glad to .say not dangerously, wounded. Four of the convicts were killed aud. eight' wounded. CHARACTER OP THE INSURGENTS. It is a noticeable, fact that out of the eighty convicts who were concerned in the attempt, but six or eight wave whitß Americans or .Northern Europeans, all the balance being Spaniards, Spanish Americans, and negroes, or other darkskinned customers. The scaling of the walls was effected by means of ladders, hastily constructed by the prisouers from lumber found inside. As soon as the emeute was over, and the prisonere safelj secured, a telegram was despatched to this city for additional surgical assistance, and Dr 'rask started at a late hour in the day to tender the required aid. He attended to the wounded, some of whom were beyond the assistance of the doctor, as their wounds were mortal. We are indebted for the above facts mainly to the clerk of ths prison. We telegraphed last evening to San ."Rafael for further particulars, but got no additional facts, the answer being as follows: San Rafael, 3rd April.—At two o'clock p.m. yesterday the prisoners frcm the lower yard scaled the walls by means of ladders, and when on the outside attacked gun No. A, armed with, bow* and arrows, ami slings, and after a severe struggle captured the gun, not, however, before four of them were killed and six badly wounded. One of the wounded died this morning. Tom King, the ringleader, was badly wounded and is