A Handful of 'Bad Boys' Blamed for Prison Riot
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the parole system as the No. 1 grievance.
When guardsmen ordered Wright, the parole director, them to surrender, the trio resigned Friday night. His disemerged with hands raised. missal was demanded by the There was no response when legislature last month.
the troops demanded that There was a tinge of mystery Myles and Smart also surren-surrounding the deaths of the der. They fired a bazooka shot pair who supposedly started it at the tower. The silence from all-Myles and Smart.
within continued.
National Guard officers The guardsmen surged into termed their deaths double suithe tower and found the bodies. cide. However, more were in-
Atty. Gen. Anderson played a clined to believe that Smart prominent part in settling pris-turned murderer for the last oner demands in the July, time by killing Myles and then 1957, riot at the same Deer turning the gun on himself. Lodge institution.
Prison sociologist Walter
He said the latest outbreak Jones, who as a hostage served "makes all too clear the imper-as go-between for the rebels ative need for prison facilities and prison authorities, said. in which a modern program of Myles and Smart were homosegregation can be carried out."| sexual mates.
He praised Warden Floyd E.) Powell, who "has proven himself to be a mature and astute prison manager," saying that Powell, who was a hostage of the mutineers for several hours,] “did everything that could be done to avert bloodshed and property damage.".
He described the slain deputy warden, Theodore Rothe, 40, as "one of the finest and most promising young correctional officers in the United States."
Montana Has Started Plans for New Pen
Montana already has started long-range plans to build a complete new prison in the Deer Lodge Valley several miles from the present site.
A medium security, building is being constructed at the new farm location. And Montanans will be asked in November, 1960 to approve a five million dollar bond issue to finance further construction.
Among the hostages rescued today were five convicts labeled "stool pigeons by the dichard riot leaders. The rest, were guards.
The prison chaplain, Father Gerald J. Lynam, asserted that "no more than 15 or so of the inmates were leaders or sympathetically inclined to the revolt."
Newsmen interviewed some of the prisoners to pinpoint the reason for the uprising. Spokesmen for inmates said they wanted reform of parole, the firing of parole director Benjamin W. Wright, better hospital facilities, elimination of the disciplinary "hole" cell and other refinements.
The prisoners mentioned crowded conditions,, the use of buckets for toilet facilities and the lack of segregation of young first offenders. There were other complaints, but each of the seven interviewed tagged