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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday, March 11, 1968
Prison guard held captive
Gripes spark prison rioting
Editor's note: A 27-year-old Oregon State Penitentiary guard was caught and held hostage for 16 hours by rioting prisoners Saturday afternoon. Here is his story, as told to United Press International.
By William Lowery
SALEM, Ore.—(UPI) The first sign of trouble came about 4:05 when inmates were filing past the control room on their way from the recreation yard to the cell blocks.
I work in the control center which coordinates all movements of inmates. The center is located in an isolated glass cage in the middle of the control room.
Several inmates came into the room and jumped the officers. I thought it was a fight among the inmates at first, but then they smashed out the windows of the control center. They brought out homemade knives and pipes and we all surrendered.
They took 20 of us hostage and
Old Russian,117 still a youngster
MOSCOW — (UDP)— Makhhmud Mamedov, 117-year-old collective farmer who retired recently after 90 years of farming, has become a volunteer traffic cop in Uzbekistan, according to the newspaper Urkinskaya Pravda.
But Mamedov is still a youngster. The oldest man in the nation is said to be Shirali Mislimov, a 161-year-old Azerbaizhani shepherd.
said no one would get hurt if we cooperated. They freed everyone who needed medical help, but locked me and four other guards who were not hurt in cell block "E" for about two hours.
Then they started burning everything—the control room, library, classrooms, hospital. I understand they wanted all the inmates in S&I, security and isolation, released because they had been locked up too long and were becoming vegetables. They also wanted Warden Clarence Gladden fired.
About 6:30 they moved us out to the recreation field. Around 8 o'clock we heard they were going to kill one of us every 20 minutes until S&I inmates were released.
There were a few trying moments, but one thing impressed me. They were always very polite, called us mister, gave us cigarettes, coffee and blankets and never swore at us.
It seemed to me that most of the inmates were out for a good time and really didn't care one way or the other if they got anything. One said it was like "a picnic under a bridge."
I believed them at first and was pretty scared, but then they stalled for an hour, then two, so we knew things were going our way.
Hard to stop
We didn't talk with the inmates much but they did say they didn't plan to beat up any guards or burn so much, but once these things get going they are pretty hard to stop.
Some kept saying they wanted
to settle it as quickly as possible.
We just laid awake on the mattresses on the ground until morning when the inmates heard of the talks between Corrections Director George Randall and the grievance council.
They seemed to feel a further holding of hostages would drag down their chances of getting anything, so they let us go, and that was the end of the riot.
I don't have any quarrel with them for what they did. It's like collective bargaining on the outside. If you want something you strike for it.
Official Bulletin
TODAY
Peace Corps Committee. A number of positions are still open on the KU Peace Corps Committee. If interested, call Ed Murdock at VI 3-4711.
Geology Lecture. 9:30 a.m. "Firm Limits, Glacial Climates." Dr. Robert W. Galloway, Australia. 205 Robinson.
Kansas Conference on Aging. 11 a.m. Kansas Union.
Geology Lecture, 11:30 a.m. "Seap Relief in the Sub-Tropical Queensland." Dr. Robert W. Galloway, Australia. 413 Summerfield.
Concert Course. 8:20 p.m. Minne-
apolis Symphony, Hoch Auditorium
TOMORROW
Kansas Conference on Aging. 9 a.m.
Kansas Union.
Theatre Collectium, 3:33 p.m.
O. Crakeett, Indiana University, 341 Murray
Geology Lecture, 3:30 p.m. "Latin-
tical Climates and the Question of
Climate Change," W. Collway, Ausla-
ria, 426 Londley,
Alpha Epsilon Rho Film, 7 & 9 p.m.
National Student Association
Awa National Second Sec-
ional Festival, 2012 Betley
Christian Science Organization 7.30
The testimony Meeting
Danford Church
Latin American Film Series, 7.30
p.m. "The Given Word" Brazil 1962
Cannes Festival Gold Palm Award
Winner, Dyche Auditorium
UDK-VOICE OF STUDENT ACTIVITY
Do your Spring Cleaning with new furniture,new draperies and new carpeting.
Could a Rockefeller need your help?
You bet your country.
April 24: " Choice '68" at KU
Spare one dollar for a Rockefeller landslide!
Citizens for Rockefeller
9-10 Stouffer; VI 3-8956 or VI 3-0042
10.11.11