Slaughter in Cell House 3: The Anatomy of a Riot

by Wayne K. Patterson, Betty L. Alt

A well-researched nonfiction account of a prison riot at the Colorado State Prison in Oct. 1929. In terms of lives lost, this was the most violent prison uprising in the nation's history until New York's Attica experience. Text is energized by 30 photographs, many of which were released to the public for the first time in this publication. Often, in their own words, or in a combination of statements made by guards and convicts in post-riot interviews, the anatomy of the 1929 melee is told by the survivors who participated in or observed the death and destruction that occurred. There were an amazing number of unbelievable events which took place during the course of the turmoil, i.e., a Catholic priest and coal miner run across the prison yard dodging convict bullets carrying 50 lbs. of dynamite in a futile attempt to blast open a wall in the occupied cell block. The Warden (who was considered by the public and the convicts as a "Civil Servant" with no stomach for dangerous confrontations) proved to be "rock hard" in negotiations--refusing to submit to the demands of the convicts despite being assailed by families of the captured guards who were being systmatically shot and their bodies dumped into the prison yard. Local citizens line up on a ridge overlooking the compound firing rifles and shot guns prison yards. Sadly, 13 people loose their lives in this botched prison escape, eight of which were guards. A quick but exciting read suitable for both the general public or as supplementary material in Criminal Justice classrooms.

85 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 1997

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, quick read--just the basic facts of the riot that took place in the Colorado State Prison in October, 1927.