Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/234

 to the Superintendent. The gates were opened, fourteen convicts rushed through, and all would have escaped, but for a guard, William Stilwell by name, who ahot some of them while the others ran into the Superintendent's office for fire arms. Fortunately, the guns in the office were not provided with amnriunitioTi, hence were useless. The prison bell was rung, convicts within the walls promptly repaired to their cells, and were separated froxn the fourteen who had made a break for liberty.

Pursuit arfd Capture, immediate pursuit was made for the fugitives and in time nearly all were captured. It was soon learned from the prisoners who remained within the walls that the outbreak was the result of a conspiracy entered mto by the fourteen convicts who believed the outbreak would be so general as to empty the Oregon penitentiary of prisoners, under which circumstances many of the more desperate men would be enabled to make good their escape. Great was the satisfaction at the capitol, however, when it was learned that the escape of the conspirators had been prevented; and that afternoon Governor Moody* called upon w illiam Stilwell, the trustworthy 'f^uard, and commended him for his faithfulness in prcventint^ the complete overthrow of order in the Oregon penitentiary.

' tDesiring to ascertain firom personal knowledge as to the observance of the rules goyerDhig the penitentiary at Salem, Governor Moody with two friends, onf* day in November 1884, attempted to ascend the penitentiary wall by means of a ladder. Whereupon a guard coBunaaded the Clilef ExeoutlTe to halt. The Governor persisted and the guard commanded him the second time to halt, flay" ing it was against orders to allow any one on the m -iH Governor Moody said: "Who are you?" I'll show you, if you come any further/' replied the guard who was pointing a gun In the direction of the Governor. The guard's maimer fttlly convinced the Governor that prison orders were obeyed, po tTip yearly returned to the State House. But that afternoon Superiuleudent Collins called to his Office Finley Follerton, the guard, and chlded him for holding up the Governor and his party, to which the quiet guard replied: "Hail T known it was the Governor and his party, I might have been a littio more temperate in my speech, but 1 would have held him up Jost the same/'