This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 27 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Athens Messenger
Location
Athens, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Apr 24, 1930
Page
1
Prison officials feared a planned riot as convicts and guards faced mounting tension after Monday night disaster in which 320 inmates died. Warden noted awaiting orders as hardened criminals refused to join bedlam, and new guards were to be deployed to restore control at Columbus facility.
Lucky 13 inmates among 262 prisoners housed in Gand H cellblocks survive Monday night fire. Thirteen injured in the blaze remain in the penitentiary hospital, two in critical condition but with a fighting chance for life.
1000 inmates in Sections A to D threaten a breakout as doors are forced and guards confront taunts. Warden Thomas vows precautions while 1600 prisoners refuse work. Ohio National Guard and extra civilian guards deploy as Col Haubrich and officers investigate inside.
Columbus April 24 Governor Cooper issued a 30 day reprieve to John Richard son Akron murderer sentenced to the electric chair. The Ohio Board of Clemency recommended the reprieve after a Wednesday hearing and cited the prison fire delaying routine matters.
The 18 month tariff battle will be resumed in the House next week after a White House breakfast conference set the procedural plan. The conference report will be ready Tuesday and presented to the House for debate Thursday. Participants included Hoover, Smoot, Watson, Shortridge, Hawley, Treadway, Bacharach, Longworth, McNary, Tilson, Snell, and Walter Newton.
Report notes 320 inmates burned in their cells and 157 injured as 4,300 crowded in space designed for 1,500. Guards allegedly failed to open cells while flames and smoke engulfed prisoners. Fireproof cells topped by tar paper covered wood aided the catastrophe. The piece argues law must prevent conditions that deprive life.
Editors discuss the push to humanize submarines while acknowledging the need for effective torpedo strikes. A comic Opera line quips shoot him gently, highlighting tension between humane rhetoric and battlefield realities. Continued on Page 4.
Ohio Supreme Court rules a person or firm that sells guns to a known minor bears liability for injuries the minor causes with those weapons. In three Neff Lumber Co cases, a shotgun bought years earlier by 19 year old Andy Dyken led to the killing of his mother and injuries to his father and another man, prompting damage actions by the bank and estate of Anna Dyken.
Russell E. Wilson, Lodi Township farmer, held to Athens County Common Pleas Court on shooting at Robert Perry with intent to wound. bond set at 1500. Ralph Lamborn of Gloucester fined 400 and costs for liquor possession. Andrew Pavlick fined 100 and costs. Don Dilley and Bert Fox held to common pleas on copper wire theft with bonds 500. W R Scott fined 10 and costs for reckless driving after collision with Dr. John Berry. Nelson Melligan and Darrel Hanning held or pleaded on related charges. Hanning also fined 10 and costs for fictitious license use. O A Randall fined 10 and costs for intoxication. Authorities: Constable Jonas and Constable Junod.
Belmont County Common Pleas Court dismissed two defendants when demurrers were sustained. The Court of Appeals reversed and remanded for trial. The Lumber Company appealed to the State Supreme Court, which affirmed the Appeals Court.
A social at Strouds Run School on Friday at 7 30 to raise funds for a phonograph. The event includes a pie and candy social plus a program to support the school.
Rear Admiral Richard Byrd departed Dunedin New Zealand on April 24 for Wellington then sail to New York. The voyage marks the next leg of his Antarctic expedition route with transatlantic leg scheduled from Wellington.
Guard Sgt Earl Hostetter testified that Warden P E Thoms had been warned for months to avoid entering the prison yard unless absolutely necessary. He said insiders warned the warden would be targeted first, citing past escapes and prison riots in Auburn and other cases as lessons for safety.
The Federal Farm Board approved a loan to the Dairymen's League Co operative Association for up to 4 million dollars. About 40,000 farmers across New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Vermont Massachusetts and Connecticut will fund a three year program to expand merchandising and handling facilities. Repayment is scheduled over ten years.
Montreal reports a mid winter snow and sleet storm driving temperatures below freezing and coating streets with ice. Boston endures a harsh April cold wave with a record low of 29 degrees, the coldest April 24 in 48 years, while Harrisburg records 20 degrees early today.
Pierre S. Du Pont told the House Judiciary Committee that the younger generation now one third of voters should judge the Eighteenth Amendment. He urged reporting out a repeal bill so the will of the people can be determined after ten years under a law lacking broad support.
Charles Carroll, just freed and brought to Knoxville from Columbus on house breaking charges, claims inmates from the Idle House plotted to burn the Ohio State Penitentiary three weeks ago. He says about 400 men were involved and a written note circulated. the plan failed when the note fell into the wrong hands.
Kennett Rawson a Yale freshman and son of a Chicago bank president plans to command his own two masted Gadfly in Arctic work this year He seeks Commander MacMillan's cooperation and parental approval The Gadfly purchased for Rawson by his father is a $150000 vessel built for Arctic exploration and would accompany the Bowdoin from Wiscasset Maine on June 21
About a hundred Lincoln Memorial University students resumed classes after a strike over academic freedom. Instructors ordered extra studio work to catch up while charges against leaders Clay McCarroll and Ernest Fields were dismissed. the pair remain suspended. Ill feeling lingered despite the settlement.
Eleven Athens residents paid $1 fines and many more received tickets on Wednesday during a local campaign against overtime and double parking on Court and Union Streets. New traffic signs were installed and parking zones repainted. Fines paid included W. N. Fulton J. R. Gentry Glenn Burson Kenneth Holter M. W. Burke Charles Kinney Mr. Sachs Charles Kircher H. P. Parker John DeMolet and Howard Bobo.
The giant British Dirigible 4100 was damaged at Cardington England while being moved from the hangar for a final test before its voyage to Canada. A starboard fin grazed the shed side. officers checked the fin for damage.
New York officials report fire threats in prisons are largely mitigated by modernization and fireproofing. Four state facilities Auburn Clinton and Sing Sing are replaced with fire risks removed as funds permit. Matteawan’s old laundry remains a potential fire trap with 1147 inmates. New York spends about 10 million on new prisons and a model Attica facility. Overcrowding persists at Sing Sing and statewide totals exceed capacity. Rhode Island’s granite prison is praised as a nonfire hazard after modernization.
Cleveland April 24 U R Recommendation to raze two 30 year old buildings linked to Cleveland State Hospital will be made to State Fire Marshal Ray Gill and Deputy Marshal Thomas Martinec The North and South Cottages house 240 patients and are deemed fire traps of the worst type The state welfare director would be asked to move patients and tear down the structures after Gill inspects the sites
The Bombay Stock Exchange closed after word Navsari reported Mahadev Desai Gandhi secretary was arrested. Gandhi supported minority participation in an independent India government in a Young India article. He condemned violence linked to a Muslim meeting and called it hindering independence efforts.
State Welfare Director Hal H Griswold announced 25 additional guards for the State Penitentiary in Columbus as part of security and staffing measures. In Weatherfield Connecticut the State Board of Finance and Control approved a $20000 modernization program for the state prison there in response to recent disaster concerns.
William Roper Princeton football coach testifies before the House Judiciary Committee claiming temperance preachers hesitate to send their own children to modern schools. He argues prohibition fostered disrespect for law and notes youths at Princeton are exposed to drinking. He rejects drinking himself and observes ongoing college liquor culture. Mrs Riis criticizes Prohibition as a growing failure despite efforts to close nearby speakeasies.
Sparks from a chimney at 7 Central Avenue ignited a small roof blaze Tuesday night at 10 05. Athens Fire Department extinguished the fire before it gained headway. Property owned by Charles Fire Chief Laughlin valued at about 6 dollars in damage estimates.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.