This day in history: Guards storm penitentiary in Walla Walla following two inmate uprisings

From 1974: A squad of 25 specially trained guards stormed the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla to put down two separate uprisings by inmates.

One uprising occurred in the prison hospital. Two knife-wielding inmates burst into the hospital and took doctors and nurses prisoner. Flying glass injured a nurse and several other hostages.

The other uprising was in a cellblock, in which three guards were held hostage. The inmates presented a list of grievances about disciplinary rules and medical care.

The prison superintendent and inmates engaged in “a dramatic face-to-face confrontation,” after which all 13 hostages were released.

Shortly after that, the guards stormed the buildings and regained control.

From 1924: A train was rolling through Spokane when the engineer and fireman saw an alarming sight.

“We were rounding a curve coming into Fourteenth Avenue when I caught a glimpse of a man on the track walking toward us,” the fireman said. “The old fellow seemed to have his head up and walking very slowly. We were right on top of him before we saw him and could not stop.”

The man died instantly. He was clad only in shirt, trousers and bedroom slippers.

Authorities could find nothing to identify him, other than a large tattoo of a heart, inscribed with the date 1861 and the letters “PS.”

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1775: The American Continental Army, led by Richard Montgomery, is defeated trying to take the British stronghold of Quebec City in the American Revolutionary War during the Battle of Quebec.