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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

C.O.885

3 PUBLIC

RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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in force in these same buildings when they were occupied as barracks by Indian convicts. But as the system of penal management has been but very recently made the special object of inquiry, and both legislative and administrative measures had been taken upon it, I fear that I have been induced to trust too much to what had already been done.

7. My apprehension, too, especially of combination amongst the large number, had been to some extent dissipated by the assurances I had received from the former Superin- tendent, Mr. C. B. Waller, that on any attempt of the Ind, intimation from some Accom. plice or informer would be sure to find its way to him; and the late Superintendent, Mr. Dent, must have to some extent inherited this feeling, as it was only a short time since that be declined the services of a European-Chinese linguist, whom it was proposed to engage as a detective warder amongst the Chinese prisoners.

8. It is, of course, difficult in similar cases to these to assign any immediate cause for the outbreak, and, perhaps, in this instance, it would be premature to do so until the But it cannot be doubted that the temptations to present inquiry has been terminated. similar catastrophes are always enhanced when any neglect by the warders to carry arms exists; and it is to be regretted that a rule ordering the warders invariably to wear revolvers on duty had not been more uniformly enforced, but it appears, unfortunately had been allowed to fall into desuetude from an apprehension on the part of the prison authorities that the subordinate officials might be too ready to use their fire-arms without sufficient cause.

9. And, indeed, as a proof of the false security felt in the prison, it was only at a recent surprise visit to the gaol that 1 remarked to the late Superintendent that when the convicts had been assembled for the infliction of punishment, the military guard had not been paraded under arms, as should invariably be the case under such circumstances.

I have, &c. (Signed)

Inclosure 1 in No. 58.

A. CLARKE.

Report on the Outbreak in the Criminal Prison, Singapore, February 13, 1875.

ON the 13th February, 1875, at 5 P.M., during evening meal, the outbreak occurred among the lower and middle grade men. They were seated in the shed nearest to the The whole number of these grades was 389, the number in this shed 280, and

entrance.

of these about 60 took part in the attack.

The first blow was struck by a prisoner near the centre of the shed, who hit Warder Sandford between the eyes with a hatchet partly concealed by his sleeve. Then a number of men (all Chinese) rose and cried " Tal ! tah!” (“strike!") and set upon Warders Sand- ford and Burton (in charge of the middle grade). Mr. Dent, who was standing inside the shed at the time of the attack on the warder, went to his assistance, and was struck in the back with a chisel and knocked down by several prisoners. Warders Sandford and Burton were also thrown down and beaten with sticks and various weapons. The other warders on duty in the prison were Warders Clark, Savage, Redding, and Capel, all of whom came to Mr. Dent's assistance, but were unable to rescue him or to seize any of the gang. Mr. Dent had only an umbrella (it was raining), and the European warders had heavy walking sticks. All of them were more or less hurt, Mr. Dent (since dead) and Warder Sandford most seriously. Some of the prisoners had armed themselves with the “kunda" Some had hatchets, chisels, iron bars and sticks used in carrying in the buckets of food. pointed rods, apparently brought away from the mechanic's work-yard, or obtained from the rattan work-shed in the main yard. The pointed bars and rods are believed to have been propared for the purpose; sledge hammers were also procured by breaking open the store rooms near the Upper Grade Ward.

The gaoler was discharging* prisoners at the time, and knew nothing of what was happening until Warder Capel came running into the Superintendent's office at the main entrance, and said a lot of men bad escaped over the wall. This only occurred after the gang had made for the work yard.

The Gaoler took his revolver from his desk and followed Mr. Capel outside, where he saw the prisoners on the road, and immediately pursued them. He says that had he known what was going on inside, he should have gone in that direction and not to the gate; but He did not return till 5.30 P.M., when the he imagined it was merely a case of escape.

Sunday's discharges being made on Saturday evening.

whole disturbance was over. prisoners.

Ile succeeded, however, securing five of the escaped

The Chief Warder (Mr. Lamb) was in the European yard at the time, and bearing Apothecary Tallent, then engaged in visiting the cells, call out something in an excited tone of voice, he went out, and when he saw that there was a disturbance, took out the baton kept in his room near the ward door for such a contingency, and distributed them among the European prisoners. He then called upon the soldiers among their number to follow him, leaving the sailors as a guard to protect the gate. He met Mr. Dent. bleeding, and supported by two prisoners, and saw several of the sub-warders (transmarine) near the drill shed also injured. As he passed Mr. Dent said, “ Go on.'

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The gang at his approach ran off to the inner gate leading into the work yard, and the gate-keeper made-off. He was, unfortunately, not placed on the safe side. The gang turned on getting through the gate, but Mr. Lamb and the European prisoners forced their way through the gate. Two of the regimental guard (Her Majesty's 10th) had joined them as they crossed the main yard.

It

The gang then separated in the work yard, some getting ladders from among the lumber in this yurd, and setting them against the wall, others breaking open the drawers and the boxes in the carpenter's shed, and arming themselves with the heavy tools. was at this juncture that the escapes took place through the grounds of the French church. The warders and Europeans having found themselves unable to cope with the gang while Shortly after this the stand of rifles placed armed only with sticks, had retired to the gate.

in the guard-room inside the main gate against such a contingency were brought up and distributed (Mr. Lamb had sent two European prisoners for them), and then the European soldiers, both guard and prisoners, loaded by Mr. Lanh's orders, and, as he states, to prevent escapes, he at once ordered them to fire.

The first shot had previously been tired from the rifle of one of the military guard. The man had been wounded, and Mr. Lamb had given his rifle to a European prisoner to fire at a prisoner in the act of escaping.

When the prisoners opened fire generally, there were about 35 of the gang remaining in the work-yard. Of these 14 were killed on the spot and 18 wounded, 3 being secured unhurt. The soldiers kept together, but the Chinamen were scattered about, attempting to escape at the middle road gate, and at both the extreme corners of the yard.

Before the firing began the Chinamen fought desperately. One of them attacked the soldier mentioned above, another turned upon Warder Lamb, who had slipped down, and threatened his life with an axe, till despatched by prisoner Felton with a blow from his baton; another hid himself in a privy, and would not permit himself to be seized alive. It is said that only two men appealed for merey, and both were saved.

i

Mr. Lamb' states that towards the end of the affair his party got separated, and were not completely under his control; several sailor and civilian prisoners had also joined' them, otherwise he would have stopped the firing carlier.

He found the The whole affair was over when the Gaoler returned at 5:30 r.M. prisoners of the upper grade, the short-sentence men and the revenue prisoners, together with those of the middle and lower grades who had not joined the gang, sitting quietly, to the number of about 450 men, in their proper places. He states that at the time he could not see a single warder or native sub-warder looking after them, except a wounded trans- marine on the ground. All the Europeans were either in pursuit of escaped prisoners or with Mr. Lamb's party. It is not satisfactorily explained where all the native sub-warders had gone.

The total number of killed, wounded and escaped are as follows:—

Killed-

In the gal

Of those who escaped.

Wounded-

In the gnol (slightly)

(severely)

Of those who escaped (slightly)

1+

(severely)

Escaped (not yet recaptured)

Captured unhurt

:::::::

14

9

9

16

3

S

5

A great number (said to be 25 in all) actually got outside the gaol, but most of them were secured at once, and only 3 are found to be missing.

Of the 9 severely wounded, 3 have died already, and others are not expected to survive.

There does not appcar to have been the slightest suspicion among the prison officers

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