Jerry Myles Life In Prison

709 Words3 Pages

There is a handful of haunted places in Montana such as Bannack, and the Little Bighorn Battlefield, but the one that sticks out the most is the old territorial prison located in Deer Lodge, Montana. Many ghosts haunt the halls. Don’t believe in them? This place will still send chills up your spine. The living conditions of this prison was repulsive. The average cell block consisted of a toilet, a cabinet, a mirror, two cots, a peep hole, and sometimes a sink. Inmates received two buckets every day. One for waste, and the other for drinking water. There were showering rooms that inmates could use once a week to clean themselves. In 1890, the living conditions were horrible. They had no running water or toilets for the inmates and guards. …show more content…

He aimed to "change this reputed hellhole into a model institution that would be the envy of every prison in America”(Inbody). Jerry Myles, a powerful con boss, didn’t approve of Powell's plan. “Jerry Myles had been in prison for about 25 of his 45 years. More interested in gaining power in prison than in living outside the walls, Myles stalked young men for sex, earned the nickname ‘Little Hitler’ for his remorseless domination of the prison and "had he not been a psychopath, he might have been a scholar"(Schwab). He was more interesting in gaining power inside the walls than living a life of freedom outside the walls. Myles and his boyfriend, Lee Smart, started the riot of 1959. “Myles carefully planned the riot and his escape. Another prisoner tossed gasoline on a guard, and Myles lit a torch made from a mop and thrust it at the drenched guard, who surrendered his key and rifle. He was taken prisoner”(Inbody). “The riot began about 3:30 p.m. on April 16, 1959, when afternoon shift guards started rotating out of the prison to the guard’s dining room at the back of what is now the museum gift shop”(Schwab). Myles, Smart, and a few other prisoners took a total of 26 hostages. This included Powell, two teachers, a cook, one of Powell’s office assistants, and a few guards. Lee Smart took control of a 30-30 rifle and ammunition from one of the guards he captured. Then, he made his way over to the Inside