'It was just pandemonium.' Violence quickly erupts during 1978 prison riot

(This is the second in a three-part series looking at the Pontiac Correctional Center riot on July 22, 1978, through the eyes of PCC guards Tom Bailey, Richard Jones, Terry Norgaard and Dan Ramsey, and Al Lindsey of the Illinois State Police, who were all inside the walls at some point during that day.)

There really didn't seem to be much different about this particular Saturday morning. Like the other days of the week, July 22, 1978, was a warm one with high humidity. Townspeople were out and about as their day's activities were starting. This included a shopping event that was taking place in downtown Pontiac.

However, something was brewing a few blocks away at the southwest corner of Lincoln and Division streets in the city's south side.

Chaos breaks out

Although the warning signs had been visible, they weren't really being recognized that Saturday morning. Correctional Officer Tom Bailey said in a recent interview that what was taking place leading up to that fateful hour that rumors of something happening floated around all the time. He said it was like the boy who cried wolf.

More: Signs of impending problems were visible before 1978 Pontiac Correctional Center riot

At about 9:45 that morning, the wolf showed up for real.

Bailey said he was in the dining room tower with inmates from the West Cellhouse, but none of the inmates were eating. Because of this, the lieutenant on duty took the inmates back to the cellhouse early rather than get the inmates from the North Cellhouse inside.

The South Cellhouse inmates were in the chapel watching a movie and they were getting ready to move when chaos broke out while inmates from the North Cellhouse were being brought in from the yard.

“I didn't get see much but I do know (the dining room officer) went over to the door of the North house after it kicked off and he looked through this little port (in the door) and he said there were two officers down, but he couldn't tell who they were,” Bailey said.

The first two victims were recorded. Lt. William Thomas, 49, of Saunemin, and Correctional Officer Robert Conkle, 22, of Graymont. A third victim, Stanley Cole, 47, of Pontiac, died soon after as all three were murdered in the first minutes of the outbreak.

“I credit Danny Bounds from saving South house because prisoners didn't get in,” Bailey said.

Three guards were also seriously injured in the first few minutes. Dale Walker was hit with baseball bat and stabbed several times. It was said that a blanket was placed over him because the inmates thought he was dead. He survived his wounds.

Danny Dill was stabbed several times and left for dead. He, too, survived.

Sharon Patchett was escorting a prisoner from South Cellhouse when she was attacked. She was brought into dining room and placed at Tower 9 before eventually being taken to the hospital. She gave a phone interview to the Daily Leader the following evening.

“I'm extremely lucky,” she told The Leader. “I kept expecting to get stabbed, but the group that hit me evidently didn't have any weapons.”

Chaos moves outside

In a short amount of time, most of the activity made its way outside. By this time, word had gotten out that something was taking place inside the prison.

“I was off duty, but I heard some radio traffic about the prison,” Al Lindsey said. “I went to the sally port and met Donny Trent, the other trooper. He had gone to the gatehouse, and they wouldn't let him in. They called for state police assistance, but they wouldn't let Donny in because he had a gun."

Lindsey called district headquarters before going home and changing into uniform. There were 13 ISP troopers and the prison's fire truck there when he arrived. Fires were already raging inside the prison.

Lindsey said there was a major lack of communication.

“There are 13 of us there and we're hearing there are guards down,” Lindsey said. “We didn't know what building they were in, we didn't know how we could get to them, but we thought we had to do something. There are a thousand inmates loose in that yard. We're seeing a forklift, we're seeing them knock down doors to captain's quarters, the commissary, all that.”

Lindsey said the trooper's finally went in to find the guards but couldn't go any further into the yard due to the number of inmates.

"We had sidearms and shotguns except for (Jimmy) Kennedy, he had the rifle. We took everything we could carry round wise. We had pockets full of ammunition.”

The troopers went in with Kennedy on top of the truck and six troopers walking on each side. Inside, the troopers saw looting and mass confusion, Lindsey said.

“Once we got up there, it was them and us looking at each other,” Lindsey added. “We didn't know if they were going to come at us or not. For some reason, by the grace of God, they moved back toward the admin building on the north end of the yard. … I don't know if it was the shotguns and the rifle, I don't know. They were cowards, obviously.”

The armed troopers were able to move toward the administration building where many of the inmates had gathered.

“There were hedgerows and they got on one side, and we were on the other,” Lindsey said. “It was a standoff. There was still only 13 of us until the troops started arriving. The cavalry started finally coming. They came in in groups, which further agitated (the inmates).”

One of the unbelievable factors of this day was how fast the uprising blew up and then calmed down. From the initial eruption to the time things were settling down was less than three hours.

“It's so surrealistic to see all those inmates like they were and those fires raging,” Lindsey said. “It was just pandemonium. It was unbelievable to see.”

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Zero hour: Violence erupts quickly during 1978 prison riot in Pontiac