The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-11-30
BY CONNECTS.
MISSOURI PRISONERS DESPER-
ATE ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE.
Shot Guards at Michigan City Peni.
tertiary and Use Dynamite on Gates
Street Battle Follows, in Which the
Felons Arc Captured.


Five convicts. heavily armed, who
made a desperate attempt to escape
from the penitentiary at Jefferson City,
Mo-, shooting down the prison officers
who stood in their way, were captured
after q spirited battle with guards in
the streets. In their dash from the
prison Enclosure they wrecked with dy-
Mantle a heavy steel gate and forced a
passing wagon to aid them in fight,
using the teamster as a shield from the
bullets of their pursuers. Two of the
prison officials are dead and a third is
badly wounded. Two of the ~convicts
were severely wounded before they
were captured and one died later.
Warden Mat w. Hall, Yardmaster
Porter Gilvin and five prison guards
departed Friday morning for Leaven-
worth, Kan, on a special train, con-
veying seventy-one federal prisoners,
who are being transferred from the
eminent prison at Fort L~eavenwOrth,
and it is believed this fact had much
to do with the outbreak.
There had not been the slightest
warning of any trouble within the pris-
on walls, when suddenly Vaughn, Ray
were working in close proximity to
the prison gate, inside the Enclosure, as
If by Il given signal, made a rush for
| the gate. From their pockets they
drew pistols. Rushing past the gate.
they entered Deputy Warden Sees Of
fee and shot him as he sat in his
| chair. He sank back and was unable
to resist them.
Instantly they returned to the gate
and met Gateman John Clay, who had
been alarmed by the shots. Before he
| could raise his weapon he was shot
dead. Allison, who was attracted by
| the shooting, was the next victim. He
was shot through the head and died
almost instantly. Then. as if to sig
nal the convicts generally that the at
tempt to escape had been started. the
| convicts seized the bell rope hanging
| by the gate and began ringing the
! bell.
Gateman Clay had left the wagon
gate ajar, and four of the convicts
rushed through, dragging his body
| with them, slammed the gate shut and
| fastened it on the inside. They were
then in the wagon entrance to the peni-
Tertiary, the passage being about forty
feet long by fifteen feet wide, and
| leading to the public street through an
other double gate of steel. This out
| side gate was locked. but the cOnvicts
were deferred only for a moment. Plac-
ing dynamite under the outside gate,
they blew an opening through the mas
| siye steel doors big enough for a car
| riage and before the smoke had clear
| ed they had dashed through a number
of ''trusty'' convicts working in the
| street and ran madly for twelve blocks.
| Zeigler, it was found, had failed to
leave the penitentiary walls.
Battle in the Streets.
Almost before the four escaping con-
| victs had covered the distance of one
block the prison officials. heavily arm
ed, were in pursuit, shooting as they
| ran. Pedestrians jumped behind trees.
ran into houses and crouched down
behind any cover that presented a ref
| uge. Those living in houses along the
line Of fight. alarmed by the shooting.
rushed out to ascertain the cause.
Women screamed and fed precipitate-
ly. while the majority of men seized
weapons and joined the prison officials
in the pursuit. A desperate fear gave
| speed to the convicts and they outran
their p%ursuers.
Near the Missouri Pacific Railway
| depot they came upon a wagon being
driven by Orville Lane. Jumping into
| this wagon. they seized Lane and held
| him as a shield from the bullets of
| their pursuers. One onvict lashed the
| horse into a run. The wild ride was
| of short duration. however. as another
| posse. consisting of city police. aug
mented by citizens. appeared in front
of them, and. seeing that further flight
was cut off, they stopped the horse and
made a asst stand.
Lane was thrown to the bottom of
the wagon. and. crouching over him,
shielding themselves to the best pos
sible advantage behind the sides OF
the vehicle. they opened fire on their
pursaers. The prison officials shouted
to them to surrender or they would be
shot dead. Their only reply was a
volley from their revolvers.
Then followed one of the most dos
perate street battles that ever tOSk
place in the annals of escaping con
victs in Jefferson City. The men in
the posse jumped behind trees and
shot with telling effect, splintering the
wagon. and finally putting a bullet
through one of the convicts, who fel
to the ground. Then, seeing that fur
Their resistance was, useless, the con
victs surrendered. With a rush the
officials closed around the wagon, pre-
pared to shoot to the death If the sur
render was a ruse. But no resistance
was offered.
1t was found that Vaughan ant
Blake were suffering from bulle
wounds. Driver Lane and Ryan ant
Raymond were injured. The convict.
were Immediately taken back to thu
penitentiary, where the wounded were
given medical attention, while the I'm
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