Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-11-30
DESPERATE DASH
FOR FREEDOM
Four Convicts In the Missouri Pen.
itentiary Become Murderers.
ONE OF THE QUARTETTE DEAD
n Others lave to Answer For the
Lives of Officers Clay and ALI
son, Whom They Killed In
Their Attempt +.

Jefferson City, No., Nov. 26.-Convict
Charles Blake, on his deathbed, would
only moan. "You don't know us, I'll
never TELL" in answer to Gov. Folks
artful coaxing, and this is all the au-
thcrities have learned in their efforts
to fix responsibility for the amazing
dash of Blake and his pals from the
p~eIitentiary, armed with r%evolvers and
bottles of nitroglycerin, which cost the
lives of Capt. E. Allison and John W.
Clay of the prison guards, and later the
life of Blake. The governor was fol-
lowed by the penitentiary officials at
Blake's bedside, and for four hours
they pleaded and threatened, or offered
immunity for a confession.
Ccnnivance and assistance by some
attache of the prison is strongly sus-
pected, and it has been learned that,
probably through this means, four As
caliber revolvers, 100 cartridges ami
two half-pint bottles of nitroglycerin
were passed to the convicts.
Warden Hall said, II know little OF
the details, having been away. l am to.
tally at a loss to know how these men
got hold of nitroglycerin. l do not
think the plot was long being Matched,
or we would have got an inkling of it,
AS for the nitroglycerin, it is possible
to smuggle anything excepting a can
non into any state penitentiary, so long
as it is the right of the public to go
through penal institutions, and OF
friends to visit the prisoners"
Outbreak Cost Three Lives.
The outbreak cost the lives Of Guards
E. Allison and John w. Clay and OF
Convict Blake. Deputy Warden r. E.
See, Prison Officer ]. G. Young and
Corvicts Vaughan and Charles Ray
mond were wounded.
story of Desperate Break.
All was quiet in the prison. The four
eonvicts suddenly made a dash across
the dead line and ran into the warden's
Office, where was Deputy Warden R. p.
See. He drew a revolver, but was shot
in the right hand, left arm and side be-
fore he could use it. The convicts
picked up See, and made him give the
signal to open the inner wagon gate.
Guard Clay opened the gate, and was
Immediately riddled with bullets. Capt.
Allison appeared, and was instantly
killed.
The outer gate was blown with nitro
glycerir, and the convicts fled to the
Missouri Pacific station, amid a fusil-
lade of bullets from prison guards and
citizens. Houck McHenry, an express
man, was forced to whip up his horses,
and the party started through the town
in the wagon. With policemen and
guards IN pursuit, the wild ride con-
tinued. The convicts in the wagon shot
at passersby, and at residents who ap-
peared vt windows and doors.
Raymond was shot and fell from the
wagon.
AS the wagon reached the Madison
hotel, George Walthers, Gerhart Gre
velt and Leonard Green attempted to
stop the horses. Green grasped the
bride reins. Vaughn shit at him but
missed. Vaughn then leaped from the
wagon and attacked Green, who
clinched with the convict and took
away his revolver. Vaughn then sur
rended. Meanwhile Walthers and Gre
volt had subdued Ryan.
The convicts were taken back to the
penitentiary, to where the wounded
Raymond and Blake had already been
removed.
Citizens Are Worried.
Great uneasiness prevails among the
citizens here. 1t is feared that there
are more explosives inside the peniten-
tiary walls than were used by the con-
victs in their desperate dash for lib
erty. While Warden Hall is regarded
as a good man in all the relations OF
life, it is said that under his kindly
rule discipline has grown very lax at
the states prison.
Vaughn a Desperate Man,
Harry S. Vaughn, the train robber,
who led the outbreak, is a desperate
man and handy with a gun. He was
- member Of the Norris Vaughn-Ro
nauer gang. In a battle with these
three desperadoes in st. Louis on Octo-
Der 21, 1904, three detectives and two
Of the robbers were killed or fatally
wounded.
Saved Life BY Ruse.
Deputy Warden See says he saved his
life by a ruse. when l was shot in the
side I cried You've murdered mel and
then fell. They thought me dead, but
d few moments later I was In the thick
Of the fray. Had it not been for this
little trick they would have shot me
again, and, perhaps, l would not bs
here to tell the tale"
Yiddish Author Dead.
New York., Nov. 26.-Nahun Neir