The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-22
DARING CONV|CTS
MAKE AN ESCAPE
Five Serving Life Terms for
Train Robbery Break From
Federal Prison.

LEAVENWORTH. Kan, April III
Two of the six convicts who escapcc
from the federal penitentiary at Fort
Leaveuworth today by seizlng a sw1tcf
engine and threatening the prison
guards with dummy rcgolycrs, made
of wood, are being sought tonight by
posse OF forty armed guards and scores
Of citizens Four of tho conyicts were
recaptured after Il few hours of lib
crty.
The men who got away, Theodore
Murdock and Frank Grigware. are sup
posed to be in A wooded section known
as HUM S valley, six miles west OF the
fort. Between them they are said to
have one gun. taken from a sentry, but
practically no ammunition. Their cap
turc is looked for hourly.
In solitary confinement tonight are
the four who failed to elude the search
started when the roaring blast of the
prison siren whistle announced there
had been jail delivery. These are
Thomas Rating, Arthur Hewett, Rob
ert Clark and John Gideon.
Murdock S escape was not noted un.
til the calling of the prison roll dis
closed his absence. All but Murdock
are serving life sentences. Murdock
was sent up from Chicago for counter
feiting,
Farmers for miles around are Joining
In the hunt for the two convicts still
at large in the hope of getting re-
ward
The break for liberty was made about
S clock,
Two of the convicts were at work in
the carpenter shop and the others were
in the tailor shop. A Union Pacific
switch engine had backed into the pris-
on yard. At the sound or the whistle
the men dashed into the yard and made
toward the engine, Lcveling dummy
guns at the enginecI, the men climbed
into the cab and compelled him to re-
verse his engine
The engine with the convicts aboard
rushed through the west gate into the
open country and soon was speeding to-
ward the woods.
Alarm Is Sounded.
When the escape became known q
few moments later the siren whistle at
the prison was sounded as warning to
farmers TO be on the lookout The
whistle may be heard for miles and its
use caused CONSERVATION.
At the same time heavily armed
guards were thrown around the gates TO
while others started IN pursuit.
When the engine had reached a point
SIX miles from the prison the FIVE men
lcaped to the ground and made for the
woods. Clark and Gideon separated
from the others and soon were captured.
Then every available guard, led by
Deputy Warden Lemon, started after
the other three men. A half mile fur
ther on the trio were surrounded in the
NJ cho, l,,I
either side mp to clock, when the
guards began TO close in on tho con.
vcts. Although the convicts are all
desperate men II was believed their only
weapons were guns made of wood and
painted In the carpenter shop.
Fake weapons taken from Clark and
Gideon had been ingeniously made. Even
the cylinders showed imitation bullets
protrudlng.
One Guard Resists.
When the men made their dash for llb
erty they covered Harry Reed a guard.
with their guns and forced him TO en-
Ter the engine cab, With them. But one
vicinity. He rushed up and struck Katlng
over the head. causing a wound from
which blood flowed freely. Kating was
only stunned and running after his con-
iederates. he scrambled into the engine
just as IL was getting under way The
guards inside the prison do not carry
weapons.
kating was employed for five years as
an engineer on the Lake Shore and he
assumed the leadership when the engine
started. lie directed Charles Curtain. rho
engineer, to throw her wide opcn" and
told Fireman Miilard Heeter to shovel
coal as he had never shoveled before
When the engine had arrived at "A point
SIX miles northwest or the prison where
the road was skirted on both sides bv
heavy timber, the engineer and fireman
were instructed to kill" the engine Then
the desperadoes forced the engine crew TO
disrobe and two Of the convicts appropriat-
ed their garments, The men started 10
force the guard TO disrohe also but Hew
itt said enough time had already been
wasted and the men plunged into the
woods
The trainmen then fred the engine and
rushed II back.
Clark and Gideon were placed In soil
tary confinement when returned to the
prison.
Hewitt, Hating and Clark were leaders
In the nlutiny at the prison here on No
Ycmber {, 1901. when one guard and one
prisoner were killed and two guards
wounded. and they We're serving life SEN
tences for murder in connection with that
ofense. Hewitt was the ringleader In
that mutiny,
Grigware was serving life sentence
for his participation in the robbery OF a
Union Pacific train near Omaha In No
vember 1909.
Gideon was serving life sentence for
the robbery Of a Northern Pacific mail
train In Idaho in 1905.