The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-01-20

the inner door, don't go in there;
they've got guns" Il have too re-
piled Oates, and as the men, after
struggle with the turnkey. started to
close the door lesd.ns to the inner
offices, oates fired, but missed. .f
The return fire instantly kille.. Mr..
Drover in the rear of the but ing.
Kuntz fired at Godfrey, killing him
instantly. Judge Thomas, who had
been sitting in the warden's Office
rose and was shot and instantly kill
ed by Reed.
Oates ran into the Bertillon room
after exchanging five shots through
the door to reload his pistol. He
started to leave to enter the office
again and left his pistol lying on the
table which was handed to him pe-
fore he had gained the door. Teie-
nhones were not working and oates
called through the door and sum-
moned guards but the prisoners nav
inp the kew, he was unable to admit
them He was handed shotgun from
| the arsenal, but 1t was empty. He
stood in the direct line of fire and
called for cartridges and received
them.
T w Casteel. a prisoner, stood at
tho door and notified Oates they
were coming. Oates stood IN front
Of tho door with his gun leveled, but
the turnkey grabbed the shotgun
telling him they had the woman III
front of them. oates then lett anu
ran down the hallway to the slde
door entrance and met Reed almost
at the door. Willing to give the man,
then a murderer, a chance for his
life. and having the drop on him.
Oates told him, Reed, you drop that
gun The prisoner, looking over
Gates shoulder, saw the turnkey
standing with gun leveled at the
him and Just turned his head and
fired, killing Oates instantly.
Use Two as Shields
The prisoners then came out the
front door and Lane and Reed
brandishing a gun held before them
Miss Mary Foster Kuntz. unarmed
helf Frank II. Rice, the parole offlcer
who had both hands tied up. HIS
hands were behind him. C. B. WOODS
guard, rushed up 70 them as they
unlocked the gate and stood re"
feet from the men and fired two
shots, which were returned Instantly
bv both men, one shot striking the
officer in the right arm, the other in
the left shoulder.
Kuntz had been wounded in the
i fight in the inner office, presumably
bv Deputy Oates. but assisted by the
others. all three passed out the gate
and levelled revolver at two guards
in the elevated tower in front OF the
penitentiary, used as an arsenal
Roth men threw up their hands, be
ing unable to fire on account OF the
girl and parole officer, both OF whom
we're being held in front of the con-
victs, and were forced to jump to the
Pavement, leaving their guns in the
tower.
The prisoners, still using the CIR
as protection, got in the buggy ano
drove Off across the prison farm. II
was a half mile from the prison that
the three convicts were killed. r. j
Richie. keeper of bloodhounus
mounted, was the first to overtake
them. A crack marksman, he shot
Reed in the forehead as he looked
| back around the body Of Miss Foster
The shot barely missed the girl
cheek, but was deadly in its aim, anu
she and Reed fell from the buggy
together Two more shots in quick
succession finished Kuntz, who was
already wounded, and killed Lane.
Richie was not even wounded.
| Judge Thomas wa. mere to confer
with a client Frank Haikey, charged
with murder. He was former fed-
eral Judge at Muskogee, former con :
gressman from Illinois, and member
of the Oklahoma code commission
which assisted in preparing the
Harris Day code of laws.
1t was a well laid plan, executed by
desperate convicts, who exhibited an
unlimited amount of nerve and Judg-
ment, which led Monday afternoon
TO the daring attempt at escape on
the part of three prisoners and the
death of seven persons at the Okla
homa state penitentiary, in the opin-
ion of Frank H. Rice of Oklahoma
City, parole clerk of the penitentlary,
who was in the center of Ict-Y-.y
from beginning to end.
Rice saw every one of the seven