Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-01-23
SEVEN KILLED, THREE WOUNDED
Mutiny at Oklahoma State Penitenf-
ary.-JOhn r. Thomas One Of
the Victims.

tCtnVOfl DItWNtH anu y VIII
the result that seven people were
killed and three wounded. The dead:
PAT OATS, assistant deputy war
den.
II. c. GODFREY, guard.
II. II. DRovER, superintendent of
Bertillon department.
JOHN r. THOMAS of Muskogee,
former United States District and
Circuit Judge of Western District Of
Indian Territory.
CHINA REED, who was sentenced
to two years for horse larceny.
TOM LANE, of Pauls Valley, who
was sentenced to five years for forg-
cry.
CHARLIE KOONTS Of Commanche
County, who was sentenced to Forty
years for manslaughter
The wounded are: Jack Martin,
turnkey, shot through the cheek; C.
L. Wood, guard, shot through the
arm; Mary Foster, telepone girl, shot
through limb.
A telephone message to the sheriffs
office and the police station brought
the first news that there was a NUT
my at the prison and to send all Of
ficers available. Later came news of
the killing and the pursuit OF three
prisoners who had escaped. The sher-
iffs officers and number of other
armed men were rushed to the pris-
on, for 1t had been reported that $50
prisoners had gotten through the
walls.
The prisoners were being returned
from their work to their cells when /
Reed, Lane and Koonts, who had been |
woking in the tailor shop, went to /
the storeroom to turn in their days |
work.
They approached the back door of !
the corridor in the administration |
building and told the turnkey, Jack |
Martin, that they wanted to see the
parole officer. He opened the dooF
and Reed fired at him with a six
shooter, shot him through the cheek
and took from him his keys.
The three prisoners started toward
the warden's office, met Pat Oates,
the assistant deputw warden, who saw
they were armed. and guard rushed
shotgun to him from the front tow
err
Before he could get it into action,
Reed had shot him through the heart,
AT this time a random shot pass
ed through door into the office of
II. Il, Drover, Bertillon officer, kill !
ing him,
Rushing to the next office room, the
prisoners encountered F. c. Godfrey,
a guard, and killed him.
Judge John R. Thomas, a leading !
citizen of Muskogee, was sitting in
chair in the office, where ne had gone
on business, and without a word Of
warning he was shot dying instantly.
Then the three men. Reed and
Lane having six-shooters, grabbed
Miss Mary Foster, the telephone girl,
and turned the switchboard of the
telephone exchange over, trying 70
disconnect it, and carried her into the
yards. holding her before them TO keen
the guards from shooting
In this manner they made their
way through the yard with the keys,
opened the front gate and got through
the wall In some manner the young
woman was shct while passing
the yard
The prisoners threw her down and
ran to Warden Dicks buggy which
was hitched in front of the gate.
Jumping into the vehicle, they drove
east The guards outside the wall
and on the farm saw them and jump
ing on their horses, pursued them.
There was running gun fight, with
the result that the three prisoners
were shot dead in the buggy. 1t was
said that one guard fired the three
shots that killed the three convicts,
never missing shot
While the shooting was going on
and the prisoners were trying to es-
cape, all of the 1.5OO prisoners were
ssceaming and about 80 in the yard
mutinied and promised trouble, but
we're suppressed by the guards.
The dead were removed to city
nlorgues and the wounded sent to a
hospital. BY $50 o'clock all the pris-