Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-20
SEVEN killed N
PRISON AlJ1'I|I
r. SN aASs
osciAlso1aA coMvIcro
zcuRE ARlao AND MAks
BREAK ron LisgRrX.
'4oor DOWN sgvgRAL
ouARps AND OFFICIALS

nsss-Ossd Telephone olei rOe ohisld
and Attsmpt 70 Essass In 0ussy--
All Three Shet 70 osath BY Pursusre
McAlister. Okla. Jan. Quiet
prevailed today at the state psuitsn.
tiary. whore last night seven person,
lost their lives during . battle be-
| tween guards ana three convicts who
attempted to escape Bodies OF three
prison employees shot down and those
OF three convicts wsre In the prison
morsue. while In tho city few miles
distance tho body Of Judge John II.
Thomas OF Muskogea, . visitor It the
prison. killed by convicts bullet.
| awaited final preparation for shipment
to relAtives.
Dssd and Wounded.
In tho prison hospital suffering from
bullet wounds wsre Miss Mary Foster.
telephone operator at the prison: John
Martin. turnkey. and C. L wooi,
guard
The bodies OF n. II. Drove,. head OF
the Bertillion department: Patrick
Oates. assistant deputy warden. and r.
c. Godfrey. . guaxd. were held FOR
word from relatives - 10 their dispo.
! sition.
Pistols 0musolsd In.
Pistols smuggied into the prison and
reaching tho hands of Charles Xoonts.
China Reed and Tom Lane. the COM
victs who were killed In their dash for
| liberty. wero tho cause OF tho tragedy.
Today Warden w. w. Dick contin-
ued tho searching Investigation 60 dis
! cover tho means by which the weapons
came within the walls. Word came
from Oklahoma City that = special
committee might be named 70 make an.
Investigation Of tho affair.
Thrss Break Sor Liberty.
Armed with their pistols. Reed Lane
and Koontz. when labor ended for tho
day In tho tailor shop where they
were employed. made their way thru q
basement store room and up . dark
stairway 20 the entry room of the
main building. There stood John Mar-
tin. the turnkey. but bsfors he ssAl-
ICED what the presence OF the men
meant q shot passed thru his cheek.
| Quickly the men secured his hsy1.
with . shout to the other pris.
oners to Join them the three rushed
forward. Oates. the assistant warden.
was in their path. Reed shot him thru
the heart. Near the door OF the
warden's office sat Judge Thomas. who
was waiting TO sec Warden Dick on
business.
Judge Thomas Brutality Murdered.
Boys. am an innocent bystander.
Just hero on private business" the
Judge called as he sprang to his feet
and put up his hands. In reply camo
shot from the convicts. He died i'm
mediately. Another shot wounded
Wood. a guard.
Miss Foster, tho telephone operator.
then came in for attention from the
three. With An oath they overturned
the switchboard. hoping to disconnect
the wires. s.,
BY this time the greatest excitement
was sweeping thru the prison. Con-,
victs were shouting and guards were
shooting as they ran about to quell the
outbreak.
Use Girl 40 Shield.
Cringing as the rifles Of tho guards
cracked from various quarters the
three convicts hesitated. then went
toward the gate, dragging Miss Foster
with them.
Carrying her rs shield the three
huddlef behind her as they rushed
from the building.
Godfrey, one OF the guards. attempt.
ed TO halt them. He was shot to death.
The bullet went wild thru the door
Of the office OF Drover. the Bertiilon
expert. and killed that official. shot
from q guard hit Miss Foster in the
leg.
Shot 70 Death by Guards.
Reaching the gate the convicts drop
ped their burden after unlocking tho
Av,A ~
thru the gates. They seized . buggy
and went down the road at break-neck
speed. Guards followed on horses and
the fight which followed became des.
perate.
Bullet after bullet from the guns oS
the guards found mark and when ths
horse at last fell from q shot and the
guards came up the three men lay
dead in the buggy.
Within the prison. guards worked
heroically driving the convicts to their
cells and holding at bay those who
threatened to overpower them. Order
was soon restored.
Prison Board 10 lnvsstisate.
Members of the state prison board
arrived here today to take charge Of
an investigation into the outbreak
An inquest was set for this afternoon
1t Is said the three person injured
would recover.
Thomas Former consrsssman.
Muskagee. Okla. Jan. 20.-John r
Thomas, who was shot and killed at
McAlester by convicts In . dash TOR
liberty. served fve terms ~ repre-
sentative IN congress from the rwen-l
tteth Illinois district from 1879 20 1883.
Shortly after retiring from congress
he moved to what then was Indian ter
ritory, and In 1897 was appointed
United States District Judge by Prest-
dent Mckinley. When his term ex-i
pired in 1901 he engaged In the prac-
tice Of law in this city.
Mr.. Thomas also had served az past
grand master Of the Masonic lodge II
illinois. He was 66 years old and was
born In Mount Vernon, III.
His SON. John r. Thomas, Jr.. -
captain In the First regiment. Unlteds