The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-23
Officers Claim Description of Driver of Car Fits
 Young OvertOn
PISTOLS BOUGHT BY
 MESSINA'S BROTHER
Deputies Advance Explanation for Fact That Escapes Remained Together During the
 Entire Day

David Overton, Jr., the 16-year-old son of David D. Overton is believed by off cers to be the chauffeur who drove the "mysterious" car that piloted away from the county jail Overton and his five con federates, following their escape Tues- day morning. According to Deputy J. c. Jordan, the description of the per son driving the car as furnished by persons who saw him fits young Overton exactly. It is not believed however, that other members of Overton's family knew of his planned escape, and the theory that David Overton was the leader of the gang is not borne out by the evidence in the case, according to officers.
 Officers are still working on clues ex- pected to lead to the recovery of Sam Messina, J. Anderson, Frank Smith and F. c. Winters, who escaped from the county jail Tuesday morning in company with David Overton. Tony Malino and J. T. Latham, who were shot by deputies Tuesday night.
 THINK ALL IN CITY
 Deputies are confident that the four men are in Birmingham, and that they will be captured at an early date. F. c. Winters, who is thought to have become separated from the party immediately after leaving the jail is believed to be located in the downtown Birmingham district. A man answering his description called at the home of a woman at Twen ty-second street and Sixth avenue yester- day morning, seeking board. The wom- an, recognizing in the prospective boarder likeness of the picture she had seen of Winters, immediately phoned to the sheriff's office. The man evidently heard her phoning, for he left the house before she got back and when the officers rived they could not locate him. They be- lieve that the man was Winters.
 Messina and his companions, Frank Smith and J. Anderson, are believed to be sheltered by friends in the neighbor- hood of East Thomas, according to latest reports from the sheriff's office. A num- Der of clues were phoned into the office yesterday, and in each instance were traced down. but nothing was found to lead to the capture of the escapes. The search will be continued until the men are taken. according to officers, and Ia vigilant watch will be kept to see that they do not get out of Birmingham.
 OvERTON WROTE WIFE
 Mrs. Overton, so the deputies allege, knew that Overton was planning to es- cape, but not when. He is alleged to have written her letters in which he told her that he was going away and would prob ably never see her again.
 According to the theory of Deputy Sheriff Jordan, Overton was simply ''tagger on' in the escape and at no time took the lead. It is believed that Sam Messna and Tony Malino planned the escape and were to conduct the en- tire party out of town. According to MT. Jordan the firearms were bought at local hardware store by Sam Messina s brother and were in the car when the escapes got in.
 It is pointed out in this connection that had Overton's people been planning his escape, they would have had some more practical method of getting him out of town after he escaped than the one pur- sued. The question so frequently asked during the past few days, ''Why did they all stay together" is answered by the officers with the statement that Tony and Sam were the only ones in the party who knew how to get out of town, and that they were leading the others.
 The deputies are in touch with persons who saw the automobile drive up near the place where the escapes were found back of Birmingham college and break down. The car, according to deputy sheriffs. stopped in front of the home of Hollis Parrish, and the escapes. together with the person driving the car, were seen by persons in that vicinity.