Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-11
PRICE ON HIS WAY
To WILMINGTON IN
POLICE CUSTODY
Chief Black and Sergt. Benson Left
Birmingham With Him Last
Night.
DECLARES AN ELKTON
FARMER HELPED HIM
Special Dispatch to Every Evening
BY Helen Bethea.
BrRMrNGHALM. Ala, Nov. II

BfRNINGHALM. ALA, Nov. II.
George Black, chief of police md X. j,
Benson, sergeant Of detectives OF Whining
ton, Del, left at SIS last night, with
Lemuel Price, Negro murderer, for VIII
mington. They should reach Wilmington
tomorrow.
Price made many conflicting statements
both to the press and to CITY and county
officials during his brief stay in Birming-
ham. Every time he wns interviewed
something was added to the list Of his ex-
periences and he seemed proud To be able
to recount such a busy time since he
escaped from the Wilmington workholse.
Yesterday afternoon he told a touching
story of farmer who took him in near
Elkton. Md, after he broke out of tho
workhouse, and gave him some old clothes
to wear.
He now states that the cattle boat on
which he returned from his trip to France,
landed at New Orleans, whereas at first he
stated that he was sure that the boat land
cd in Baltimore. In previous statementsh he
said he STAYED in Washington, ID. c.. four
months and worked as n chauffeur. Yes
terday he told the officers that he stayed
in Washington only one day and walked
from there TO Alexandria, Va, where he
stayed three days, with the Campbell
t9fniNaf before rfrcteumE.
He STATES that he rode from there to
Richmond in q Buick touring ear which he
borrowed. Yesterday afternoon he told
! tho officers he had received six months
sentence for stealing the car. which he
| said he borrowed and later he told press
representatives that he had not even been
| tried for the offense when he made his
escape from the Virginia authorities.
/ PRICE TO HANG NOVEMBER is.
| Governor Townsend and Attorney
| General David J. Reinhardt held a con-
| ference this morning and following the
| conference Governor Townsend announc-
| ed that he had granted stay Of execution
| in the case 0f Price from tomorrow TO next
| Thursday, November Is.
/ GUARDS IDENTITY NOT ESTABLISHED.
| Warden Plumrner of the workhouse,
/ said today that he does not know the
name Of the guard who was on duty at
! Lem" Pfiess cell at the time efhis escape.
| Much interest has been aroused by the
4 statement of Price, printed in 8 late edition
I Of Every Evening yesterday, that the
/ negligence of guard was responsible Tor
/ his escape. According 10 Prlea, be was n
4 the exercise corridor on the eventful
afternoon. taking some exercise, when the
supper bell rang. The guard, according
10 Price. IN the haste 20 answer summons,
4 carplesSiv left the door Of the center ur1-
/ locked. He then explained that as the
guards and other PRISONERS were AZ supper
/ he opened and unlocked the door and
! walked out. The centre is the large ro-
1 tunda IN the center Of the buIiding.
According to the version Of the affair as
/ related by Price 10 the chief of police and
/ dav. no prisoner or prison official had
/ ANYTHING TO do with the escape. Price
/ said that after BIZ reached the ''centre"
/ he procured a sack OF -four and placing II
| on his shoulder, with his head bent down
! walked out Of the other two doors ike one
/ of the TRUSTEES He said the rest was easy
i and that he shed his prison garb as soon
| as he could find something else. He ap-
pears TO have found a farmer near Elkton,
/ Md, sitter walking that far, who gave
him an old suit.
Cfief of Police Black and Sergeant of
Detectives Benson reached Birmin CHAM
shortly after 10 yesterday morning. They
instantly identified the prisoner as Price.
| When Price saw Chief Black, he grinned
chserfully and greeted them with: Hello
Chief, hello sub, know yo' face, but |
don't exactly remember yo' name"
ne detective ffleh TeifeSiiea Tue liaSoi1-
er's memory and they went through the
form of identifying Price, although he had
recognized them and they him Immediate
| ly on meeting. His story of his movements
/ since he left prison was told and state
ment of his whereabouts every day since
he escaped was taken.
The chief asked Price where he had
been in the past eleven months and Price
laughingly responded that che had been
| everywhere"
While in Richmond last year Price
was arrested for larceny of an automobile.
He was sentenced TO six months of hard
labor but escaped after few days.
Virginia officials did not recognize the
| prisoner as Price.
Chief Black stated positively after inter
| viewing Price for an hour, that there had
been no inside help last December when
Price escaped. After the gruelling hour
with Wilmington and Birmingham officials
| Price looked somewhat exhausted.