The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-11-30
GEORGE REEVES
DIES after HE
WOUNDS SLAYER

George Reeves. county jailer, is
dead and, three gunmen and saIe
bandit" trio-are at large pursued by
every available officer in the city
Following a sensational but hurriedly
PLANNED jail delivery at the county
Jail Tuesday shortly after IL O'Clock.
1.-THE men at large are:
M Alden Shaw, Clyde Hamilton and
lE. B. Kelly. Hamilton fired the shot
which resulted in Reeves death.
Hamilton was wounded three times
lbut made his escape bleeding pro-
Ffusely.
Reeves died one hour after he was
hit at st. Joseph's hospital.
# The single shot which proved fatal
Ito the taller, according to, hospital
authorities, entered the lower left
abdomen, severing q main artery.
N Reeves was conscious to within three
ii minutes of his death, hospital at
\ taches declare. He was attended by
h DIR. Battle Malone. t...t.'
Jailer Shoots Bandit.
u Reeves shot Hamilton after taking
L the bandits own gun from him.
n Hamilton was lying in the Jail door
II way when his pal, Shaw, handed the
"A PROSTATE bandit a second pistol.
II Hamilton raised himself on his LETT
h elbow and pulled the trigger once
q with fatal results
The escape came within few min
i utes after conference between the
4 three robbers and an attorney. IL
was said by several Jail attaches that
y a fifth man was In the conference
but this could not be verified. Some
Officers believed that the bandits se-
cured their guns Tuesday
Abe Waldaner. attorney for Hams
81
saH@EAIss ofz u sy q In o. Bates.
E{asa prosecutor, at noon. Bates said
Wa1dausr was in conference with ms
client Tuesday
Locked In Conference.
] Kelly, Shaw and Hamilton with an
! attorney were locked In the confer
ence room some minutes before II
o'clock. The dead jailer had placed
ahem there. When the conference
& ended the attorney waved his hand
to the bandits sayinga
81 "Good-bye, boys, 1 Will see you
later"
Reeves then turned to the trio and
said: ..- -.--t t...
aCome along" /.
81 He intended returning them TO
aheIf cell. The conference room ana
fhs 1kJandits' cells are on the first
floor. Hamilton poied pistol IN
Reeves stomach as the jailer turned
around saying:
"Put 'em up quick"
Reeves did not comply, but grap-
pied with the bandit. H..
8T Katherine Ammon, woman prison,
er, was on the landing above anu
rushed to the aid of the jailer. Ham
alton and Reeves, still struggling,
brushed her aside when she first
reached them. This enabled Reeves
TO secure the pistol. Hamilton then the
threw the woman against the iron
stair railing and ran fof lhe ooor'
Reeves Opens Fire.
Reeves at this point opened fire
with the robbers gun. Shaw was
#standing in the doorway. Kelly had
Il run outside at the first scuffle. When
Il Reeves fusillade carried Hamilton
to the floor Shaw ran to his pal and
handed him the second pistol. The
i fatal shot followed Immediately;
4 Hamilton then raised himself ana
holding his leg brandished his pls-
4 tol at the Ammon woman who rusned
the escaping man for the third time.
49,
south wall of the Jail where they
mounted coal pile and leaped TO
freedom. They were, seen entering a
cotton shed Just south of the jail
From there it is thought that they
proceeded to the Wolf river bottoms:
A freight train passed the back OF
the jail at this time but 1t was
learned later that the trio did not
hon the train.
Sheriff Perry and Deputies Cos
wick and Prohibition Enforcement
Officer Bert Bates were somewhere
in the county when the escape took
place Bad telephone service de-
iayed the flash to the sheriff's office
but once the news came every deputy
available was summoned. Ponce
headquarters also rushed emergency
men and reserves to the scene with
riot guns
Search Bottoms.
The hastily formed posse began o
search of the Wolf river bottoms and
"T Jaiier Reeves leaves a wife, Mrs.
Claude Reeves, and five children. His
aged mother, Mrs. Amanda Reeves
also Is q survivor. The family lived
at the Jail with the officer. They
were, with exception of two of the
older children, in the jailer's apart
ment at the bastile when the shoot
ing and escape occurred.
Reeves formerly was police SER
geant. He came TO Memphis ten