Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-12-12
Lucky Tom O'Connor
Gains Liberty in Bold
Prison Delivery.
Desperate Considered
City's Most Dangerous
Criminal; Used Auto.

| Chicago, Dec. 11.-By The
| Associated Press.) - Tommy
O'Connor, two-gun man SEN
fenced to be hanged next
Thursday for murder, and two
other notorious criminals, Sun
day escaped from the county
jail, fighting their way past
half a dozen guards, most of
whom were beaten into un-
| consciousness by the desper-
ADDE'S in their dash for liberty.
Starting ON the fourth floor bull
pen'' where the prisoners were e1er-
cising at II o'clock in the morning,
the break for freedom led down five
floors, through the basement, into the
Jail yard and over a Il foot wall to
! where an automobile was confiscated
and the driver, pistol poked into his
face, was told to drive like he'll.
Auto Wrecked
A few minutes later the machine
| crashed into telephone pole, but the
bandits continued their flight, OCon-
nor communicating another car, and
when last seen the murderer. who had
| been characterized by the police as
Chicago's most desperate. gunman. was
headed toward the south side under
world, armed for battle.
| The escape, carried out in broad
daylight. was the most sensational in
this part of the country in many years
and apparently was carefully planned
in advance. 1t was successful despite
the fact that several jailers refused
to heed the threat of O'Connor's pis
tol and risked their lives in trying to
obstruct his dash for liberty.
Two Others Escape
The two men who escaped with
O'Connor were Edward Darrow,
charged with a 100000 robbery and
james LaPorte, alleged to have been
implicated in $4,000 robbery.
O'Connor had been in trouble with the
police on many occasions but his ap-
parent immunity from conviction earn
ed him the title of Lucky Tom"
Last spring half dozen detectives
went to O'Connor's house to question
him about crime. While they were
there, oietudn IdlTIck ~ Neiu WAS
shot to death and O'Connor, later con-
victed of the murder, escaped despite
the presence of half a dozen officers.
most of whom later were suspended
for their apparent negligence. He
Communicated an automobile and
forced the owner to drive him to
safety.
After several weeks, Tommy's pro-
verbal luck failed. for he was captur-
ed in st. Paul. brought back here. con-
victed of killing O'Neill and sentenced
to hang next Thursday. The criminals
luck came back, however, and Sunday
night he apparently had cheated the
gallows through his darinig escape.
Two Others Captured
Seventy five prisoners were exer-
cising on the fourth floor bull pen
when O'Connor and his pals made
their break. Besides the three who
got away, Charles McDermott and
Clarence Sponagal safe blowers, and
gunmen, tried to escape but were cap
tured before thsy could get out of the
Jail grounds.
David Strauss was the only guard in
the room at the time. McDermott.
pered something to O'Connor. The
five prisoners in the Jail break stimuli
taneously jumped on Strauss. O'Con-
nor drawing revolver which had
been smuggled to him. A sack was
placed over Strauss head and he was
beaten into unconscioukness, O'Con-
nor repeatedly bringing down the butt
of the pistol on the guards head.
Hearing the commotion, Edward
Jefferson and Charles Moore, guards,
rushed into the bull pen. O'Connor
ordered them to throw up their
hands. but they refused and sprang
for the murderer. Apparently afraid
that the sound of the shooting would
bring so many guards that escape
would be impossible, O'Connor did not
fire. but cracked jefferson on the
head with the butt Of the pistol. The
other prisoners beat Moore into un-
consciousness. Jefferson had the
keys to the Jail. but even unconscious
he held them tightly and the prisoners
had to pry his fingers open with
O'Connor's pistol.
The five men dashed for the
freight elevator. leaving Moore and
Jefferson unconscious in the bull pen,
but ran into Frank Kcrdecki, an as
sistant jailer; Pointing the pistol at
Kordecki O'Connor shouted:
'.Stand back. or I'll blow you to
hell"
Overpower Guards
Kordccki. however, sprang at
O'Connor, but the criminal hurled him
to the floor and continued his flight.
Down in the basement, past two
more guards, the bandits fled and then
rounding the Jail. McDermott and
T. &ssr AnI w,n~n vxA.sv>nla