Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1921-12-14

:
him at the penitentiary and asked
him to come along. He retold his
story Of leaving note to Warden
Dempsey, which he could not finish
because Slaughter entered the COM
missary where he was writing it.
Howard retold the story of the
flight from the wallis of the
battle at Benton; the abandonment
OF their automobile and the tramp
through woods until they reached
the spot where Slaughter, called a
halt for the night.
He told how Slaughter gathered
the party around small fire, and
ordered that everyone should arm
himself because in the morning they
would separate and each man for
himself. Wells, the 1S-year-old
Drew county negro, told Slaughter.
according to Howard that if he knew
the way to Little Rock and to the
penitentiary, he would start imme-
diately for the walls and sur
render. For this remark, Howard
said, Wells came near losing his
life. Slaughter cursed Wells vio-
lently and pointing pistol at him,
declared that he ought to kill him
right there.
Howard again told how Slaugh-
ter stretched out on the ground
with his hands under his, head and
an automatic pistol gripped in his
right hand; of how he started to
rise when he (Howard) ordered
everyone to stretch out and of how
he fired and killed the. bandit
Planned to Murder Negroes.
He said that Slaughter sent the
negroes out on guard and while they
were alone. the bandit confided
to him that. he intended to kill the
negroes at 9 O'Clock that night and
then go to Oklahoma, pull several
Jobs" of bank robbing and escape
into Canada.
'He called the negroes to the
fire and told them all to go to
sleep, as he intended to keep watch
for. the night" Howard said. Il
took Wells and Taylor off to one
side and told them that l would take
care of Slaughter if they would
promise to hold the other three ne
groes. l hao planned that with the
aid of Wells and Taylor, we could
bring the other four back to the
walls. / did not intend to hurt any
one," he continued, las long as /
could keep from it."
Howard said that after Slaughter
raised from the ground he fired two
shots in rapid succession from a
distance of about three or four feet.
He said he was standing little to
the back and to the right of the
bandit. After short pause, he tes-
titled. he fired a third shot at
Slaughter and seeing that he was
Howard said he turned
around and called for the negroes
to halt. Then he said he fired
one shot at Jack Buster.
Before telling of the shooting,
,old how he obtained the
guns from the negroes by telling
them he would guard for "a while.
He also testified that he gave Wells
and Taylor weapon each.
Attorney N. A. Mcdaniel, assist
ing Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Err
nest Breiner, then asked Howard
several questions, but Howard an
swered them unfalteringly.
Tells of Fight at Benton.
Howard then was asked about the
exchange of shots with the officers
at, Benton during their flight from
the penitentiary. He said that
was driving the automo-
bile and he himself was sitting on
the front seat with the desperate.
All the negroes were in the rear at
said that only Cannon re-
turned the Benton officers fire.
Much time was spent in discussing
the shooting.
California claims among its resi-
dents more than so women cente-