Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-10
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lRx The Associated Press.l

Little Rock, Ark, Dec. 3 (by the
Associated Press. Tom Slaughter,
convicted slayer and bank robber,
wanted in Oklahoma, Texas, Mis-
souri,, kentucky and Pennsylvania,
last night took charge of the peni-
Tertiary here, locked the warden
his family and guards in cells,
opened the gates and doors of the
prison, offered freedom to all pris-
oners and after ruling the place for
five hours, escaped in an automo-
bile at 2:30 O'Clock this morning.
Slaughter, under sentence of
death for the killing of trusty
guard at the state prison farm at
Tucker, Ark, where he was serv-
ing q life sentence for the killing
of Deputy Sheriff Row Brown, of
Hot Springs, took six convicts with
him, four of whom were negroes
under sentence of death. Six
negroes under death sentence in
connection with the riots at Elaine,
Ark, in 1919, refused the oppor-
tunity and remained in their cells.
Clashes With Officers.
Reports early today said Slaugh-
ter had engaged in a gun fight with
officers at Benton, twenty-five
miles southwest, but that no one
was injured and that Slaughter and
his party had turned northwest
from there.
-Four armed posses and sheriffs
in several counties today were
securing their sections for the
escaped convicts. An unconfirmed
report was received here that the
car had been abandoned near Ben
ton.
After the escape 1t developed
that a revolver had been smuggled
to Slaughter in the death cell where
he had been closely guarded since
his conviction at Pinebluff, OF
killing the convict guard. Feign-
ing illness, Slaughter succeeded in
getting a guard to open his cell
door about $3.50 o'clock last night
He held up this guard and another
standing nearby. took their pistols
and then forced them to go ahead
of him to the stockade, where their
presence admitted them and per-
mitted him to overpower the one
guard on duty there.
OPENS the Cells.
Slaughter then opened the cells
and offered all the prisoners lib
erty. Only six took advantage of
the offer and two of the guards
were locked up.
He next took one guard to the
office Of the penitentiary with him
and took possession of 1t, turning
the guards on duty there over to
the men who elected to escape with
him. Next, he went to the hospital
and forced a nurse to precede him
outside the walls to the apartments
occupied ny Warden E. Fl. Demp-
sey and his family The nurse
awakened them and Slaughter then
forced them to accompany him to
the death cell where they We're
locked up. He told them he. would
not harm them and later brought
them a pot of coffee with cream,
sugar and cups.
Slaughter then threw the gates
of the penitentiary wide open and
leisurely set about outfitting him
self and companions with civilian
clothes from the commissary.
At 2:30 a. m. Warden DEMPSEY
said he heard an automobile leav-
ing and with the aid of prisoners
above, who cut a hole through the
floor at his direction. he escaped
from the death cell and spread the
alarm.
Slaughter had taken an automo-
bile belonging to Mrs DEMPSEY
and stripped all the tires from
roadster belonging to Edward
Dempsey, son of the warden.
Slaughter rs &c.
Slaughter is 26 years old. He
spondent at the time of his first
Incarceration in the penitentiarv
here that he was reared In
southern Arkansas. and when II
years old was convicted of a charge
of grand larceny and sent to the
reform school. He served his term