Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-10
SHOT DEAD
BY MAN He FREED
Tom Slaughter Killed by Men,
Der of Party He Liberated
From Prison
DEED WAS PREMEDlTATED
RY the Associated Press

escape of Tom Slaughter, noted bandit,
with record of nearly score of breaks
for freedom from southern iails and
prisons, led to his death in the Saline
County hills at the hands Of one of the
convicts he liberated, according to the
story on which Sheriff u. U. Crowe's
posses early today were busing their
search for Slaughter's body.
The posses were awaiting daylight
early today to start on the trail OF the
seven convcts starting from the point
where they abandoned their bullet rid
died autm0bile and fed into the woods.
L. G. Howard vino surrendered with
four others of the six who accepted
SIaughter's offer of freedom, told Of
icials he shot Slaughter, in the back and
had intended TO shoot him from the
moment the party made their escape.
The note Howard says he left in the
prison. bearing the same statement,
could not be found early today.
Beside the body Of Slaughter, nc
cording TO Howard's story, lay dying
Negro, wounded in brush with the
authorities of Benton, who were watch
ing for the fleeing prisoners.
Try To Trace Pistol.
Prison authorities today were en-
deavOring to trace the source of the
pistol which gave Slaughter the chance
to effect his six hour domination Of the
penitentiary, disarm guards, lock the
warden and his family in the death cell,
al Of a,ttn
bile for the escape, and offer freedom to
all the convicts who wished to join him.
Howard, the man who slew Slaughter,
is twenty five years old. He was re-
ceived at the penitGntiary last March
to serve three years for forgery. He
was railroad man in Hot Springs,
and was charged with fraudulently
drawing travel pay from the railroad
by means of forged paSsesa
Shortly after Howard was received
al the prison he was made u trusty and
assigned to the cOmmissary. Some time
later, however, when goods taken from
the cOmmissary were believed to have
been stolen BY him, his status as trusty
was revoked. Prison authorities said
that his record was not n good one.
Slaughter's plan for escape began TO
take form yesterday evening, when.
and asked for n blanket. The guard
entered the death cell, where Slaughter
was to be Quartcrcd until December 10,
the date set for his cleCtrOcutiOn, and
advanced to the deSperados cot. He
was met with gun in the bandit y
hands. The guard was disarmed and
then taken to the warden'S office. where
three other guards were disarmcd while
Slaughter used II guard for protection.
He then locked the guards in n cell.
Continuing to the hospital ward.
Slaughter forced a nurse to lead him
to the warden's home. lie made the
warden and his family return to the
prison, locking them in the death cell
and the one adjoining.
Leaving the prison, Slaughter and his
companions took an automobile, and
the tires from another nearby, and
escaped, after attiring themselves in
civilian clothing.
Posses from Hot Springs. Little
Rock, Benton and nearby towns took
up the chase, after the fight ut Ben
ton. finally forcing the bandit and his
party into the woods of Salna County,
where Slaughter was reported killed.
\ number of prisoners, including six
Negroes, who wer" sentenced in CON
ncCtiOn with the Elaine riots, refused
to accompany Slaughter in his escape.
Wichita. Kan. Dec. 1O.-Thc death
sentence imposed upon Tom Slaughter,
in Arkansas, followed his arrest near
Sedan, KGu., October &c, 1920. on II
charge of having robbed the Aluwcc
State Bank.
Kansas authorities gave him over to
Arkansas to answer charges of murder
in connection with the killing of Roy
Brown, a Deputy Sheriff in Garland
County, Arkansas. When he was cap
turcd ut Sedan. Slaughter meekly sub
mittcd to arrest, although when being
led away he jumped from his captors
and started to draw n gun, but was
dsurmcd before be could bring it into
play
Dallas. Ten. Dec. lO.~-NEy \. r.
Tom Slaughter was born in Dallas
twenty seven years ago. and his crime
record dates back to his early youth.
lie was trst arrested for Il series of
automobile thefts here several years ago.
Ills operations extended throughout
North TtNaS and in Oklahoma
In 1916 Slaughter escaped from the
Dallas County Jail. libpruting seven
other prisoners at the Same time. He
was later arrested in Oklahoma ana sent
to the Texas state Pcnitcntiury, but
soon made his escape. He was arrested
second time and sent back to the
pcnitcntiary, only to escape again.
Several bank robberieS have been
charged to him in Oklahoma, Arkan-
suS, Louisiana, Kansas and Kentucky.
One Of his most daring escapes was
made four years ago, when he held up
the iuilrr while prisoner at Nowata,
Okla. lie was reCapturcd and placed
in the BartIcsvillc, Okla, jail, cscnp-
ing three days later. lie also escapcd
from Il county Jail near Louisville. Ky.
INJURY IN PLANT FATAL
Inhn rostnlIo of oO07 \VooJ ,.