The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1921-12-16
TOM SLAUGHTER KILLED
CAPTURES PRISON AND LOCKS WARDENS
FAMILY IN DEATH CELL OPENS
GATES AND OFFERS FREEDOM TO CON-
VIGTS-WAS SHOT BY J. C. HOWARD,
CONVICT, WHO LET TO LIBERTY.

Little Rock, Ark, Dec. 9.-Tom
Slaughter, man killer and bank rob-
Der, wanted in Oklahoma, Texas, Mis-
souri,, Kentucky and Pennsylvania
WHO, last night took charge of the
penitentiary here, locked the warden,
this family and guards in cells, opened
the gates and doors OF the prison, Of
tered freedom to all prisoners, and
after ruling the place five hours es-
capped in an automobile at 230 o'clock
this morning, was shot and killed bv
j. Z. Howard, forger, one of the six
convlcts the notorious bandits led to
liberty Howard and three other con-
victs surrendered to a posse.
Slaughter, under sentence of death
tol the killing of a trusty guarl at
the State Prison Farm at Tucker.
Ark, where he was serving a life SEN
'tence for the killing of Deputy Sher-
III Row Brown of Hot Springs more
than wear. ago.
Six negroes under death sentence
in connection with the race riots al
Elaine, Ark, in 1919 refused the op-
portunitV to escape and remained in
their cells.
Slaughter held up the guard, took
their pistols and forced them ahead
of him to the stockade, where he
oVerpoWered the one guard on duty.
Slaughter then opened the cells and
offered all the prisoners liberty Only
six took advantage OF the offer and
the other two of the guards were
locked up.
He took one guard to the office of
the penitentiary, of which he took
possession, turning the guards on dutv
to the men who elected to escape with
him.
Next he went to the hospital and
forced nurse to precede him to the
apartments just outside the walls oc--
cupied bv Warden E. H Dempsey and
his family. The nurse awakened them
and Slaughter forced them to accom-
pany him to the death cell, where
they were locked up He told them he
would not harm them and later,
showing peculiar trait of character
brought them a pot of coffee with
cream, sugar and cups.
Slaughter took an automobile be-
longing to Mrs. Dempsey and stripped
the tires from a Ford roadster be-
longing to Edward Dempsey, son of
the warden.
Slaughter was .26 years old. His ca
rer of crime, as given to an Associ- |
lted Press correspondent at the time !
Of his first Incarceration in the peni-
-entiarv here, started when he was
Ia years old. we was reared in
Southern Arkansas, he said,. and |
when IA was convicted of grand lar
;eny and sentenced to the Arkansas |
Reform School, and then drifted to
Oklahoma. Since he has participated !
n numerous bank robberies in Ar
KANSAS. Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri /
md elsewhere. He escaped twice .
rom the Texas Penitentiary and his !
erm in Texas was unexpired when
lie killed Deputy Sheriff Brown in
Hot Springs little over year ago.
Slaughter denied killing credited
o him in Pennsylvania, but admitted
hat he had taken part in many rob
)eries
The desperate, who has been con-
idered the most dangerous in the
Arkansas penal institution, made an 4
unsuccessful attempt to escape from
he prison farm at Tucker when he +
Tiled trusty guard.
Slaughter frequently -boasted he
would not go to the electric chair Il