Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-07
STEEL SAWS USED
To CUT CELL BARS
IN DARING ESCAPE
F Formulation of Appeal From
Courts Sentence Was
Pending-Inside Aid Is
Suggested by Police

Clara Phillips climbed out of a Win
dow in the woman's section of the
county Jail and escaped early today.
She was under a sentence of ten
years to life imprisonment after con-
viction for the hammer murder of
Alberta Meadows. She was held in
the Jail pending formulationof an
appeal.
With the aid of several steel saws
her escape was effected at 2 a. M,
according to report to the sheriff
by the jailer. Belief was expressed
that she had been aided by other
inmates.
Bars were sawed through, and,
after crawling out the window, she
dropped to the roof of an adjoining
building, climbed down the fire
escape and disappeared.
The escape was not discovered by
Jail authorities for several hours.
The matron, in making rounds, saw
the bed in Mrs. Phillips cell vacant.
The matron then discovered the
sawed and twisted bars and notified
the jailer.
The former chorus girl, who,
three weeks ago, was found guilty
of what prosecuting officials declar
ed to be one of the most brutal
murders they have had to try, eff
fected her liberty with tragic sud
denness, equal to that which the
hammer Staying was revealed last
July.
1t is believed she escaped in an
automobile.
No Saw Filings
Close examination of the cell win
dow and the sawed bars failed to re
veal any trace of the saw filings.
This led to opinion by Investigators
that the bars may have been sawed
through several days prior to the
escape today.
Orders were issued by Sheriff w
I. Traeger to bring into his office
all persons connected with the ham,
mer murder in order to trace all
plans of the Jail break. All sheriff's
deputies were called in and posses
rushed out.
Mrs. Phillips had several hours
start before the sheriff's Office placed
a dragnet throughout southern Cal
cities have been notified and authori-
ties at the border warned in time,
the sheriff believes, to prevent the
fugitive reaching Mexico.
Deputy sheriffs were sent out to-
day to interview Madalynne Oben-
chain, released from Jail last night,
after dismissal of the case involving
the charge of murder of J. Bolton
Kennedy. She occupied an adjoining
cell to Mrs. Phillips.
officers also were dispatched to in
terview Ola Weaver, and Eta jack
son, sisters of the escaped chorus
girl slayer, and to locate if possible
her husband, Armour Phillips.
History of Case
Mrs. Phillips was convicted of
murder in the second degree on No
vember IS.
Mrs. Meadows was slain July IL,
last on a lonely drive in the out
skirts Of Los Angeles, where she had
driven in her own automobile with
Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Peggy Caffee,
both eX-chorus girls. Her head had
been beaten in with q hammer and a
large rock had been hurled upon her
body.
The next day Armour L. Phillips,
husband of Mrs. Phillips, went TO
the sheriff's office and made q state
ment, after which Mrs. Phillips was
arrested at Tucson, Arizona, where
she was takep from a train bound
from Los Angeles to Ell PasU, Texas.
About the same time Mrs. Caffee
went to the police station and told
detectives Mrs. Phillips killed Mrs.
Meadows in a quarrel over Phillips.
She said Mrs. Phillips accused Mrs.
Meadows Of accepting gifts from
Phillips and, when this was denied,
attacked her alleged rival with the
hammer.
A defense of insanity was present
ed for Mrs. Phillips but she also
went on the witness stand and said
it was Mrs. Caffee who first struck
Mrs. Meadows.
She declared that her own mind
went blank after the first blow.
She said both Phillips and Mrs.
Meadows had admitted to her that
they had been intimate.
Phillips aided his wife by secur.
ing counsel and hunting up wit
nesses, but did not go on the stand
Her attorney, Bertram Harrington
asked for new trial after the con
viction and when this was denied
gave notice of appeal.
Deputies Go to Border
Two deputy sheriffs left today foI
the Mexican border at Tia Juana
They said they would cover the in
tervening territory closely.
r. Lee Couts, deputy sheriff Or
night duty at the jail, said tina
when he. went off duty about l a
m. he saw closed automobile stand
ing at the curb near the main jai
entrance, but he paid little attention
TO it, thinking it had run out o