The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-08-24
CONNECTS
ESCAPE FROM Pen
Deputy Warden Badly Stabbed and
Warden Kidnapped By Escaping
Prisoners

A daring escape of four men from
the State P%enitentiary at Sioux Falls
was made last Thursday afternoon
when they severely stabbed the deputy
warden and kidnapped Warden George
T. Jamison, and made their getaway
in an automobile. Word was received
here about five in the afternoon by AL
fred Jamison, a brother of the warden
Warden Jameson's account of the
trip follows, including incidents In
connection with and prior to the fight
at the penitentiary:
"Forman was a barber. He went
upstairs into the barber shop and they
took Weaver. the cell keeper and lock-
ed him In a cell and took his keys and
let out Coffee, Teel and King. All four
went to the tailor shop and sent a
runner for Muchow, to tell him that
Miller wanted to see him.
Sent for MuchOw
"Muchow came to the tailor shop
and as he came in the door, they cried
Hands up Muchow refused and gave
fight. I heard the noise, as the tailor
shop is right below my quarters. In
shirt sleeves, l rushed down, and as j
entered. in a glance, / saw Muchow
laid out; / took him for dead; they
cried out to me: Hands up and with
the command I was struck with a
sand bag or sharp heavy instrument,
and fell with the blow, but got up and
struck out, but was caught in a tussle
with the four of them. (The warden
bears a deep cash over the right eye,
in which several stitches were put last
night by the doctor.)
while in a struggle with the men,
I was knocked groggy; Martin Brus-
veen, a prison Irvine salesman, came
in and was knocked out and then
Hazen, another guard appeared and
was struck.
Pushed Knives I'm Sides
"The men had drawn knives and
still c%linched; they jabbed the points
of their daggers into my sides, which
I felt through my shirt; my face was
covered with blood, filing my eyes.
and my hands drawn tightly behind
back. l was then led out to the
gate and under threat forced to open
the gate. BY this time I was scarcely
conscious Of what I was doing.
Fired Shot mt Driver
"Out at the curb, the men took pos
session of a ar. The wall guard fred
a shot. which struck the driver OF the
car, Joe Forman, in the hand. Davis,
a trusty who was working on the ar,
was struck with the same bullet bat
only slightly hurt. p ii
the car was ~hard-driven; the men
burned out the bearings: and ex-
changed with a farmer for a Ford,
saying they were rushing an injured
man to a hospital. I gave the farmer
a wink, but he didn't catch IL. We
reached a barn, and / was brought in
there and kept gagged. When 1t grew
dark l was taken to the church, and
bound with a piece of the bell cord.
This was about $40 and they then left.
y Known As Bad Men
The four men who escaped, Joe TeeI,
Joe Forman, j. B. King and Henry
Coffee, the iattersa negro, were known
to prison authorities as dad men" and
all, it is said, had told their prison
companions that they were out to get
the deputy warden.
From Warden Jameson's story 1t
was learned that after leaving the
farm house the men went directly to
the church west of Crooks where they
hid the a in the shed back of the
church holding a knife, meanwhile.
close to the warden to prevent him
from attempting to escape or make
an outcry. Scores Of cars sped by
filled with armed pursuers but as the
church and sheds were we'll hidden
from the roads they never searched
near there.
Discussed Warden
Shortly before 8 o'clock, as soon as
1t started getting dark the convicts
started discussing what to do with the
warden. After considerable argument
the men took Jameson into the church
where they tied and gagged him. He
was tied with ropes and blankets, and
left in the church where the prisoners
taking his comfort into consideration.
made a bed on the floor for him.
After working for about an hour the
warden worked one hand free and was
able to reach a knife in one of his
pockets. With the knife he soon cut
his bonds and then walked a half mile
to the farm house OF Gus Kniep, where
he telephoned to Crooks. He was
brought to Crooks and then telephoned
to Sioux Falls for cars to carry on the
pursuit and to bring him into Sioux
Falls.