Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-09
THREE DESPERADOES
FOUND DEAD BEHIND
PRISON BARR|CADE

WESTERN KENTUCKY STATE
PENITENTIARY, Via Paducah.
KY Oct. Thy the Associated
Press. )-Authorities invaded the
bullet mess hall stronghold of
the three convict murderers in the
prison grounds here late today and
found it a place of death.
After the barricaded covert of the
desperate trio had been flooded with
fumes from high-proof ammonia
this afternoon storming party of
seven men entered the building. No
sign of life was found on the ground
floor of the two-story building.
Cautiously the invaders moved to
the second floor.
There they found the bodies of
the mutineers, who died with the
blood of three prison guards, vic
TINS of the gunmen's automatic pis.
tolls when the break for liberty was
initiated early Wednesday morning,
on their hands.
Monte Walters, fully dressed, an
parently had been killed by bullets
tired during the siege. Lawrence
Griffith and Harry Ferland, his
companions, stripped to the waist,
were dead from bullet wounds
through the heart. Griffith and
Ferland, it was believed, died by
their own pistols to escape the am
monia fumes.
The storming party entered the
mess hall at 5:19 o'clock.
Authorities succeeded in investing
the disputed barricade after a spec
tacular siege of 81 hours in the
course of which prison guards re-.
intorced by two details of Kentucky
national guardsmen, riddled the
building with whitening barrages of
steel-jacket bullets from high-pow-
cred rifles and two machine guns;
swept the interior Of the building
with the shrapneI formed by burst.
ing rifle grenades and twice sue
ceeded in placing tear gas in the
building.
The siege wore on through sue.
cessive days and nights without au-
thorities apparently having pro-
crossed materially in efforts to dis
lodge the desperadoes.
Today, however, three hundred
pounds of 100 proof ammonia was
obtaind from Paducah, and emerg-
ency pipe lines were laid to the
beleagured building by members of
the attacking forces. working be-
hind the protection. of improvised
metal shields. When this work was
completed, the ammonia, held under
compression in heavy metal drums.
was released
For an hour the ammonia was
allowed to creep into the mess hall.
Then control valves were closed and
another anxious hour passed while
besiegers waited for the wind to
sweep the fumes clear of, the bar
ricade.
The ''mopping up" party of seven
picked men then moved across the
no-mans land about the mess hall.
nerves taut and trigger fingers
curved ready about pistols at full
cock.
Those waiting breathlessly on the
firing line" heard a shout from
within the building, the word
IlaSneQ out all Qedu.
The siege of Eddyville" was
ended.
WIFE OF BESIEGED
CONVICT is ARRESTED
LOUISVILLE, Ky, Oct. 7.-One
of the first results of efforts by the
state in investigating the manner
in which the three mutineers at
Eddyville state penitentiary re-
ceived their revolvers and ammuni-
ton occurred here early today
when Mrs. Lillian Walters. wife of
Monte Walters. one of the gunner.
was taken into custody by police.
A searching fire of questions
failed to secure an admission that
she. was connected with or knew
about the outbreak. She recalled
under gruelling questions. however
that she had cashed a check for
$500 on the Prisoners aid fund of
the penitentiary in Paducah Sep
TENDER IA, and said she got the
for Will Sparks, a former
convict. Where Sparks is at pres
ent she alleged she did not know.
Police announced she would be
continued to be held here on a
charge of aiding and abettlng
priSoners to escape,