The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-10-05
Murderers
Stand Off
|Cuards1nen
Trio in Kentucky Pen Fail
to Return Ere as Bar
rage Is Lifted by
Besiegers.
|Conviicts Believed Dead
BY Associated Press.


Eddyville. KY. Oct. 4.-Rifles and
machine guns which had been pour
ing hail of bullets into the mess
hall Of the state penitentiary here.
where three convicts have been barri-
caded since a dash for liberty Wednes-
day morning, in which three guards
were killed. were silenced soon after
dark tonight when besiegers who ven-
tured from cover were not fired upon
by the tenants of the improvised for.
tress.
Opinion was that the desperadoes
were dead or desperately wounded. In
view Of the possibility. however. that
the convicts withheld their fire to
conserve a small stock of ammunition
for a last desperate stand when the
attackers should enter the building.
it practically had been determined to
maintain a guard about the place to-
night and await day break for fur.
ther action.
An hour after the second barrage
had opened, machine gun bullets had
worn a hole six feet square In the for.
tress where the three difiant con-
victs were making their last stand
By international News Service.
Eddyville, KY. Oct. 4.-Another
was added to the list of slain at the
hands of three desperate convicts
now besieged in the Kentucky state
prison here, today when V. B. Mat
tingly, wounded yesterday, died in
hospital W. NJ. Gilbert, a third
wounded guard. is dying in a Padu-
cab hospital, 1t was said.
AS the siege drew closer about
the trio of trapped men preparations
were made to explode tear and other
gas bombs, while expert rifemen di-
rected steady fire against the bar
ricade erected by the men. Great
caution was being taken. however.
due to the fact that Monte Tex
Walters. leader in the dash for lib
erty, is recognized as a crack shot.
| Walters was serving . life term for
| murder. With him are Lawrence
Giiffith, another lifer. and Harry Far
/ land. serving Is years for man.
slaughter.
State militiamen have placed their
most expert marksmen in the front
VI Oll AAc 1Ot4f AItcs oAAOs -
has been learned. were 10 have led
a concerted dash for freedom among
the prisoners at about noon today.
Something i. believed TO have gone
amiss with their plans.
EddyviIle. KY. Oct. 4.-This morn
ing's sun swung up over the Lyon
county hills to light the scenes for
a tense drama, the successive acts
of which were being unfolded on
probably the strangest stage that
ever men were cast by destiny to
play upon in Kentucky.
Hemmed in by the grim gray stone
walls Of the the prison area OF the
western Kentucky state penitentiary.
three convict murderers. who yester
day killed one guard and wounded
three others, one fatally. in an
attempt to shoot their way 10
freedom. were harricaded In a two
story brick dining room building. the
central structure Of the prison plant.
The conviots apparently were con-
serving the ammunition for their au.
i tomato pistols-and waiting.
Stationed at vantage points about
the barricaded building were prison
guards. members Of troop e from the
national guard machine gun COM
pany al Hopkinsville. and citizen
marksmen from the neishboring
| countryside. Machine guns were
trained upon the building.
Tear gas bombs were ordered from,
the state arsenal and were expected
TO arrive today. Victims OF the con-
victs' desperate bid for freedom were
Hodge Cunningham. shot dead: V. B.
| Mattingly. fatally wounded: W. NJ.
Gilbert. whose condition is reported
| critical and w. 2. Gillihan.