Evening star., 1928-09-10
|6 DEAD, 1Q|NJURED
AS CONV|CTS FLEE
0VerpoWer Guards and Shoot
Way Out OF Louisiana
Prison.
BY Me Associated Press.

BY Me Associated Press.
BATON ROUGE, La, September 10.
Six convicts were killed and TO- in
cluding prisoners and guards, injured
in a break from the incorrigible ward
Of the Louisiana State Pententiary
last night that resulted in only two
being at large today Two of the in
jured may die.
Two men, one a trusty who was aid
ing the guards. we're shot to death at
the prison at Angola near here. Four
of the escaping men were shot on the
Mississippi River, and, while their bodies
could not be found officials said they
were sure they we're dead
Prison officials said the escape was
planned by Cleveland Owens, New Or
leans desperate, who had escaped once
before and had sworn he would never
be taken alive again. He wasn't. for the
concentrated fire of the guards brought
him down
The men had received outside aid.
Tor owens and several others had pistols
with which to Overpower the guards.
The break had been planned to follow
base ball game yesterday afternoon,
but the men had delayed it because it
was late after the game was over.
But S. j. Beck Is believed to have
precipitated the break with the words
I'm going" Owens saw he had to act
and he pushed his automatic toward the
backs of two guards.
Rob Prison Arsenal.
Instantly the other convicts swung
into action. There was a concerted
rush for the penitentiary arsenal. There
the men obtained shotguns kept for
the guards and then the dash for free
dom began and with it the fusillade
of fire.
| The is men raced for the broad
Mississippi River short distance away.
hoping to seize boat and escape in the
darkness. Arthur Kichen, serving a
| life sentence for murder, was the first
to die. Arthur Davis, trusty used as
guard. joined in the fight on the side
of the prison guards. He was struck
on the head with gun. and fell. but
recovered sufficiently to fire at Kitchen
and bring him down.
Jack Broom, another trusty. was
| fatally wounded as he interceded with
| the escaping men. Witnesses said
| Owens pistol ended Broom's life.
| seize boat on River.
Other convicts seized a boat on the
river bank. but meantime the alarm
had been given and the powerful search
light of the prison was turned on.
Eight of the convicts had reached
the river bank and got into the boat
when concentrated fire from prison
| guards killed four of them. Authorities
announced that those killed in the boat
serving a 14-to-21-ye sentence for
shooting policeman with intent, to
kill. Beck, serving a short term for
robbing New Orleans bank; Stanley
Proctor, serving four and a half to
fourteen years for assault and robbery
! In New Orleans. and Jack Martin,
| serving eight to twelve years for rob-
berry
| Four men surrendered before they
could reach the boat. but during the
flight Capt. John Singleton and c. c.
Higginbotham, prison officials. were
seriously wounded and Higginbotham
J was captured and his body used as a
| shield from the bullets of the ether
guards. Officials estimated that nore
| than 200 shots were fired in the run
ming battle, which was ended only after
the men had leaped into the rowboat
and started down the river. Capt. Sim
gleton jumped into his speedboat and
started in pursuit, joined by guards
and TRUSTEES
| TRUSTEES Join in Chase.
"I'm going after them!" he had
shouted. Il am not going to order of
of you to go with me, but there's plenty
of room -
His rallylng cry was answered by a
number of TRUSTEES. who joined him in
the boat. while others fired from the
levee at the fleeing, men. Officials said
the four who we're killed on the river
fell into the stream and that their
bodies probably would elever be :ecov-
cred. The other four who had made
the boat knelt down and surrendered.