The Bismarck tribune., 1931-12-11
WARDEN OF KANSAS
INSTITUTION IS shot
AS CONVICTS ESCAPE
Three of Six Prisoners Who
Make Getaway Are Recap.
tured in Gunfight
OTHERS SURROUNDED
Two Wounded leavenworth
Guards Are Brought From
Battle in Ambulance
BULLETIN

BULLETIN
Leavenworth, Kans., Dec. H.
R)-Three convicts who escaped
from the Leavenworth federal
prison and barricaded themselves
In, were killed Friday afternoon.
They were reported to have kill
ed themselves to avoid capture %
= posse rained shots and tear
bombs into the place Of refuge.
Leavenworth, Kas., Dec. ll.-lA1-
Three Of six prisoners who ESCAPED
from the Leavenworth federal prison
Friday morning by abducting War
den Thomas B. White, were recap
tured In gun fight Friday after
noon and returned to the peniten-
tiary.
The other three convicts were re-
ported surrounded at the Bell school,
house, about eight miles west Of here.
and were besieged by posse Of SOL
diers and civilian officers.
An ambulance brought two wound
ed guards, from the schoolhouse bat
tie.
Posses caught up with the fugitives,
who had split into two groups, q few
hours after Warden White, held cap
tive by three of the men, was shot
and seriously wounded on q highway
near the Bell schoolhouse.
In the capture Of the first trio. AS
sistant Deputy Warden James Gal
vim and prison guard were reported
wounded. One Of the convicts also
was wounded.
Marched In Irons
The men were brought back to the
prison IN an army automobile.
They were marched In irons
through the main gate while guards
trained guns on them. One was limp
ing. A blanket was thrown over his
shoulders and he was wearing 4
leather jacket which he had acquired
while at liberty.
One Of the convicts had q shotgun
and another was armed with q pistol.
They were captured in q patch of
brush south of the Lecompton high
way.
The warden was struck with shot
gun charge when he wrested with one
Of his captors as they tried to force
him into the third motor car they
had stolen in their flight from the
prison.
Leaving Warden White lying on the
ground the convicts drove west.
It was reported that Whites arm
was shattered and virtually blown
off.
The shooting occurred near the Bell
school house.
Abandoning the second car they had
commandeered, the fugttives hid be-
hind hedge fence along the road.
holding the warden captive.
Three Leavenworth boys, Lyle Halt,
Jack Calvin and Carl Laufer. were
forced to stop and surrender their
car.
The warden then was instructed to
enter the car. He pushed one Of his
captors In an attempt to escape and
one Of them then fired at him point
blank.
Find Car Abandoned
The car which the men seized to
flee from the prison was found abau-
doned later on Soggy road a few
miles north of the prison. Officials
were informed another automobile
had been commandeered nearby.
The six prisoners, armed with
sawed off shotguns appeared at the
warden's. office and covered clerks
and employees. The warden, who was
at work at his desk, was forced to
Join them.
Forged passes permitted the prison.
ers to pass the gate guards and enter
the wardens office.
Names Of three Of the six convicts
were:
Stanley Brown. sentenced from
Fargo, N. D., to q l5-year-term for
robbing postoffice.
George Curtis, sentenced from Ok
lahoma City to serve Is year term
for assaulting q mail carrier.
/ Tom Underwood, serving Is year
sentence from Duluth, Mimi, for
robbing postoffice with firearms
Officials said names Of the other
three would not be known until at
ter an official check-up was made.
ASSERTS UNDERWOOD
is DESPERATE CRIMINAL
St. Paul, Dec. 11.-tP1HPolice Chief
Thomas A. Brown Friday said Tom
Underwood, one of the escaped Leav-
enworth prisoners, was zone of the