, 1934-12-07
Boldly Is Riddled

His body was riddled with ma
chine gun, rifle and pistol slugs.
His left arm was shattered at the
wrist and bullets smashed his right
leg. The death wound was a bullet
hole over the left eye.
A few minutes before w. r. Nc
Doweil, Amarillo chief Of police,
had spotted him, alone. In his
automobile in East Amarillo. Three
carloads OF officers were hastily
summoned. Thompson fired at one
OF the police cars and fled out ".
s. Highway Sc. ! me Officers fol-
lowed in three cars.
Sheriff Bill Adams said the
desperate, travelling at a terrific
clip, began TO outdistance the OF
ficers. but Deputy Roy Brewer
opened a windshield and took a
chance shot az Thompson's auto
mobile tires. One Of the bullets
struck a rear tire when the ma
chine was roaring along az about
81 mbiles an hour, Adams said.
His car skidded off on the right
side OF the road and kicked UP a
big cloud OF dust" Adams said. II
yelled to the boys. I'm going BY
him. I applied my brakes and
vent down the road about 100 yards
Apast his car. Then I whirled the
lear around and drove back toward
him with the lights directly on him.
BY that time he had jumped out
Of the car, got behind II, and op-
ened fire on us with a shotgun
loaded with buckshot. He started
firing even before We stopped.
Others Arrive
zone OF my men wounded him
and knocked him loose from the
car. just at that time the police
cars arrived and opened fire from
the other side. We jumped out OF
our cars and started closing in on
him. Then he fell dead
Officers had been informed that
a bank robbery would be staged
here and for "a hours had been
on the lookout for Thompson.
Two Shotguns, a pistol, rifle. a
pinch BAR. cold chisel, steel punch
eS. a Syphoning hose, cotton pick
er'S sack, pair Of overallS. an alarm
clock and a cap were found IN the
fugitives car. "A satchel, filled with
AAAAAAAAAAAAMAAAm NNM ALAAAAA AAAAAMA AA1 u
right arm.
Those who participated IN the
shooting were Sheriff Adams, Chief
OF Police Mcdowell, Deputies ROY
Brewer and wv wilkinson, Chief
OF Detectives Clark Cain and Police
Officers Buster McCOurh, Sid
Harper. Bandy Lee and Marshall
Turner.
Tbov,reop oroo~ u-ftb n,v-.nra
Hamilton, the SOuthWestis No. I
bad man, and Joe Palmer, escaped
from the Huntsville, Tex, state
prison last July % in a daring break
which saw six men attempt an
escape from death row."
Whitley walker, who previously
had escaped from the Oklahoma
State prison with Thompson. was
killed, ard Roy Johnson, also IN
on the Oklahoma break. was IN
jured. Charlie Frazier. another or
the group, was dangerously wound
ed but recovered.
Walker was sentenced 20 death
for the SAL 900 robbery OF the Mar
lin State bank on December 81, J
1888, while Walker and johnson
received life sentences for a iewelry I
kto-e robbery AZ Bryan. Tex. The I
TO escaped from the Oklahoma
when granted permission BY
authorities to go on a fish :
ing trip. They were later recaptur- I
ed IN Florida. \
Warden w. w. Waid OF the Tex
prison. termed Thompson as
the most dangerous OF the trio
that escaped from the condemned
row. Palmer was later recaptured
without a struggle in Kentucky 4
and Hamilton. former playmate OF z
the late Clyde Barrow, is still at q
large. r