Evening star., 1936-05-14

McALESTER, Okla, May 14.-Eight
desperate fugitives Of bloody prison
break roved the Southeastern Okla
homa hills today. eluding posses who
sought to capture them and rescue
two guards and farmer taken along
as hostages.
Fear that the guards-Tuck Cope
and Victor Conn-had met the same
fate as Charles D. Powell. prison brick
plant foreman killed and tossed into q
downtown McAlester street soon
after the break yesterday, was ex-
pressed by Fred Daugherty. prison Sec
retary.
william Doaks, farmer, was ab-
Quoted early today by five of the
convicts after they had forced Mrs.
Doaks to prepare breakfast for them
at their home near Pittsburg, about
rs miles southeast Of here.
Guards Feared Thrown Out.
This group, which had held the
guards prisoner. was seen later at
Blanco with only one hostage, who
was believed to be Doaks, Daugherty
said He said it was feared Cope and
Conn had been thrown from an auto
mobile by the felons, who were travel
ing in two cars.
Wiley Napier. night marshal al
Antlers, Kiamichi Mountain town
southeast of here, reported to posse
men that he pursued two of the con-
victs miles west before he lost
the trail of their speeding motor car
The two carloads of fleeing convict'
were heading toward the Arkansas
border, Daugherty said reports indi'
Gated. Posses spread out over tht
Kiamichi Mountains in an attemp
to head them of.
Fifteen prison guards searched tn,
hills near Antlers for two convict
reported seen there at 2:30 am. today
Warden Roy Kenny said. Blood
hounds were on the trail. Another
posse hunted the brush arouns
Stewart for one or more reported
sighted there.
One Hostage Wounded.
From one of the recapturec
prisoners, retaken after the knife
flashing break from the prison brick
yard, the warden learned that one O.
the two hostage guards, Cope, wa!
wounded
The warden questioned Jerry String
fellow. ~, serving Is years for robbery
Il heard Cope say he was shot," th'
warden quoted Stringfellow as saying
land he asked them to throw him out
like they did Powell"
Powell was shot through the heac
and tossed out of the automobile a!
the convicts fled. Another guard, w
w. Gossett, was wounded.
Probable Leaders Named.
Four long-term convicts. named b!
Kenney probable leaders of the break
were:
Claude Beavers, serving Is years fol
robbery; Archie Herring, serving II
years for robbery; Jess Cunningham
serving life for murder, and Bill An
derson, serving az years for robbery
Warden Kenny described the fugitive
as "a hard bunch, among the TOUCHES
we had here"
Their plot well laid, the two dozer
desperate men-isolated from 5,00(
others because they were more hard
ened-chose the noon hour yesterda!
to come out with the knives and crude
dirks they had made.
The scene was the prison bricl
yard, q mile northwest of the MAR
prison. The yard is surrounded by {
wire fence patrolled by guards Ths
entrance is between two brick towers
also manned by guards.
Knives Are Flouished.
Inside at the time of the break were
Powell and three guards, Gossett
Conn and Cope. They were at lunch
The convicts slipped down an alley
way, through a blacksmith shop ane
into the dining room. They brandish.
ed knives, overpowered the guard!
and marched them out through thu
alleyway. There the convicts seizec
the men by the arms, prisoner or
each side of the four men. A thirc
convict held knife at the throat