Evening star., 1941-08-11
Warden, Three Others
Slain; Three Wounded
Al Oklahoma Prison
Deputy Sheriff Shoots
ltOut With Convicts
As -Four Try to Escape
~ the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press,
McALESTER, Okla, Aug. 11.-An
lron-clad rule he, himself, laid down
several years ago brought death to
Warden Jess F. Dunn of the Okla
homa penitentiary and to two es-
Gaping convicts and former prison
guard in a brief but bloody Sunday
break the worst in three decades.s
Several years ago Mr.. Dunn told
Bill Alexander, then a guard, "1f
there ever should be break and
the convicts get hostages, even II
they get me and 1 tell you not to
shoot, 60 ahead and shoot"
Mr.. Alexander, now deputy
sheriff, remembered that admoni-
ton yesterday when he intercepted
four long term prisoners who had
seized the warden and chance
companion In the prison yard yes
terday.
Fled in Automobile.
The convicts, armed with home
made knives, used Mr.. Dunn and
J. H. Fentriss, telephone engineer,
to shield their escape past two
guards at the east gate and fed
in a car parked outside the walls
by a prison employe.
A short distance away, Mr.. Alex
ander caught up with them. Mr..
Dunn requested that he let the party
pass.
Warden, you can pass, but the
prisoners had better fall out of that
car" Mr.. Alexander replied.
The prisoners started shooting and
Mr.. Alexander shot back.
Mr.. Dunn was the. first victim.
The enraged convicts shot him twice
In the head and stabbed him
through the heart.
Others Killed In Battle.
The other dead:
Tab Ford, 50, former guard and
former deputy who was in the
sheriff's ofice when Mr.. Alexander
got the alarm and Joined him in
the chase.
Roy MCGEE, 36, serving Is years
for armed robbery.
Claude Beavers. 80. under SEN
tence of IS years for armed robbery
and under life term for a break in
1896 when Mr.. Dunn led the posse
which caught him.
Prison officials said he was the
leader of both the 1896 uprising and
that yesterday.
The wounded:
Bob Pollock, 40, former prison
guard who Joined Mr.. Alexander
and Mr.. Ford.
Hiram Prather, "a, serving life for
murder.
Bill Anderson, serving n years
for armed robbery, so badly wound
ed officers first believed him dead.
Investigation Started.
Mr.. Fentriss was accompanying
Mr.. Dunn on an inspection of the
new prison communication system
when the convicts seized him. He
was uninjured.
Gov. Leon c. Phillips summoned
all State officials connected with
the prison administration and At
torney General Mac @. Williamson
to McAlester for an investigation.
Mr.. Alexander gave this account
Of the break: 60 ''.'.-
"I got the call at the sheriffs
Office 1 was there alone. They
told me there was break at the
prison. I picked up Tab Ford and
Bob Pollock and started out.
wv ran into a lane and met the
prisoners with the warden coming
out. I swung the car around and
blocked the road.
Cenvict Driver Killed.
Then Jumped out of the car and
the warder asked me to let them
pass by. told the warden he could
pass, but that the prisoners should
fall out of the car. One was hold
ing big knife at the warden's neck.
I was out of the car at the side OF
the road and they backed up and a
man in back shot at me. Then I
started shooting and killed Beavers
who was driving the car.
They changed drivers and swung
away and we chased them three
blocks north. They ran into a
blocked street where a bridge was
out and stopped. I jumped out OF
my car with them shooting at me.
They Jumped out of their car into
a ditch and I shot 1t out with them
there.
"I had to walk across the road and
there wasn't any cover and they
were shooting fast. But they had
to stick their heads up to shoot at
me and that's when I got them.
IT shot all but one and he came
out with his hands up begging.
One Hostage Tied.
"The warden's body was slumped
In the back seat of his car. The
phone mans hands were tied and he
was tied to the car. I united him.
He'd been stabbed"
Mr.. Alexander said Mr.. Ford was
killed by the convicts fire before
the jailer could get out OF the back
seat. He thought his companions
death occurred where he shot it out
with the prisoners.
He said Mr.. Pollock was in store
when he called him to join him In
the chase. Mr.. Pollock grabbed up
a gun that had been kept IN the
store. Only when the shooting got
under way did Mr.. Pollock learn
that his gun was empty.
But he jumped into the role OF
munition carrier to Mr.. Alexander.
He was wounded while doing that.