Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-29
ouhy
Continued From First Pape.)

first FBI raid, when reporters gained
entry to the Leland avenue prem
Uses.
The fugitives who fell into the
G-men's trap had been occupying
two-room third-floor apartment.
Agents had taken rooms a short
distance down and across a winding
hall.
There were peepholes drilled in
the door of the room used by the
agents. Their quarry evidently came
up the stairs, unsuspecting, last
night.
Residents surmised that the wait
Ing agents opened their door, called
upon the fugitives to halt or sur
render and that probably the gang
Sters went for their guns.
Obviously the agents let loose a
whitening blast. The hallway wood
work, plaster and doors were shat
tered by shotgun and machine-gun
slugs. The bannister was splintered.
The whole scene was blood-spat-
tered
One of the slain gangsters evident
ly tumbled over the banniSter to the
second floor The other apparently
rolled down the winding stairway to
the same level
Elaborate Preparations.
Anthony Battaglia, manager of
the building in Leland avenue, said
O'Connor rented an apartment De-
cember 10 under the name of
Peterson" and McInerney moved
In with him.
Mr.. Battaglia identified Touhy
and Banghart, from pictures, as men
who later moved in but left Christ
mas Day visiting the place several
times since and as late as m. yes
terday. He said a fifth man was
there part of the time.
of course I didn't know who
these men were" Mr.. Battaglia said,
They didn't say what their occu-
patton was but they treated me fine;
gave me 81 and 81 tips and 50 on
Christmas
He said Federal agents rented
rooms about week ago
Neighborhood residents said the
Federal agents must have made
elaborate plans for last nights
foray. Automobiles with motors
running were parked at strategic
locations in the street and nearby
alleys. In addition to the agents
inside the apartment, others were
posted to command entrances and
windows to the building
The fugitiveS arrived shortly be-
fore midnight, the agents permitting
them to get we'll inside the entrance
before challenging them.
O'Connor, alias Eugene Lanthorn,
who twice previously escaped from
Statewide, was serving one year to
life for armed robbery, sentence
imposed in 1882. In his second
escape in 1886 he pulled a master
switch which threw the prison into
darkness while he climbed 33-foot
wall with a cleverly contrived ladder
He was recaptured in January, 1897
McInerney, who was serving a
life term under the Habitual Grim
inal Act, was sentenced in 1897 after
he was caught attempting to blow
a safe in the Swedish Club in Chi
cago
Escape of the seven desperadoes
from Statewide October was one
of the most spectacular in Illinois
penal history. The FBI entered
the search october II when, 'front.'
cally, Touhy and Banghart were
III, foil f1 nicto f0r
selective service. Mr.. Hoover had
described them as two of the most
desperate and dangerous criminals
at large"
The seven. who apparently had
four pistols struggled in to them
Communicated a garbage truck In
the prison grounds, drove to the
mechanical shop. forced guard to
unlock some ladders, then drove to
a tower in the prison wall, There
they fired on the tower guard, Her
man Kross, wounded him, climbed
up the ladders, seized two rifles
ammunition, Mr.. Kross' pistol and
the keys to his automobile 1t was
parked outside the wall. The con-
victs went down the tower stairs and
sped away in the car.
Thereafter they slipped through
An elaborate police blockade. On
December 10 Chicago police credited
the Touhy mob with hijacking an
armored truck carrying $4,000 near
a war plant in the West Chicago
suburbs.
1T looks as though the Touhy
gang has come out of hiding to get
0 stake" said 1t. Thomas Kelly at
that time.