Evening star., 1946-04-04
A-2 - THE EVENING STAR, Washington D. c.
THURSDAY. l.
Escape Completely UnpIonned
MedIeySoy Plot Guard Claims
WeII-Luid Scheme
To Engineer Break
Charged by Davis

To Engineer Break
Charged by Davis
Pvt. Hubert G. Davis, one of the
two policemen suspended for per.
mitting prisoners to escape" from
the District Jail, considers himself
the victim of great personality
that of Joseph Medley.
Pvt. Davis, alone in his home al
8 Fowler lane, Lanham Heights
Md, because his wife and 3-year.
old son spent the night with friends
was reluctant to talk to reporters to.
day.
He refused to say anything be-
yond confirming the story he gave
to a morning paper at am. today
in the company of his lawyer, James
j. Laughlin. He said Mr.. Laughlin
had told him not to say anything
else or the lawyer would drop the
case. Before leaving town, Mr.
Laughlin also confirmed the story
Pvt. Davis expressed confidence
however, that he would be acquitted
on any legal charges brought against
him. The other thing that could
be held against him, he contended
was malfeasance of duty.
Going Too Far, He Claims.
They're going too far with this
/ thing" he declared. They'll be
glad to drop it when all the facts
are known
While the story told investigators
by Medley and Pvt. Davis story jibe
on some of the details, they dis
agree on one of the most important
ones: Was the escape planned in
advance, as Pvt. Davis contends, or
was it an impromptu, spontaneous
effort brought about by fortuitous
circumstances, as Medley would have
the police believe?
This is Pvt. Davis story:
Pvt. Davis, with his fellow police
man, Pvt. Oscar c. Sanderlin
agreed to play rummy with the two
prisoners about 2 am. Pvt. Davis
knew the prisoners weren't supposed
to be in the recreation room after
midnight. but he couldn't see why
not, since they were allowed there
the rest of the time.
Guard Left Room.
Pvt. Sanderlin had been COM
planning of a headache. About 4:30
am. Medley suggested that the
policeman lie down on his bunk,
pointing out that you wouldn't be
the first guard to do it." Sanderlin
left the recreation room.
The three handed rummy game
that followed was dull one, the
deathhouse was stuffy and Pvt.
Davis laid his head back against
the bars behind him. He figures he
must have dozed of. Then he
awoke to find Medley's arm around
his neck and Mcfarland In front
of him, holding a pointed spike
about 10 inches long.
(No mention of spike is
made in Medley's story to in
vestigators0
Pvt. Davis doesn't know how Nc
Farland procured the spike or how
he kept it hidden.
Mcfarland jabbed Pvt. Davis with
the spike, warning him he'd get hurt
ii he didn't keep quiet.
Then. Mcfarland pulled out a
towel gag and fastened it on the
policeman. The gag was fixed up
with strings to hold it firm, which
convinced Pvt. Davis that it was
another OF the tools prepared in ad-
vance for planned break.
With the spike at his throat, Pvt.
Davis was marched of to McFar-
lands cell. AS the trio passed Med
ley's cell, Pvt. Sanderlin woke up
and called whats going on here?"
Medley slammed the cell door and
told him to shut up. The two prison.
ers put Pvt. Davis down on McFar-
lands cot and tied him with the an
tenna from the recreation room ra-
dio. Then they decided to relieve him
Of his uniform so they united him,
made him strip and tied him up
again
The two men proceeded to deal
with Sanderlin, and Davis said he
heard them tell him to get out of
his uniform. Sanderlin protested
that they couldn't get away with
their break. that they would accom-
plish nothing but make the two
policemen lose their jobs. Medley
told him to say gun had been
pulled on him.
Heard Medley Report.
Davis heard the men at the tele-
phone and one of them, probably
Medley, reported on the penthouse
at about sos am.
The policeman heard them slam
the steel door leading from the
deathhouse section to the elevator
and telephone. The door was always
kept open and the policemen had
no key to it.
He heard them go into the service
corridor behind the cells and then
walk on top of the cells. He was
sure the ventilator had been opened
before the two police came on duty
because the two prisoners lost no
time going through it.
Ten minutes later, Sanderlin ex-
tricated himself from the bonds
around his legs and went to the cell
occupied by William Copeland, an
other of the four convicted mur-
derers in the death row. Both Cope
land and Julius Fisher, the fourth
prisoner, had slept through the
break.
Copeland united Pvt. Sanderlin' S
hands. AS soon as Sanderlin had
freed Davis, the policeman ran to
the window and saw the sheets down
which Medley and Mcfarland had
climbed to freedom.
Tho,, Copdorlir, ond nouic Of rf al