Evening star., 1947-12-11
Andrews Field Section
Combed for Convicts
From Upper Marlboro

Police conducted an intensive
search this morning in the vicinity
of Andrews Field for four convicts
who broke cut of the Prince
Georges County Jail at Upper Marl-
boro last night after overpowering
a 65-year-old jailer, beating him
e. and stealing his keys
The county police converged on
the Air Force Field when guard
reported that a man who refused
to identify himself and explain his
presence fed into the woods on the
reservation.
The four men who escaped are:
William G. Midget, Is, of the 1900
block of s street Sc, who escaped
recently from a prison camp at Cul-
peper, Va. He was awaiting grand
jury action on three burglary
charges.
James c. Hampson, Is, Arlington,
who was being held on nonsupport
charge.
Joseph L. Boswell, jr., 81, no fixed
address, who was awaiting grand
jury action in the theft of $50.
Robert Morris, %. Laurel, who was
serving SIS days in lieu of a $75 fine
He had been in Jail since October
10 on drunk and disorderly charge
and was serving as a trusty.
Using plea for medical assist
ance as a ruse, the quartet threw
a towel around the jailer's neck and
pulled him toward the cell block,
where they beat him and took his
keys.
The men then unlocked their
cells, fled to the main floor of the
two-story brick structure and found
another key to open a door leading
to the outside.
The men fled on foot. There were
no guns in the Jail and they were
unarmed, according to police.
Believed to Have Stolen Car.
Police at Upper Marlboro ex-
pressed the belief the men had fed
the area In stolen car.
They said Lyman ]. Laughton, 3d.
TOOL Whitehouse road, Ritchie Sta
ton, about miles northwest of
Upper Marlboro, reported his car
had been stolen between midnight
and 3 am.
Victim Of the escape was Vincent
I. Wells of Iceland, near Upper
Marlboro, one of three jailers as
signed to the building. Mr.. Wells
suffered head decorations and a
broken nose when he was pulled up
to the cell block and struck on the
head with the blackjack. Police
said he had been a jailer for 10
years.
>.. Sheriff Describes Break.
Sheriff T. Ward Martin, one of
several county and police officials
who arrived on the scene shortly
after the escape a few minutes be-
fore 10 pm, gave this account:
Midget, pretending to be sick,
asked Tor some pills while he, Bos-
we'll and Hampson were confined to
a runway connecting five individual
cells occupied by two prisoners each.
A master lock controls the entire
cell block. which is on the second
floor.
When Mr.. Wells offered the pills
to Midget, Morris. who was with
Mr.. Wells, grabbed him from be-
hind and pushed him toward the
cell bars, where towel was thrown
around his neck and he was choked
and beaten.
About an hour after the men es-
capped, cries from a woman prisoner
attracted attention of a passerby
who notified county police.
Jailer Treated and Sent Home.
Mr.. Wells was treated by DR..
James A. Sasscer. Upper Marlboro
physician, and was sent home after
telling his version OF the escape,
Sheriff Martin reported. Mr.. Wells
refused to make any statement.
When captured, November II. at
Silver Hill, in stolen automobile,
Midget had driven over 5000 miles
on the Eastern seaboard, police re-
ported they found it contained an
assortment of dynamite, safecutting
tools, narcotics, gold teeth and mis-
cellaneous drugstore articles.
Hampson, who originally had
been charged with the abduction of
a 17-year -old East Riverdale MD
girl last May, was being held in