Evening star., 1954-05-20
Enife-WieIder Made
Her Tie Up Children,
Mrs. Thomas Says
By ChorIes l. Hoffman

A mother of five small chill
dren thanked God today that
they all were not killed during
the terrifying six hours an in
truder held them prisoners in
their farm home near Gathers
burg, Md.
Still frightened and shocked,
Mrs. Charles Thomas, 80, COL
ored, described the events of
yesterday. The Thomas family
lives in a tenant house on the
farm of William F. Carl, about
200 feet from the main house.
Montgomery County police said
Mrs. Thomas had identified a
picture of Army Pvt. Fred G.
Pjerrou, "a, a mental patient who
escaped from Walter Reed Hos
pital yesterday, as the man.
Saw Man Approaching.
Mrs. Thomas and one daugh-
ter were Slashed by the knife
welding man during the episode.
About noon 1 sent my five
children over to the big house
to get some water. I was wash
ing some Clothes" she explained.
The dog began barking and
then I saw this man come run
ming out of the woods to the
front porch. He had a dagger
in one hand and a piece of pipe
in the other. He was wearing
only some sort of blue pants
and he had to hold them up with
one hand to keep them from
coming off.
He told me to get in the house
and take the children with me.
When they all got inside he told
me if I didn't keep them quiet
he would kill them all.
He let those pants drop and
ran around the house naked
waving that knife.
He went upstairs and got
some of my husbands clothes
and came down and dressed.
When he started to go in one of
the bedrooms, the children all
started to cry again." Mrs.
Thomas related.
"Tie them all up and gag them
or I'll kill them ALL" he yelled at
me.
Il started to tie up Charles
Leon a years old and Charles
Leon started to yell louder. He
was scared and was, too.
The man ran over and
stabbed me and then he grabbed
my little girl barbara Lee, 81
and stabbed her across the eye.
I finally got all of them tied up
and put rags in their mouths.
THE man ithen got a pillow
case and took all our food out of
the icebox and out of the closet.
He put it all in the pillow case.
He ate some. ~
Threw Meat to Dog. Sc ~@t
"The dog was barking outside
so he threw some meat out to
keep him quiet.
"All the time" she went on,
"he kept walking around and
peeping out of the window.
Every little noise and he would
start swinging tile knife around.
We were all keeping quiet. After
awhile he let me unite the chill
dren.
When Mrs. Carl came up, he
saw them through the window.
(Mrs. Carl, two children and a
friend came to the farm about
3pm. to look around. The Carls
were preparing to move to the
farm.
"'You all mind readers, he
asked me. How'd they know
was here?'
II told him I hadn't told any,
body he was there because
hadn't seen anybody to tell. He
then. asked me, What is this,
Germany?'
BrandiShes His Knife.
Gall the time Mrs. Carl was
there he kept running from win
dow to window. peeping out and
waving the knife. Then he said
he was going to go over to the
big house after Mrs. Carl left
and take Connie Marie g years
old with him.
He told me to put her in a
sack and he would take her
along so we wouldn't leave.
told him I'd go myself.
Then he told me he had lost
something in the house and we
had to find it or be would kill
us all. All the children started