Evening star., 1960-03-25
z Tennessee Convicts Give Up, Free
lo Hostages After Murder Threat

MAGnN4L14E, 4cIlIl., MAI. 20
(Apl-Two armed convicts
who had threatened q mass
murder of 19 hostages walked
quietly from a captured office
at the Tennessee Penitentiary
yesterday. ending a dramatic
25-hour siege.
In q sudden and almost anti
climatic ending, Robert Rivera
and Raymond Farra handed
over their two pistols and four
knives and surrendered after
State officials agreed to their
scaled-down demands.
The hostages, three women
and Is men, were released un-
harmed.
Warden Lynn Bomar said
the pistols might have come
from a guard. not identified.
who was fired last month for
smuggling guns into the prison.
He said the former guard was
not prosecuted, but charges
may be filed against him now.
Farra, 25. a native Of Border
land, w. Va. is listed on prison
records as insane and capable
: Of murder. He is serving q life
sentence for kidnapping. He was
committed to the prison after
escaping from a mental insti-
tuition.
Rivera, "a, from Temple, Tex,
was called by officials zone Of
the most dangerous prisoners
ever to enter this penitentiary."
He is serving 10 years for armed
robbery.
Grabbed Il Hostages
The pair grabbed 2l hostages
at the deputy warden's Office
shortly after 8 pm. Wednesday |
as prisoners were being paid
, scrip for work done.
= They poked a gun in my
face and I knew they meant
it," said J. w. Trousdale, 81,
one of the i've prison guards
! they seized. II don't think !
. ever spent a worse day"
. One hostage. inmate Sam
Broyles, was released during the |
! night because he was i'll. An
other. Jack Warrick, a tele-
. phone OPERATOR guard, was
turned loose several hours later
I. for the same reason.
e Rivera and Farra first de-
manded q car and three State |
employees as shields to accom-
pany them on q run for tree
. dom. This was fatty refused.
After q tense night and day
, of negotiating with State and
prison offlcials, they finally |
came out under this signed and
: notarized agreement:
They would be taken to the
. Davidson County Jail here "un-
harmed, unmolested and un-
, harassed" to stay until the
courts act on their petitions fol
writs of habeas corpus. They
would not lose their good be-
havior time as a result Of the
rebellion.
Agreement Signed
The agreement, signed by
Corrections Commissioner Keith
Hampton, three lawyers and
the convicts. was contingent
upon being published in yes
terday afternoons Nashville
Banner. It also stipulated
Farra and Rivera would not be
placed in solitary confinement
or IN the prisons maximum
security unit.
The Banner published an
extra edition to carry the
agreement.
Mrs. Jerry Tarpy. an ac-
counting clerk at the prison
and one of the women host
ages, said on her release, I'VE
never we're really terrified. j
They didn't threaten us. But
they had those guns. We
didn't sleep"
The first break in the pro-
tracted negotiations came
shortly after noon when Rivera
emerged from the deputy
warden's Office, accompanied
by Clifton Cotton, an inmate
who often acts as a legal ad-
wiser for fellow prisoners.
Convict Given Statement
Rivera was given a notarized
statement by Charles Moss, the
Banners executive editor. prom
Using to publish the agreement |
as soon as the hostages were
. released.
. Rivera took this back to the
Office, saying he thought he
could talk Farra into giving up. |
But nearly three hours
passed before Farra came out |
= alone to talk with Mr.. Hamp-
I. ton. The commissioner said |
+ Farra wanted assurances he
would not be harmed If he
d gave up.
An hour later, six inmate
! hostages walked slowly from
the office their hands raised.
They were followed in a few
90 minutes by the 'emaining
hostages.
Then came Rivera and Farra,
preceded by Albert Balevre, a
State psychologist, who waved
q the convicts' two pistols-a 80
and .4s-high over his head.
They deliberated very seri-
ously whether to give in or
fight it out" Mr.. Balevre said.
He said Farra-the more re-
luctant Of the two-"sat there
just thinking for about IS min
utes. Finally he decided to do