This Week in Texas Prison History

January 13:   

1942 -  Eastham State Farm - Bloodhounds, armed guards and other searchers Thursday are on the trail of 21 long-term criminals, six of them life-termer, who broke out of Eastham prison farm Wednesday night into the East Texas bottom-lands. Two other prisoners were captured immediately after the break. They were C. R. Stout, 27, of Wichita Falls, serving a life term as an habitual criminal, who was shot in the arm; and Ed Morris, 39, of Fort Worth; serving 12 years for burglary from Tarrant county. The 21 fugitives scattered in all directions, officials at the main prison said they were informed. How the men sawed through the bars of their dormitory, in which 250 convicts were housed, had not been determined. It was believed shots fired by the guards prevented the escape of more men. Fugitives serving long terms included: Fort Marvin Laxon, 39 prison rodeo performer from Ballinger, Texas, serving life as an habitual criminal; Joe Marvin Burleson, 33, of Lamesa, life for Lee county robbery; Cora Hudson, 34, of Navasota, 70 years from Leon, Rusk and Smith counties for robbery with firearms and robbery by assault; (he recently escaped from Retrieve prison farm but was recaptured); Bill (Snuffy) Garrett, 26, of Dallas, 99 years from Childress, Williamson, Rockwall, Ellis, Hamilton, Palo Pinto, Collin and Hill counties in 20 cases of burglary, four of robbery and one of theft; (Garrett was the prison rodeo's premier clown); John Eugene Jurgeson, 34 of Dallas, 99 years from Dallas and Harris counties for robbery, robbery by assault and assault to rob. The other fugitives listed by Huntsville authorities were: Clarence William Redwine, 31 Houston, serving 25 years from Harris county for robbery by assault; Roy Pritchard, 29, of Mission, 30 years, robbery with firearms, Harris county; Jack Bronson, 28, of Wichita Falls, 50 years from Rusk county for robbery with firearms; Leroy Robbins, 31, Baytown, 25 years, murder from Gonzales county; James Rice, 34, of Houston, 27 years from Harris and Polk counties, robbery with firearms and robbery by assault. (Rice escaped in 1933 at the time of notorious Raymond Hamilton, pal of Clyde Barrow, made his break.) Otto Fryer, 28, of Dallas, 15 years from Kaufman, Dallas and Wharton counties for robbery, burglary and robbery by assault; Jess hill, 43 of Fort Worth, 12 years from Tarrant county for burglary and theft; H. J. Anderson, 35, of San Antonio, five years for burglary from Bexar county; Elbert Mangum, 29, Walls 14 years from Dallas county for robbery and attempted robbery; C. O. Colfton, 35, of Houston, 12 years from Know county in 21 burglary cases; L. V. Galindo, 38, of Walter Okla., life term as habitual criminal from Austin county; Jack Marvin Flippe, 33, Tulsa Okla., 30 years for robbery with firearms and robbery from Tarrant and McLennan counties; Charles Hilburn, 29, native of Ireland but claiming U. S. citizenship, 25 years for robbery in Dallas county; Ernest C. Jones, 27, of Ringling Okla., two years from Jefferson county for receiving and concealing; Gilbert Francis O'Brien, 30 Dallas, 30 years from Dallas county for robbery. (AP The Brownsville Herald, January 13, 1942)