All Of 5 Escapees Taken By Officers

Convicts Captured

CAMDEN, June 4 – Five Negro fugitives from the Boykin prison farm near Sumter were captured near here at Blaney last night and today by officer, with the held of bloodhounds from the Kershaw county, farm.

Their arrest complete the capture of all six who escaped last Sunday, on having been taken after bloodhounds had flushed him from woods near here Monday.

Last night the second of the escaped men was caught near the city limits by City Officer Sheheen and Highway Patrolman Hammond. The third was taken off a truck at Blaney last night, leaving three still at large.

Today the remaining three were nabbed just south of the city after the bloodhounds again had led officers to their quarry. All have been returned to the Boykin farm.

Herbert Brown, 36, of Orangeburg is the man taken Monday. The remaining five are Lon L. Gaskins and James Williams of McCormick, Pleas Beasby of Richland county, James Price of Orangeburg and J. C. Gist of Spartanburg.

An intense search had made over a wide area after the six broke away from the camp last Sunday. Taking part in the captures were officers of the Camden Police force, Kershaw County and the State highway patrol.

Beasby was serving a life sentence for murder. Gaskins 25 years for manslaughter, Williams 22 years for two housebreaking and larceny convictions and assault and battery with intent to kill. Brown three years for forgery. Price five years for house breaking and larceny and Gist six years for highway robbery.

Capt. Claude A. Sullivan of the state penitentiary said today that the five stole an automobile from a Negro church and were riding in it when officers stopped them last night by blocking a road between Camden and the state prison farm. The convicts fled into the woods and were later captured by the officers, the last near Blaney by Jasper Jackson, a resident of the community.

June 4, 1947  Columbia Record (published as The Columbia Record)  
Columbia, South Carolina
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