Woodward News – March 22, 1895.
Three Men Heavily Armed Rife up to the Jail, Capture the Guards, and Liberate the Prisoners.
As we go to press, we open the forms to announce the boldest act yet peptrated in Woodward. About 9 o’clock Wednesday night, three men rode up to the jail and covered guards John Gholston and Bob Norvell with three ugly, long winchesters and forced them to unlock the cells and liberate Tom Yoas, Curly George, Ed Lahr, and Henry Smith. The two former were hastily provided with arms and horses, and taking the disarmed guards with them as far as the railroad track, the five men rode off with pleasant good byes and the officers returned to town and rised the alarm. The jail is situated at the extreme west side of town and the whole affair was over so quickly that no one could have interfered. Sheriff Odem and deputies John Gholston, Ben Gholston, and Ben Wolfarth immediately started in pursuit, and speculation is rife as to the results, as the escaped men and their friends are dead shots and will resist capture. Smith did not try to escape, and Lahr who was serving a thirty day’s sentence which expired yesterday, is not wanted. The probable effect of the delivery will be the keeping of prisoners hereafter in Wellington or Wichita.
