Convicted Murderer Escapes from State Prison, May 10, 1924

Otto Wood Leader in Daring Escape from State Prison. . . Man Sentenced for Killing Greensboro Man, With Aid of Another Prisoner, Makes Getaway. . . Held Up Guard at Knife Point. . . Seized His Gun and Left the Prison in Car of Physician—Later Took Truck from Negro Driver

By the Associated Press

Raleigh, May 10—Armed with knives and forcing an overseer to give them his pistol, Otto Wood, serving a 30-year sentence in connection with the slaying of A.W. Kaplan, Greensboro merchant, and J.H. Starnes, under a five-year sentence, stole the prison physician’s automobile, and made their escape from the North Carolina penitentiary there this morning.

Shortly after the prisoners had entered the prison chair factory early today, Wood Starnes and another convict picked up knives which are used by the men in making chairs surrounded Overseer D.L. Partin and commanded him to turn over to them his revolver. Being alone with the convicts, Partin handed Wood his pistol. Wood and Starnes then left the building, got in the automobile of Dr. Norman, prison physician, and made their escape. The other convicts did not go with them.

Three or four miles from Raleigh the men met a negro driving a local bakery truck. They stopped him at the point of a revolver, and forced him to exchange the truck for their lighter car. Last reports reaching the prison regarding the convicts were that they were headed toward Durham. Besides the pistol, both men are armed with knives.

Wood and Starnes were wearing blue overalls when they left the penitentiary. Wood is about 5 feet, 7 inches in height, weighs 160 pounds, and his right hand is cut off at the wrist.

A bevy of guards from the state prison are in pursuit of the men. The warden has telephoned surrounding towns to be on the lookout for the prisoners.

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Still at Large at Noon

Raleigh, May 10—Otto Woods, serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of A.W. Kaplan, Greensboro pawn broker, and J.H. Starnes, under sentence of five years, who made their escape from the North Carolina State Prison early today, after taking a pistol away from an overseer and forcing him at the point of a revolver to accompany them in an automobile out of the prison, were still at large at noon today.

From the front page of the Concord Tribune, May 10, 1924