Madison Journal - 1940 Convict Killed
Date submitted: January 12, 2014

Submitted by: Richard P. Sevier

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					One Convict Killed, One Taken At Bridge

	Pass Through Tallulah In Car Which They Took Wednesday Morning Near Little Fork Bridge
					From September 6, 1940 Madison Journal

One Arkansas convict was instantly killed and another captured about eleven-forty-five Wednesday 
morning at the Mississippi river bridge when they attempted to cross it. These two convicts are said 
to have been a part of the six which came into this state early this week and were halted near Columbia. 
They apparently eluded the posse which later surrounded the other four.

At the Vicksburg bridge there were Vicksburg officers who had been waiting for any attempted crossing 
by any of the convicts. As the car came up, there was another car ahead driven by a negro. It is said 
that the negro drove away very slowly which gave officers, plenty of time to surround the convict car. 
In the car besides the two convicts were two ladies, Mrs. C. E. Eldridge, of Monroe, and Mrs. H. L. Erwin, 
of Devener City, Texas, sisters, and their nephew, Woodrow Wall, of Springhill, La. As the officers came 
out of hiding and covered the car, one of the convicts leveled a gun at one of the officers from behind 
one of the ladies, making it impossible for that officer to shoot. However, another officer shot the 
convict in the head with a shotgun loaded with buck shot, but not before he had shot at the other officer, 
missing him. The nephew, Wall, received a slight shoulder wound from one of the buckshot. However, he 
came nearly being killed, as the officer who received the tip had not been notified about him in the car, 
and as he was dressed somewhat similar to the men, officers took him to be one of them. It is reported 
that when the car stopped at the toll house both the ladies jumped out of the car. The convict killed was 
said to be named Brice Fowler, and reported as a very dangerous character. The other, Floyd Boyce, 
surrendered and was placed in jail in Vicksburg.

These two men were said to have been a part of the gang which went to Columbia. However, they evaded officers 
and early Wednesday morning kidnapped J. H. Hinton and his car in Columbia and made him drive them to Madison 
parish. Apparently they entered the parish over the Bayou Macon Bridge in the eighth ward and headed toward 
Waverly over the gravel road. Just north of Little Fork Bridge Hinton had a blowout, so they had to stop. 
About that time the two ladies appeared headed south. The convicts hailed them and when the ladies stopped 
the convicts made them turn around and take them north. A negro, Rev. I. L. Bradley, was coming north at the 
time, but when he saw the commotion near the parked car he became suspicious and stopped his car a couple of 
hundred yards from the Hinton car and waited until the convicts had left in the ladies' car. Then he returned 
to the Rayburn place where he lived and not far from the scene, told Mr. Rayburn who told him to follow the 
car and report at Waverly. He then followed the car, saying that he kept just far enough behind to see the 
dust. However, he said he did see the car cross the railroad at Waverly and that when he crossed the railroad, 
he saw that the car had turned east and was headed toward Tallulah. He promptly reported this fact to Mr. Frazier 
at Waverly who phoned officers.

It is said that when the car passed through Tallulah the convicts used side streets, leaving the highway west 
of the Missouri-Pacific tracks, and entering the highway by way of the lane next to the Holt place.