WEBVTT
1
00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:24.719
H a wall street line, shackle change, Oh weesome, girdy,
2
00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:32.240
it's calling my name. There is no mercy and it's
3
00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:39.119
been a tentery juice as the huge stream game, a
4
00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:41.200
wrangle of three.
5
00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:53.600
Come here by me or die inside these walls, inside
6
00:00:53.679 --> 00:01:00.079
the wild and when no girl as I'm.
7
00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:34.079
Hey, everyone, Welcome back to Bloody Angola, a podcast one
8
00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:36.560
hundred and forty two years in the making, the complete
9
00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:41.400
story of America's bloodiest prison. I'm Jim Chapman, and You've
10
00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:45.239
heard a lot of stories of the history of Louisiana
11
00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:49.400
State Penitentiary on this show, but the one I'm about
12
00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.120
to tell you today, I really came across on accident.
13
00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:57.200
I was doing some research on historic escapes and I
14
00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:01.680
came across one in particular in this may be one
15
00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:05.599
of the wildest escapes, definitely one of the most tragic
16
00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:09.879
in Louisiana State Penitentiary history that did not have to
17
00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:12.479
do with Charlotte Fraser. And so today I'm going to
18
00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:16.960
tell you about an inmate by the name of Wilford Lensley.
19
00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:20.919
And I'm gonna start off by telling you what landed
20
00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.919
Wilford into Bloody Angola, and then what led up to
21
00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:27.680
what you're going to hear about within the meat of
22
00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:30.919
this story. So we're going to go back to nineteen
23
00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:34.360
thirty two, July eleventh, actually, and I'm going to reference
24
00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:40.680
an article from Shreveport, Louisiana. It's The Times newspaper from
25
00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:46.080
that day and it reads headline, jealous man slay's rival
26
00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.360
in gunfighting. Y'all know how these old articles read. You
27
00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:53.919
just can't beat them. Baton Reage, Louisiana, July eleventh. A
28
00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:58.719
charge of murder was filed late today against Wilford Lensley,
29
00:02:58.919 --> 00:03:02.319
a twenty four year old grocery clerk, in connection with
30
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:05.919
the fatal shooting of Stanley Couvion, who was twenty one
31
00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:10.080
late Sunday night, in an altercation said to have grown
32
00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:14.639
out of jealousy. Get this over. A sixteen year old girl,
33
00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:19.759
Gilmour Couvion, cousin of the slain youth, was wounded in
34
00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:24.039
the shooting fray, but is reported recovering in the hospital.
35
00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:28.479
The charge against Lensley, who disappeared after the shooting, following
36
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:32.960
questions of witnesses by District Attorney John fred Odom, his
37
00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:38.400
assistant Fred S. LeBlanc, and police help of authorities over
38
00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:42.840
a widespread area. Was enlisted in an attempt to locate Lensley,
39
00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:47.360
described as a disappointed suitor who shot Stanley Cuvion in
40
00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:50.479
the heart when he found him in an automobile with
41
00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:56.120
Miss Alvida Piazza in a business district filling station, and
42
00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:00.599
then wounded Gilmour Cuvion station employee and the cousin of
43
00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:04.800
the girl's escort in the thigh. So they eventually catch
44
00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:08.719
Lindsey and he goes to trial, and he ends up
45
00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:11.599
taking a plea in which he pleads guilty. He gets
46
00:04:11.639 --> 00:04:16.000
a life sentence inside of bloody Angola in what newspapers
47
00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.319
were terming as a jealousy slang. Now at this time,
48
00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.920
it was February first of nineteen thirty three when he
49
00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:26.560
got that sentence handed down of life, and it's off
50
00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:29.759
to Angola for this young man. And apparently he didn't
51
00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:33.560
like prison too much. And it wasn't much longer after
52
00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:37.680
that when in late May of nineteen thirty six, absolute
53
00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:41.439
tragedy happens. And I'm going to reference another article. This
54
00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:45.439
is from the Saint Francisville Democrat. It was published on
55
00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.800
May thirtieth of nineteen thirty six. And it's important to
56
00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:52.360
note that a lot of these papers, they weren't daily papers,
57
00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:57.160
they were weekly papers or every three days or whatever.
58
00:04:57.319 --> 00:05:00.360
So this isn't necessarily the date when this went down,
59
00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.439
but it was a date when it was printed in
60
00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:06.319
that particular paper. And at this point in time, Lendsey
61
00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:10.399
had been in prison for roughly four years. So it
62
00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:15.360
reads like this bloody tragedy on Angola. Captain and Miss
63
00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:20.079
Nelson Himel were killed by a trustee prisoner at their
64
00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.920
home Camp g in Gola State Farm late Wednesday afternoon.
65
00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:28.160
As of this writing, Wilford Lensley, twenty five years old,
66
00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:31.759
white convict is being sought as the slayer. There were
67
00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:34.639
no Whie witnesses to the tragedy, but it is thought
68
00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:37.879
from the circumstantial evidence that Miss Himel was stabbed to
69
00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:41.000
death and that Captain Himel was shot to death perhaps
70
00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:44.839
an hour or two later Miss Himel was killed. The
71
00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:48.560
double crime was not discovered until two shots were heard,
72
00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:52.000
these being responsible for the death of Captain Heimel, and
73
00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:56.680
y'all had spelled Himel, but it could be Email, which
74
00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.720
is a Cajun last name here, but that's tally spelled
75
00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.839
h y Nel, so we're gonna go with Himel fell
76
00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:07.920
aside Guidry. Trusty Cook at the Himl residence heard the
77
00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:10.920
shooting and came out to investigate. As he did so,
78
00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:13.680
Alfred held a gun on him and forced him to
79
00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.240
go with him to the camp. The two got into
80
00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:20.360
Captain Himmel's automobile and drove seven miles across the huge
81
00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:24.160
penitentiary form, going out the back gate, which leads into
82
00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:28.759
Wilkeson County, Mississippi. The automobile became bogged a mud and
83
00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:32.879
was abandoned. The convicts became separated, and Guidry made his
84
00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:36.120
way back to the camp and furnished the only clue
85
00:06:36.199 --> 00:06:40.160
to the trail of the fugitive. Sheriff Wilcox was at
86
00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:43.160
Baton Rouge when news of the tragedy reached town, but
87
00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:47.240
he had left immediately for Angola. In the meantime, Deputy
88
00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:52.279
Sheriff ce Daniels summoned a posse and went and y'all that, yes,
89
00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.079
this is that time frame in the thirties. They got
90
00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:59.360
a posse together becuz they went to Angola to lead
91
00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:03.519
assistance in the manhunt. Penitentiary officials were already on the
92
00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.519
trail and were soon reinforced by twelve members of the
93
00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:10.720
State Bureau of Criminal Identification. The trail is being followed
94
00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.319
closely and it seems that it can only be a
95
00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:18.360
matter of hours until the fugitive is either captured or killed.
96
00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.519
Parish Corner was on the scene early and immediately held
97
00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:25.399
an inquest. This revealed that Captain Himel had been shot twice,
98
00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:27.800
once in the head and once in the body, and
99
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:31.800
that Miss Himel had been killed by stabbing. It was
100
00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:34.560
the belief that Miss Himmel was first stabbed and that
101
00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:38.399
Captain Himel was then shot. Miss Himel's body was found
102
00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:41.120
in the bathtub in the bathroom where the doors had
103
00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:44.199
been locked from the outside. Captain Himel was shot with
104
00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:47.480
his own rifle. Alfred Lindsay is about twenty five years
105
00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:50.319
old and was sent up from East Baton Rouge Parish
106
00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:54.040
for murder about four years ago, receiving a life sentence.
107
00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:57.160
This is the first trouble of this nature to occur
108
00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:00.920
on Angola in several months, and I guess that's a
109
00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:03.920
flex form and it does not seem to have been
110
00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:06.439
a part of an attempted escape, which is at the
111
00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.800
bottom of most trouble of this nature. On the prison form.
112
00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:12.800
Several men have been killed on Angola in recent years
113
00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:16.079
when they tried to prevent escapes. However, Miss Himmel was
114
00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:18.720
the first woman to be killed on Angola in about
115
00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:23.079
twenty years. Miss Elkert, who was wife of the prison physician,
116
00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.639
was killed by a trustee house servant about twenty years ago,
117
00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:29.000
and that's interesting. I may do a story on that.
118
00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:31.800
At some point, Captain and Miss Himmel were held in
119
00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:35.440
the highest esteem by people of West Feliciana Parish and
120
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:39.159
the personnel at Angola. Captain Himel had been long in
121
00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:44.320
the penitentiary service, first being attached to Hope Form near Generat.
122
00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:47.799
When this plantation was abandoned, he was transferred to Angola.
123
00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:50.919
He was out of the service for a while under
124
00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:54.120
the Long administration, and they're talking about Huey Long. But
125
00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:58.240
it was found his service was invaluable and he was reinstated,
126
00:08:58.679 --> 00:09:01.600
being assigned to one of the hard prisons on the farm.
127
00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:05.279
Captain and Miss Himel rendered faithful and efficient service to
128
00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:10.120
the state and at the same time preserved independence of
129
00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.080
thought and action. William Wade's seventeen year old son of
130
00:09:14.200 --> 00:09:17.360
Miss E B. Wade, was shot and instantly killed by
131
00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:21.279
trustee guards. Thursday afternoon, Miss Wade sent her son to
132
00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:24.639
get something at a nearby store, telling him to hurry,
133
00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:27.360
and he ran. It is sad that the guards called
134
00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:29.399
upon him to halt. When he failed to do so,
135
00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:33.200
they shot him down. An accidental discharge of a gun
136
00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:36.440
by a member of the posse caused the wounding of
137
00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.639
two men. Just how seriously we have been unable to
138
00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:43.679
learn A veteran dog sergeant of the penitentiary and a
139
00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:47.399
foreman at Camp A were also shot. Friday morning, as
140
00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.279
the Democrat goes to Price, the hunt for the fugitive
141
00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:53.159
is still on the parishes being searched thoroughly. There are
142
00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:57.159
officers from different sections of the state, and many volunteers
143
00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.159
have joined in the hunt. So at this point in
144
00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:03.679
time been shot and killed because look, everybody's on fire.
145
00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:07.360
This guy has escaped prison. And how about what I
146
00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:10.240
just told you, seventeen year old kid walking across the field.
147
00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:12.559
He starts running because his mom said hurry up, and
148
00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:16.559
they shoot him, I guess, assuming he is the escaped convict.
149
00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:20.600
And other shootings related to that guy's escape. So he's
150
00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:25.159
calls quite the bullshit and blooding and Gola at this point.
151
00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:28.320
So they're on the case. And another article comes out
152
00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:32.480
and it says huge posse pushes hunt for fugitive. More
153
00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:36.240
than one hundred men and fifteen bloodhounds tracking in Gola
154
00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:40.200
escape And I'm referencing this from the Times in Shreveport
155
00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:43.279
as well. More than one hundred armed men of foot
156
00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:47.840
and on horseback and fifteen bloodhounds with attendants today search
157
00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:51.240
for the underbrush of a densely wooded strip south of
158
00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:54.919
the state prison for Wilford Lensley, twenty three years old.
159
00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:58.399
And if you notice every article, he's a different age.
160
00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:01.600
Back in those days, people have really no freaking clue
161
00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:04.080
how old you were. You just told them and they
162
00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:06.639
went by that. Nobody kept a good record of it.
163
00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:10.000
But I'll continue on twenty three year old escape lifer
164
00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.519
whose career has resulted in the slaying now of four
165
00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:17.360
persons and the wounding of three others. The dead Stanley
166
00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:21.240
Couvian killed in Baton Rouge by Lensley during a quarrel
167
00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:24.480
over a girl. That case which sent Lindsey to the
168
00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:27.799
state prison for life. Then it goes on Captain Nelson
169
00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:31.799
Himel and his wife of the penitentiary staff slaying in
170
00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:35.399
their home on the prison grounds Wednesday by Lensley before
171
00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:38.759
his escape for freedom. William Wade, a seventeen year old
172
00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:43.600
death farm youth, shot and killed by mistake yesterday by
173
00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:47.240
two prison guards, Jay Coover and Willie Green, who mistook
174
00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:51.240
him for the fugitive convict in the hunt. Those injured
175
00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:55.840
gs Cuvian, who is the cousin of Stanley Couvian who
176
00:11:55.919 --> 00:12:00.320
was shot. And it cuts off right there, unfortunately, but
177
00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:03.480
that gives you an idea of all these guys and
178
00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:08.720
one gal already in the bloodshed involved by the escape
179
00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.440
of this guy. I'm going to read you another article
180
00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.679
that came out, and this tells you how crazy the
181
00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:16.879
news was back in these days. Suspect is held as
182
00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:20.559
Louisiana fugitive. The State Guara of Identification said that a
183
00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:24.240
man is held in Texas, Canada, Texas, but was not
184
00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:28.320
Wilford Lensley. The bureau said the prisoner's height was given
185
00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:31.639
as six feet two while Lensley was only five foot
186
00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:34.679
six inches. I would say that's a big difference there.
187
00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:41.759
Jim, did you see what happened in Texas today?
188
00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:44.480
Wait before you tell me that, let me tell you
189
00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:45.679
what happened in New York.
190
00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:47.679
It cannot be as crazy as the case I told
191
00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:49.240
you about yesterday in Louisiana.
192
00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:52.320
You know what, we should do a podcast about it.
193
00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:55.399
And with that we did. Crime War Weekly covers the
194
00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:57.639
crime news headlines that have dominated the week.
195
00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:01.799
We cover trending crimes from over the country and even
196
00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:03.879
sprinkle in a few globally.
197
00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:06.720
Crime War Weekly is available now wherever you listen to
198
00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:08.360
your podcasts.
199
00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.440
Simply by searching Crime Wire Weekly or clicking the link
200
00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:21.840
in the description of this podcast. A man police believed
201
00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:26.360
might possibly be Wilford Lensley, who escaped Wednesday from the
202
00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:30.879
Angola prison farm after killing a prison captain and his wife,
203
00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:34.759
was arrested and they're referencing just prior to finding out
204
00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:38.679
he wasn't the right guy in this particular section. Officers
205
00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:42.840
said he was otherwise uncommunicative. He was arrested while prowling
206
00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:45.679
through a residential section of the city and was taken
207
00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:49.000
a headquarters while officers communicated with the Baton Ridge and
208
00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:53.960
Angola authorities. The arrest was made near the Northwest Louisiana line,
209
00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:58.480
while a South Louisiana posse continued a wide hunt for Lensley,
210
00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:02.559
twenty three, a lifetime who escaped from Angola Wednesday night
211
00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:06.200
after killing a captain and his wife. Peace officers led
212
00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:09.360
by bloodhounds were closing in on a wooden area about
213
00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:13.960
twelve miles east of here where this paper was printed today,
214
00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:17.000
in the belief that Wilford Linsley, twenty three year old
215
00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.679
convict who escaped the prison farm Wednesday night after killing
216
00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:24.120
two was hiding in a heavy underbrush in the vicinity.
217
00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:27.919
The hunt centered on a district approximately three square miles
218
00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:32.159
in the vicinity of a store in Saint Francisville. All
219
00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:35.480
but about sixty men in the huge posse that sought
220
00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:38.559
the fugitive yesterday were called back to the prison headquarters
221
00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:44.159
last night. The morning, fourteen fresh bloodhounds, followed by guards
222
00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:47.080
on horseback and a foot took up the trail again.
223
00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:50.360
During the night, the guard searched trains passing through the
224
00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:54.200
area and continued to stop automobiles on the highway. Then,
225
00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:58.120
physicians reported that the condition of a guard who was
226
00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:02.320
critically shot. Tom Flew was accidentally shot during the hunt
227
00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:06.799
yesterday and he was critical but showed a slight improvement
228
00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.960
during the night. Charles McCrory another guard wounded when one
229
00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.840
of the man hunt party fired into the underbrush at
230
00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.799
what he thought was an escape. Desperado was reportedly to
231
00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.559
be resting comfortably. I mean, they're shooting at everybody. This
232
00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:23.960
is wild And why is this Because a lot of
233
00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:27.519
these possing members back in those days, they weren't police officers.
234
00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:31.399
They had no training. They hunted, probably, but they had
235
00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.559
no training in anything. They were just out there and
236
00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:36.960
in something moved, they were shooting and killing it. A
237
00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:40.399
third unfortunate victim of the hunt, Willie Wade, seventeen, who
238
00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:42.720
was shot and killed by Jack Hoover and Willie Green,
239
00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:46.600
convict trustee guards at the penitentiary when he refused to