reached a farm house where he reported the incident, Before day=
break on May 31, McClure and Stevens entered the Oakdale banice throug!
a window while Petree and Christmas remained in the automobile, At
8:30 AM, the bank's cashier and some other men entered the bank throug
the door but when they saw McClure and- Stevens, they fled and gave ‘an
alarm, frustrating the proposed robbery. The four men fled in the -
stolen car towards Harriman, but it became disabled and they separated
McClure and Petree were captured shortly afterwards hiding under a’
culvert near Oakdale, Both confessed their participation but claimed
that they did not know that mrder was to be involved, saying that.
they thought that Crumley and Lewis were to be left tied to a tree in
the woods, Christmas and Stevens managed to elude officers for three
weeks as they hid in the wooded and mountainous area, but they were ,
finally captured when officers noticed Christmas! brother driving in-
to the area where they were believed hiding and followed him, At tliei
trial, Petree offered a defense of insanity while the other three
presented little defense but asked for mercy, Crumlyy was the star
witness against them and 2,000 spectators. heard him testify as to the
events of the night of May 30, Their convictions and the semtence of
death were affirmed on appeal and the Governor of Tennessee refused
to: grant clemency to any of them éven tbhoggh great pressure was brough
to bear on him including solicitations from the Governors of Michigan
and Maryland in each of which States one of McClure's parents lived,
reached a farm house where he reported the incident, Before day=
break on May 31, McClure and Stevens entered the Oakdale bank throug]
a window while Petree and Christmas remained in the automobile, At
8:30 AM, the bank's cashier and some other men entered the bank throug
the door but when they saw McClure and-Stevens, they fled and gave ‘an
alarm, frustrating the proposed robbery. The four men fled in the
stolen car towards Harriman, but it became disabled and they separated
McClure and Petree were captured shortly afterwards hiding under a‘
culvert near Oakdale, Both confessed their participation but claimed
that they did not know that murder was to be involved, saying that
they thought that Crumley and Lewis were to be left tied to a tree in’)
fhe woods, Christmas and Stevens managed to elude officers for three
weeks as they hid in the wooded and mountainous area, but they were ,
finally captured when officers noticed Christmas! brother driving in-
to the area where they were believed hiding and followed him, At thei
trial, Petree offered a defense of insanity while the other three
presented little defense but asked for mercy, Crumlyy was the star
witness against then and 2,000 spectators, heard him testify as to the
events of the night of May 30. Their convictions and the sentence of
death were affirmed on appeal and the Governor of Tennessee refused
to: grant clemency to any of them éven tbhoggh great pressure was brough}
to bear on him including solicitations from the Governors of Michigan
and Maryland in each of which States one of McClure's parents lived,
reached a farm house where he reported the incident, Before day-
break on May 31, McClure and Stevens entered the Oakdale banice througll
a window while Petree and Christmas remained in the automobile, At
8:30 AM, the bank's cashier and some other men entered the bank thro
the door but when they saw McClure and-Stevens, they fled and gave ‘an
alarm, frustrating the proposed robbery. The four men fled in the
stolen car towards Harriman, but it became disabled and they separated
McClure and Petree were captured shortly afterwards hiding under a’
culvert near Oakdale, Both confessed their participation but claimed
that they did not know that murder was to be involved, saying that
they thought that Crumley and Lewis were to be left tied to a tree in
trial, Petree offered a defense of insanity while the other three
presented little defense but asked for mercy.
events of the night of May 30, Their convictions and the sentence of
death were affirmed
CHRISTMAS, McCLURE, PETREE and STEVENS @ Continued (Tennessee)
Prior to their executions, Chris tmas, McClure and Stevens all wrote
a letter to the Governor in which they claimed that Petree was inno=
cent and maintained that he was passed out drunk in the car at the
time of the murder, However, Crumley, in an interview with the
Governor, said that Petree had actually led the way to the spot in
the woods where he was assaulted and his friend killed, All four
were electrocuted at the Tennessee State Prison on March 1, 1922,
All bore up well except Petree who was the first taken to the chair
‘vand he became ill one hour before the execution, H e was followed
, by Christmas, Stevens and McClure in that order, All died with
,prayers on their lips,
KNOXVILLE BEWS SENTINEL, March 1 and March 2, 1922,
CHRISTMAS, McCLURE, PETREE and STEVENS @ Continued (T ennexsce)
Prior to tpeir executions, Chris tmas, McClure and Stevens all wote
a letter to the Governor in which they claimed that Petree was inno-
cent and maintained that he was passed out drunk in the car at the
time of the mrder, However, Crumley, in an interview with the
Governor, said that Petree had actually led the way to the spot in
the woods where he was assaulted and his friend killed, All four
were electrocuted at the Tennessee State Prison on March Le lgel.
All bore up well except Petree who was the first taken to the chair
Eg and he became ill one hour before the execution, H e was followed
. by Christmas, Stevens and McClure in that order, All died with
,prayers on their lips,
KNOXVILLE BEWS SENTINEL, March 1 and March 2, 1922,
CERISIMAS, McCLURE, PETREE and STEVENS 9 Continued (Tennessee)
Prior to tyeir executions, Chris tmas, McClure and Stevens all wrote
a letter to the Governor in which they claimed that Petree was inno-
cent and maintained that he was passed out drunk in the car at the
time of the mrder, However, ey, in an interview with the
Governor, said that Petree had actually led the way to the spot in
the woods where he was assaulted and his friend killed, All four
were electrocuted at the Tennessee State Prison on March 1, 1922,
f All bore up well except Petree who was the first taken to the chair
“and he became ill one hour before the execution, H © was followed
. by Christmas, Stevens and McClure in that order, All died with
Prayers on their lips.
KNOXVILLE BEWS SENTINEL, March 1 and March 2, 1922,
MEDS, MecuRE PITRE and ETENMG & continued (Fumenece)
CHRISTMAS, Tom, .McCLURE, John, PETREE, Charles and STEVENS, Otto
Christmas, a 26-year-old native of Harriman, Tenn., McClure, a 26-
year~old native of Pennsylvania, Petree, a 23-year-old native of
Tennessee, and Stevens, a 29=year=-old resident of Oakdale, Tenn.,
were all white men who became acquainted through their mtual invol-
vement in a bootlegging ring. After planning the robbery of the
bank at Oakdale, they all went to Clinton during the latter part of
May, 1921, and checked into a rooming house. On the afternoon of
May 30, Petree and McClure went to Knoxville for the purpose of ob-
taining a good automobile with which to make their getaway following
the robbery, They hired a taxi Weing driven by Andrew Crumley to
, take them back to Clinton and Crumley asked a friend, George Lewis,
to accompany him on the trip, When they reached Clinton, they stoppe
‘by the rooming house and picked up Christmas and Stevens and they ther
ordered Crumley to drive them on the Oliver Springs Pike towards
Harriman, About eleven miles outside of Clinton, they drew pitbols
and forced Crumley to stop, After ordering him and Lewis from the
car ge ney va their hands and forced them to walk into the woods.
As the two men b j
en begged for their lives, they w @ bath knocked bo, the
round with the butts of pistols and wats o were cu
ewis died from his wound, but Crumley, who feigned dead, did not
and after the four murderers had dstven off in the car, he got to his
feet and spent a harrowing night stumbling through the woods until he
CHRISTMAS, Tom, McCLURE, John, PETREE, Charles and STEVENS, Otto
Christmas, a 26-year-old native of Harriman, Tenn., McClure, a 26-
year-old native of Pennsylvania, Petree, a 23-year-old native of
Tennessee, and Stevens, a 29-year-old resident of Oakdale, Tenne,
were all white men who became acquainted through their mutual invol-
vement in a bootlegging ring. After planning the robbery of the
bank at Oakdale, they all went to Clinton during the latter part of
May, 1921, and checked into a rooming house. On the afternoon of
May 30, Petree and McClure went to Knoxville for the purpose of ob=
f taining a good automobile with which to make their getaway following
}the robbery. They hired a taxi Weing driven by Andrew Crumley to
, take them back to Clinton and Crumley asked a friend, George Lewis,
to accompany him on the trip, When they reached Clinton, they stoppe
‘'by the rooming house and picked up Christmas and Stevens and they the
ordered Crumley to drive them on the Oliver Springs Pike towards
Harriman, About eleven miles outside of Clinton, they drew pibbols
and forced Crumley to stop, After ordering him and Lewis from the
pag ate! tied their hands and forced them to walk into the woods.
As the two men begged fo
femee with the aa eas iotats tng tne eeoBSES beth knocked bepthe
ewis died from his wound, but Crumley, who feigned dead, did not
and after the four murderers had ésitven off in the car, he got to his
feet and spent a harrowing night stumbling through the woods until he
CHRISTMAS, Tom, McCLURE, John, PETREE, Charles and STEVENS, Otto
Christmas, a 26-year-old natave of Harriman, Tenn,, McClure, a 26=
year-old native of Pennsylvania, Petree, a 23-year-old native of
Tennessee, and Stevens, a 29-year-old resident of Oakdale, Tenn.,
were all white men who became acquainted through their mitual invol-
vement in a bootlegging ring, After planning the robbery of the
bank at Oakdale, they all went to Clinton during the latter part of
May, 1921, and checked into a rooming house. On the afternoon of
May 30, Petree and McClure went to Knoxville for the purpose of ob-
F taining a good automobile with which to make their getaway following
ithe robbery. They hired a taxi Ueing driven by Andrew Crumley to
,, take them back to Clinton and Crumley asked a friend, George Lewis,
to accompany him on the trip, When they reached Clinton, they stopp:
vey the rooming house and picked up Christmas and Stevens and they thet
ordered Crumley to drive then on the Oliver Springs Pike towards
Harriman, About eleven miles outside of Clinton, they drew pitbols
and forced Crumley to stop, After ordering him and Lewis from the
car, they tied their hands’ and forced then to alenintorenainosdss
As the two men
round with the ees of nists taxartnS ekobsee SP Bhar Bethe
died from his out Grumbey, did n
agavarveectarcouetate de in the car, 7 he got 0. his
Peet and spent a harrowing night stunbling through the woods until. h
