Missouri Department of Corrections, Missouri
End of Watch: Friday, November 24, 1905
Age: 69
Tour of Duty: 16 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 24, 1905
Weapon Used: Handgun; .45 caliber
Suspect Info: Executed in 1907
Guards Ephriam Allison and Guard John Clay were shot and killed during an escape attempt by inmates at the Missouri State Penitentiary.
Four revolvers, ammunition, and explosives had been smuggled into the Missouri State Penitentiary for the inmates. After the murders, the inmates were apprehended by citizens in front of the prison. Three of the inmates were convicted of murder and hanged on June 27, 1907.
One of the three who was hanged was a member of the Morrison-Rosenau Gang, which was responsible for the murders of Detective Thomas Dwyer, Detective James McCluskey, and Detective John Shea, of the St. Louis Police Department, on Oct. 21, 1904.
Officer Allison had served with the agency for 16 years and had previously served as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War as a Captain with the 116th Missouri Infantry Regiment and was survived by his wife and children. He is buried in Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, Henry County, Missouri.