On December 11, 1931, chaos erupted behind Leavenworths limestone penitentiary walls as seven desperate men put months of planning into action. Aided by notorious gangsters Frank Nash, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Thomas James Holden, they blazed a path to freedom with stolen cars and terrorized hostages. Anyone who could carry a gun and knew the terrain quickly picked up the pursuit. Kenneth LaMaster wades into the flying bullets of first-person accounts, news reports and official FBI files for the full story of the frenzied prison break.

ESCAPED! -- The big L : the beginning -- Nash and the boys -- Ranger -- Overcrowding, conspiracies, dissension and Three Biscuits Bill -- Riot, murder and a hanging -- December 11, 1931 -- Damn snitches -- Outside in -- Loose ends