FBI Accuses 2 of Helping to Hide Escapee Dallas

Claude Dallas, the fugitive mountain man who killed two Idaho game wardens, radically altered his appearance and got help from a number of sympathizers as he ranged across the West from Oregon to Mexico for nearly a year, the FBI said today.

Dallas, who had escaped from an Idaho prison and vowed never to be taken alive, was recaptured Sunday in Riverside.

The FBI has accused two men of helping Dallas avoid a nationwide manhunt, Richard T. Bretzing, the FBI chief in Los Angeles, announced today.

Gregory Brent Davis, 35, a cowboy from Perris, and Dan McCurry Martinez, 35, of Riverside, a cowboy and a welder, were arrested for investigation that they “knowingly harbored, transported and supported Dallas, “ Bretzing said.

Doing His Shopping

The FBI arrested Dallas about 3 p.m. Sunday on a fugitive warrant in Riverside, about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, as he left a convenience store carrying groceries. (Story on Page 7.)

He was unarmed when apprehended outside the store, but Bretzing said today that spent and live .38-caliber ammunition was among the items recovered from his motel room in Riverside.

In addition to using an alias, Dallas had apparently attempted to alter his appearance from the bearded, bespectacled man shown in widely distributed photographs, Bretzing said.

“At the time of his arrests he was clean-shaven with very short hair and a full mustache,” Bretzing said. “He was also wearing contact lenses rather than his usual eyeglasses. There was some indication he might have had face-alteration surgery.”

Praised by Some

Lawmen called Dallas a cold-blooded killer, but some people praised him as exemplifying the spirit of the Old West.

Bretzing said the FBI cannot yet trace all of Dallas’ path since his escape, but investigators know he traveled extensively, including trips to Oregon, Mexico and South Dakota, often staying with friends.

Arrested three days before his 37th birthday, Dallas used the alias Al Shrank and denied his identity until it was confirmed by fingerprints, said FBI spokesman Jim Neilson.

A bail hearing was planned today before a federal magistrate in San Bernardino. Neilson said he expected Dallas would be moved to Los Angeles later for extradition proceedings.

Cut Through Fences

Dallas cut through two fences at Idaho State Penitentiary last Easter, March 30, and fled into the high desert of southern Idaho and northern Nevada.

Dallas made his escape after visiting with a woman in the prison administration building.