Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-01-07
The Murderer or the Coy Family
EsCnncd

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On the night of the oath, or the morn.
ing Of the 25th, Frederick L. Streeter who
was convicted of the murder of the Gov
family, and sentenced to be hung on the
26th of February next, escaped from the
JAN OF Medina county, and has thus far
eludcd the vigilance of those in pursuit.
The facts in connection with the escape
OF Streeter, Us near as we can gather them,
are these
The jail of Medina County is constructed
with dwelling apartments for the TAILOR and
his family in one end Of the building and
the cells for the prisoners in the centre
of the other end, around which is hall or
walk some six feet in width This hall is
two strong iron doors, locking upon the
side opposite from the hall.
| The prisoner was confined in one of the
above described cells, and was the only
prisoner confined in the jail at the time
He effected his escape by crawling through
the wall of his cell and creating AN opening
into the cell opposite, the door of which
opened into the hall upon the opposite side
of the Jail, which was left unlocked This
gave the prisoner free access to the hail.
He next waited his opportunity for escap-
ing from the hall, and this happened upon
the evening Of the 24th, at about 0 o'clock,
nH0i wy sun VI uhc !duoI chVereu lne nan,
leaving the door, as is supposed, unlocked
after him, while he was engaged in build
ing fire in a stove which was situated in
the hall little beyond the door of Street
er $ cell. The prisoner then crawled thro'
the hole in the wall into the opposite cell,
and from there into the hall, and, unper-
ceived, slipped round and through the
doors and up stairs, where he had no more
bolts or bars to obstruct his passage, and
some time during the night he Jumped
from window in the upper story and was
free, AS to the means he had for cutting
the hole in the wall, little or nothing is
known.
That he had been some time engaged in
his operations is evident, from the fact that
his first attempt to escape was through the
floor above his cell, the plastering of which
he had carefully cut away, but striking
heavy timbers he abandoned his job and
concealed bis work by pasting a piece of
white cotton cloth over the spot, which so
nearly resemblcd the wall of the cell, as to
prevent his detection. 1t is also evident
that he passed through the opening in the
wall more than once from the fact that
sheet upon the opposite side had been tack
cd over the hole.
The. mystery Of the manner in which he
came in possession of the tools necessary
for the work is removed, from the fact that
there is a window in the jail so situated in
reference to the door of the cell in which
the prisoner was confined that any small
tool could be passed to him through the
CRATES in his door from a person upon the
outside of the Jail, if attached to long
pole.
Before taking leave of the town he left
under the door of the house of the father
OF his wife a note wishing her merry
Christmas, asking her to prove true to him,
and assuring her that they would again be
happy together. = CJeretand PLAIN Dealer.
HIS REcApTURE
Frederick f. Stroeter, the murderer ofthe
Coy family, in Medina was caught in Rich
field township, between nine and ten clock
yesterday Goth The circumstances as we
learn them from Mr. Flavius j. Hicks, Of
Granger, are as follows:
MIR. Sanders, Of Medina and Mr. Nelson
Monson of Granger, had their suspicious that
premises Of Mr.. Hiram Hart, of Richfeld,
who is Il cousin of Streeter There is school
house directly opposite of Hart's barn on
the road from East Richiicld to Ellis Cor
ncrs, usually called the Center road. Messrs
Sanders and NonSon stationed themselves
in this school house, where they had COM
plete view of everything that transpired on
the premises of Mr.. Hart They closely
watched every movement for two days and
nights. Finally they became convinced that
Sreeter was in the barn somewhere, and i'm
medlately decided upon Il search. They
mistrusted he was in the hay NOW and to that
part of the barn they directed their first in
vestigations, armed with pitchforks, with
which they commenced turning up the hay,
and thrusting their forks deep down into
the NOW, but no Strcetes was to be found.
But they did not feel like giving up the
Search as they were sure he was in the barn
somewhere. Just at that moment Mr.. Mon
son saw or thought he saw slight commo-
ton i'll NOW of oats. He made rush for
the oats on double quick time, and after
throwing off a few bundles there found
Strceter ensconced safely, as he thought,
from all harm Mr.. Monson asked him if
he was armed. Sreetcr replied ''Only
him to give it up Immediately, which he did
without any further opposition. He was
then safely secured, and started for his old
home in Medina jail, from which it is hoped
he will not be allowed to escape again.
The only request he made when arrested
was that he should not be taken into Medi-
ma by daylight, evidently feeling afraid of the
people, if they caught sight of him
Whether his captors complied with his re-
quest our informant did not know, but as
they took dinner at Remsen' Corners, which
is eight miles from Medina at one o'clock,
it is not probable he arrived there before
dark last night
Yesterday forenoon two ladies' called at the
house Of Mr.. Hicks, in Granger, and inquir-
ed the way and how far it was to Mr.. Harts,
in Richfeld. After they had gone Mr..
Beach, one of the jurymen empannelled to
try Streeter for the murder, remarked that
one of the ladies was Streeter's mother
The ladies were probably ON their way to
meet Streeter at Hart's.
The people of Medina county, and in fact
of the whole State, are under many obliga-
tlons to Nlessrs. Sanders and Monson, for
their success in capturing one of the most
cold blooded mlrderers in the whole crimin-
al calendar. Why they mistrusted Streeter
was at Hart's in Richfeld, or what first rails
ed their suspicious, our informant was una
bic to say, Probably the only reason was
that he was relative of Streeters How
long he had been concealed in the neighbor-
hood is not known, but he undoubtedly went
there Immediately after breaking Jail.
There has been large sums of money ex-
pended in bringing this man to justice, and
he should now be placed in such a secure po,
.l,,a.. l I