The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-03-18

An INGENIOUS CULPRIT. = The State
Register relates some discoveries that
have been made. Of the attempts of an
ingenious prisoner to make his escape
from the jail at that city; sa
The prisoner, John Hays, Is confined
on the charge of horse stealing. He has
once been the hero of a genial jail deliv-
cry and at another time was detected in q
nearly successful attempt to escape by
means constructed from spoons given
him TO eat with
Since his capture Hays has been very
repentant and exhibited strong religious
turn of mind spending much of his time
in reading religious books and papers. =
i being suspected that his piety was
only ''skin deep" and assumed to cloak
some design upon his liberty, his actions
have been closely watched by the sheriff
He was thought to have a knife concealed
somewhere about his cell OF person, but
search had been futile.
On Saturday last general resurrec-
ton of the jail cells was decided upon
by the officers. Hays was accordingly
brought forth from his cell and his per-
son again thoroughly searched but the
Christian Advocate in his hand ana a
few feet of fat steel wire from a hoop
skirt artistically arranged under his silk
black hair is all that coul3 be found on
him. Hays was placed in another cell
and the one just vacated serutinizingly
examined. \ small stick, not larger
than a knitting kneedle with pin in the
end of it was found. Now it remained
- lo a.. L.
little joke" was made. Some expert
ments however produced the revelation
by thrusting it into small crack in the
cell, the long looked for knife was fshed
up by hooking the pin into string which
had been tied)to it for that purpose by
the adroit prisoner. The investigation
was then extended to the ward adjacent
to the cell. In the ceiling above the
plasteriDg was off in several places. An
lathing had been tampered with. On
removing this lathing there were
brought to light wooden models Of keys
that would fit all the ward rooms several
Of tho eel! doors and one outside door
also wooden moulds, fashioned out Of
lathng and stove-weod. The keys are
a model specimen Of workmanship, and
yet they were made with common one
bladed jack-knite. A ball of tWine was
also found, which was obtained by draw
ing threads from a bed quilt, and tying
the ends together With this twine he
doubtless intended TO pass out his moulds
to confederate or to receive the mater
ial for moulding the keys.
The most ingenious part Of his work
however, was the manner in which he
obtained the size and shape of the key
hole Of the outside door. But where
there is a will there's a way and the
adage was verified in this instance =
The distance from his cell door to the
outside door (which is entirely out
Of sight when shut is ten or twelve feet
with grated ward door between. To
secure this object he took a slat from the
window, inserted a small piece of glass
in the end of it, ran it out of the cell
door, and brought the glass to bear upon
the key hole in such n manner as to bring
perfect reflection thereof inside of his
cell
Hays is young man about 20 years of
age, with a keen black eye, and Of rather
progressing appearance. For his little
'eccentricities' he now occupies cell
by himself. and submits with becoming
grace to the ponderous irons that now
aoorn his person.