Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-06-16
Another Jack Sheppard.


From tho Portage City Register. Fstt
John Hays alias Barger, having gained
considerable notoriety by his exploits in
the Columbia County Jail, another chapter
may not be uninteresting
On Saturday last, Hays was tried and
convicted of demonstrating, in the circuit
court now in session in this city. II was
upon this charge that he has been confined
in Jail for the past year. Previous to the
trial. Sheriff Sorrenson deemed it proper
to remove the heavy irons which have
adorned the prisoner for the past six months
and allow him TO ''face the music" before
the court and Jury free from everything
tending to prejudice his case. The trial
over Hays was conveyed to his old quarters
TO await his sentence, prior to taking
lodgings in the State Prison, The inter
val between the conviction and sentence
proving TO be short, the Sheriff did not
deem it essential to call to his assistance
the entire blacksmith fraternity in orderto
hold him, and he was accordingly allowed
the freedom OF his celia seven-by-nme
pigeon.hole, lined throughout with heavy
boiler-iron riveted and spiked in thor
ough manner. This was precisely the pro-
gramme which Hays had been anticipating
for two months past, and for which he had
laid his plans and applied allhis ingenuity
and energy to meet. The sequel explains
his desire for postponement of his trial
for day or two longer, on account OF the
absence ofan important witness AS we
said before, for two months he has worked
diligently to make his escape. During
that time, with a common wrought iron
nail he succeededin drawing IL three-quar-
ter by four inch bolts that held boiler plate
to the 2x4 inch stuff, set up edgewise,
which forms the floor The plate removed
he improyised chisel from small two
inch 5oit, and applied himself day after
day, to cutting through the solid four-inch
floor, and succeeded in making an aper.
ture 8 OF 10 Inches wide by 2 feet i'll length
His tools, and the rubbish, we're secreted
under the floor, and the iron plate and
bolts were of course always in their places
on the approach of the officers of the Jail
All things being ready ,on Monday night
last Hays concluded TO eight out. He
carefully removed the lath and plastering,
lowered himself through the vent and
landed squarely On bunk occupied by an
other prisoner in the cell below With o
small wire he poiselessly unlocked the cell
door, without waking the inmate passed
to the ward door, unlocked that also in the
same way crossed to the opposite side of
the Jail and picked the lock of another
door admitting him to the ward in which
the outside door ia located. This door
proyedtoo much Of abarrier, however, and
Hays after all his labor, was doomed to
disappointment In vain did he labor to
unlock, unhinge and pry open, until day
light appeared and the inmates of the jail
began to move about the premises Dis
gusted and detected, he proceeded upstairs
and, unlocking another door with his wire,
laid down with fellow prisoner, where he
was found by Sheriff Sorrengon, who greet
ed him in most welcome manner. But
Hays couldn't see it, and refused to return
the compliment.
On being found, as above stated, he was
heavily ironed, thoroughly searched, and
confined in an adjoining cell from his old
quarters, excluded, of course. from all the
other prisoners in the Jail. On Wednes-
day morning soon after the Sheriff and
Deputy-Sheriff Kerner had left the Jail, to
attend to their duties in the Court room.
Hays took it into his head to go on pros
pecting tour, and to see as he expressed it,
''what the devil allied that outside door,"
Accordingly in some mysterious, unac-
Countable manner, he unlocked the cell
door, opened the adjoining one, passed
down through the rat-hole again, unlocked
two more doors, and was making his pill
grimage to the opposite side, when Mrs
Kprner heard somebody scratching round
in there, and mistrusting it to be Hays
made an alarm and sent for the officers
who found the young man playing ''seven-
up" with fellow-prisoner, as "cool as o
cucumber, or words to that effect
A heavy log chain was that day placed
upon the prisoner and, as far as heard from
he is still in durance vile, yet the Sheriff
expects nothing but to wake up sUme fine
morning and find the jail outdoors 'fntire-
ly,"
It ia proper to state that the locks in the
jail were supposed TO be perfect In all res
poets They are large and strong, and it
requires great strength to reverse the wards
with the keys. The Sheriff and others
have practiced with the wire used, and can
make no headway whatever, yet Hays can
open them at will
Htys isyet less than q years of age. -
During his incarceration in the Jail in this
city, he has displayed rare genius, and if
properly applied, he would undoubtedly
take high rank among the inventors ofthe
apa