The Republican journal., 1872-09-12
How the Friends OF Burglar got him out
of Prison.

Edwards, q notorious bank robber who
has been confined in the New Jersey State
Prison, made his escape last week. as
narrated below
The circumstance of the escape prove
that Edwards is one of the most daring
and most desperate of criminals, and that
he is associated with a gang who will
stand by him to the last Early Monday
morning stranger, well dressed. about
forty years old, wearing red moustache
and red side whiskers, took a room al the
American Hotel ut Bordentown and en-
gagged stabling for his horse. He was
absent during the day. but returned at
night. Tuesday he was again away with
ont his horse, but returned at night and
drove out, taking a light buggy belonging
to the proprietor. He did not return until
$ yesterday morning, when he arrived
with another man and both went away to-
gether, leaving the horse in the stable.
During their absence they had rescued the
most notorious and expert bank robber in
New Jersey. An hour before their arrival
| in Bordentown they We're at Trenton, on
the outside of the prison. waiting for
Edwards to come out through a hole cut
by them, about fourteen inches square.
bars over the window of the shoe shop
One OF them sat in the buggy at dis
lance OF 100 yards from the prison. while
the other walked up and down near the
wall. AT a few minutes before the
prisoners inside. having had their break
fast. were marched in gangs to their work
shops. The guards were with them and
| the two providers outside were not watch
ed AS the shoe SbD1l nnarad no
door of shop No. 4, Edwards, who was
near the front, leaped ahead, and with
prisoner in the plot named O'Nei and an
other named Pike, gained the inside
OF the shop. The door was then slam
med in the faces of the guard and the
other prisoners. and was secured by Slip
ping the spring lock. O'Nei stood bv the
door with a knife while Edwards worked
his way through the hole cut in the bars
He forced his way through, out was
severely cut by the sharp and Jagged ends
and had to tall ten feet to the ground
head foremost. lie scrambled up, cover
ed with blood, and ran to the buggy
ONell followed him through the hole, and
being much lighter was not injured, but
reached the buggy almost rs soon us Ed
wards. The men in the buggy refused to
let O'Neil ride, but gave him some cloth
ing and drove away at u rapid pace with
Edwards IN the direction of Bordentown
AS soon as possible the officers started in
pursuit. Three miles below Trenton they
discovered hat and a coat, covered with
blood. which had been thrown away by
Edwards. At Bordentown they found that
the two accomplices had hastily lett the
horse and carriage and disappeared. 1t
is supposed that they had dropped Ed
wards somewhere on the road, where as
sstance had been awaiting him. Edwards
was sentenced last winter at New Bruins
wick to ten years imprisonment for an
attempt to rob the First National Bank ut
Jamesburg. He was caught in the act of
running away, an alarm having been com
municated to the cashiers house. next
door, by the attempt to enter His accom-
plices escaped. Since his incarceration
they have made several attempts to rescue
him, the most notable of which being that
made last November AT the Jail in New
Brunswick