The Shasta courier., 1872-07-13
SH COURIER.
ESCAPE OF BILLY WILLIAMS"

w uiidm Utliidul5y CUDFiSsCu va s"'S
murder of John Todhunter, and sentenced
to be hung On the 26th of the present
month, made his escape from the county
Jail in this city on the I'd inst. His feet
were fastened together with heavy irons,
and he was lo.ked in cell. Ordinary
precaution was exercised by the officers to
prevent bis escape, and with proper jail
his escape could hardly have occurred
In this jail however. no prisoner can be
considered secure, unless much more than
ordinary vigilance is exercised by the
officers in charge While we do not feel
called on to exouerate the officers from all
blame for the escape of Williams, it is but
just to state that they have exercised as
much vigilance in guarding him as has
been customary in similar cases. But
while this is the case, we can not shut our
eyes to the fact that frequent and dillgent
searches Of bis cell could hardly have fail
ed to disclose the presence Of tie tools
which enabled him to escape, and without
which all his efforts to that end must have
proved abortive. His escape has revealed
the astounding fact, that in one part OF his
cell or another, he had secreted whole
kit of tools He had cut the the rivets
which chained his two ankles together
The iron cuffs however which surrounded
his ankles he did not get off while in the
Jail. With an auger and saw he cut hole
through his cell door large enough for his
body to pass, and through this he crawled
into the narrow passage way between the
calls on the two sides of the Jail. At the
west end of this passage door opens into
the anteroom occupied by the jailer. This
door was locked, and in default Of key to
open it, he wrenched on the Intel over it,
and then raised it off its hinges and
swung it around sufficiently to admit OF
his passage out. From the jailer's room
into the yard which surrounds the Jail, We
presume there were neither bolts nor bars
to impede his progress, for even had the
door been locked and barred ever so secure,
he could have passed through window
with all the case that burglar would make
his exit through the window of an ordi-
nary dwelling house. But in the yard he
was still surrounded by wall some Is feet
high which it was necessary to scale or cut
through before he could make good his
escape. Fortune favored him here also.
From the kitchen he got a table; the water
barrel which stood in the yard he emptied
and placed on top of it; another small box
on the top Of this completed scaffold from
which he was able to climb onto the top of
the wall; fortunately again for him
the wood shed abuts against this
wall on the outside, the roof of which is as
high within few feet as the wall. He
dropped first from the wall on this roof;
going down to the cave of this shed, be
dropped thence to the ground. So far for
tune had favored him at every point
This all occurred before 10 o'clock in the
evening. While he was boring and saving
hole through his cell door, Wrestling off
the lintels Of the hall door, and lifing it,
like an other Sampson, from lis hinges,
and building scaffold with which to scale
the outer wall that barred him from liberty
his jailer was down town serenely doing up
the chores Of the day or having little
pleasant gossip with the boys before turn
ing in for the night. Nothing was farther
from his thoughts than that "Billy Will
lam" would attempt to escape, or if he
should attempt, that he would succeed.
About 9 o'clock it was discovered that he
Was gone At about O'clock the next
morning he crossed the klamath at Groat's
ferry.
As soon as his escape was discovered,
Sheriff Morgan dispatched men in every
direction in pursuit. At about IL o'clock
the next day he received dispatch from
one of his deputies at Cottonwood, advising
him that Williams had crossed the Klam-
ath a few hours. before. Immediately he
started for Cottonwood, taking with him
several persons to assis in the pursuit and
arrest OF the fugitive. ~ guard of two
persons, Deputy Sheriff Enos and Ander-
son OF the Ferry, were placed near Will
Jams house to which it was supposed he
would make his way at nighttall True
enough, just at dusk he was seen making
for the house, but discovering that he was
watched, broke and made for the thick
chapparal. Or his refusing to stop when
they ordered, F4nos and Anderson dis.
charged several shots at hun, but so far as
known without effect. On running for the
brush, h. dropped his coat which was hang
Ou al III VuO VI tuC pUChcts Was
found piece of old kuife, the blade form
ed into saw, with which he had cut off
his irons. But once in the chal lparal and
night on, nothing more could be seen of
HIM. He was seen again on the afternoon
of the Fourth apl reaching a cabin up a
gulch, some four miles west of Cottonwood.
AT this writing-Frlday aiternoon--Sherlff
Morgan with a large party is still in pur-
suit. He will spare no pains, labor or ex-
pense to capture him, and it will be al
most miracle if he succeeds in getting
away. We have neither time nor space
new for specializing on the way in which
Williams got his tools, how long he had
had them, nor why he undertook to escape
at this particular time rather than months
sooner; nor the seeming faulty that led
him back to his old home, travelling the
whole distance on the public highway,
much OF the way in open daylight and with
no apparent attempt at couceal;nent. 1t is
even said that he went to the house at the
ferry, obtained of Mrs Anderson some
bread ard milk, and told her that he was
called Billy" that fcrmerly be had pur
chased some cattle of her husband, and that |
in a few davs the whole aor,.-. .-,l