The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-05-24

ESCAPE OF PRISONERS.

Five Men Break JAn-A Burrow for
Liberty-FOur OF them RetAken-
On Tuesday morning last Sheriff
Bay discovered a mammoth rat hole on
the south side of the court house, and
at once concluded that some of his
"pets" had struck for liberty. 1t was
only the work of n moment to discover
that of the eight prisoners under his
charge ON Monday night, VIM. c. Will
son, and Charles st. Clair, brought
from Butler county in March last, on
the charge of horse stealing, and VIM.
Thompson, from the same county,
committed on the charge of grand lar
ceny, with Thomas Newcomb and
Chas. n. Curry, from Cowley county,
the former convicted of petty larceny,
and the latter held for trial for grand
larceny, had taken French leave.
Our county Jail, which is under the
court house and below ground, was by
many considered proof against any
means of breaking out within the reach
of prisoners. The cell in which the
prisoners were confined is about 20 by
40 feet. In the middle of the room
along the north wall of the cell a well
% feet In depth had been dug for q
water closet, which was walled with
heavy stone. Over this hole was left
in the floor, 7xI4 inches in size, over
which a box or seat was placed and
bolted to the floor. After trying var
ions means OF escape, the prisoners
made ladder with their clothes line,
which they suspended in the well by an
iron bar wrenched from one of the
bedsteads. Going down the ladder
through the hole in the floor, they re-
moved portion of the wall, and with
pieces of the iron bedstead began to
burrow under the floor at the depth of
into tho well. After excavatihg some
distance, the digger would draw into
the hole after him an old mattrass on
which he would pile the dirt, when
those outside would, by means of a rope
attached to the mattrass, pull it out,
letting the dirt fall into the well.
They worked in this way as near as
can be ascertained about six weeks,
passing under the floor, distance of
thirty feet, under the foundation, four
feet thick, and then up alongside the
foundation about fifteen feet, making
round, perpendicular hole about 10
inches in diameter, thus making a
tunnel about 40 feet in length, through
which the five men named made their
exit about four o'clock on Tuesday
morning.
Sheriff Bay Immediately went to
work to recapture the prisoners.
About ten o'clock the same morning
he received telegram from Reading
stating that one OF the parties was
there. He Immediately started to
Reading and returned at night with
Thomas Newcomb, who had secreted
himself in box car standing on the
track, and was taken by the early
freight train on the A. T. & S. +. road
rs far as the water station s.where he
was discovered and put of. He fol-
lowed up the train to be captured at
Reading.
Officers were out in search of the
other parties all day. One was traced
south to dry creek, seven miles from
EmpOria, where the trail was lost. On
Wednesday morning, Mr.. A. T. Plow-
man, living on the Neosho, four or five
miles northwest of Emporia, came in
to inform Sheriff Bay that he had Ie--
rled three men over the river that NOR
ming who filled the descriptions of
some of the escaped prisoners given
him by Marshal Gilchriest. The Sher-
if, with a posse composed of Deputy
Nichols, Constables johnson and Con-
ner and others, Immediately started up
the Neosho, and about one o'clock
came upon the trio in the woods about
half mile above Stubb's ford. One
of them jumped into the river and
struck for the opposite side. Jasper
Burnham sent a pistol shot after him
and started in pursuit of the twain, st.
Clair and Thompson, whO, not being
able to swim, attempted to escape by
running. Sheriff Bay and Constable
johnson, however, intercepted them,
and hey were brought back by the
Constables. Sheriff Bay then rode
down to the ford and tried to SWIM his
horse across the swollen Neosho, but
the horse weuld not swim worth a
cent, and the Sheriff left him and swan
across, leaving the horse to follow,
which he did. Constable Conner in
the evening returned to the assistance
! of the Sheriff, and about 5 o'clock,
Wilson, who was the ringleader In the
} outbreak, and considered the smartesi
and worst of the whole crow, was dis
covered in the brush south of the ford
quietly sitting on a log in the sun dry
: ing his garments. He started to run
| but n shot from Conner warned him tC
stop, and he quietly marched back tt
5 the calaboose. L
Thus four out of the five of the
criminals were recaptured. Curry
who it is believed went southwark, /
: six feet high, 10 years of age, blacl
: hair, blue eyes, light complexion, ant
is heavily built, weighing about IL
pounds.
7 No blame attaches to Sheriff Bay 70
? lack of care in guarding his prisoner:
: The plan of escape was the most i'm
probable one imaginable, and its exc
cutiOn was marvel of patience, per
severance, labor and sagacity. BU
;, John will watch them closely hereai
ter, "you bet" He deserves the thank
= of all good citizens however for b
earnest and successful efforts to retaE
le the prisoners. He worked hard to
IL it, and acknowledges himself great
r indebted to Deputy Sheriff Nichol
re Constables johnson and Conner, Ma
10 shall GilchIiest, William Rawson, Jai
ii per Burnham, Asbury Logston an
10 others who assisted in the search &
N and re-eapture of the prisoners; ali
s. to Mr.. Plowman, who ferried them Of
ce the water.
Mt The prisoners viii be confined Ia Il
''calabooeep adjoining their formeres
until the latter isEe paired.