Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-13
THAT JAIL MYSTERY.
No Investigation Kesterday-speeu-
IasiOns as 60 the Means Of EscaPe-
A Queer Coincidence.

No Investigation HesteEday-sPeeu-
IasIOns IS 60 the Mean Of Escape
A Queer Coincidence.
The Jail Commissioners, who were to
have met at 9 o'clock yesterday morning,
for the purpose Of inv estigating the escape
of Woodland and Mason, Wednesday
night, did not come to time, and the in
v~estigatiOn was postponed till this morn
ing, when, it is hoped, there will be a
meeting.
The manner in which the prisoners re-
gained their liberty is still involved in
mystery. The only indications that VIC
lent means were used are the holes in the
brick wall Of the Jail yard and the broken
piece in the iron curtain-bar, which is a
guard enclosing the cells on the irst floor,
leaving a passage along in front of the
cells, from one side Of the house to the
other.
If Woodland and Mason were locked up
in a cell, as is still asserted by heir cell
mates, Bates, Morgan aud Pearson, they
could not have gotten out Of the cell un-
less the doors had been unlocked. If the
dOOs were opened for their egress, an at
tempt to explain how il vas done, in view
of all the facts, would be p~erplexing in the
extreme.
The turkeys and guards are in the
habit Of permitting the prisoners to 60 out
Of their cells and walk up and down the
passage inside the curtain-bar for exercise
occasionally in the day time. If Wood
ard and Mason were out in
the passage Wednesday evening, they
may have concealed themselves be-
hind the outside door Of a cell which was
u~noccupied,a and so escaped the notice ofthe
guards, locking the cell under the impress
sion that all had gone in. This Is the most
plausible conjecture as to the manner Of
their exit from the cell.
After getting out of the cell, the means
| Ofpsssing through the curtain-bar are obvi-
A loose bar Of iron, taken off the
door Of one Of the cells, was used as a lever
to break the curtaln-bar. After efecting
their egress from this cage, the way through
the brick wall, al a point where it was
cracked, was easy.
According 10 the assertions Of prisoners,
the escape was made between 9 and 10
O'Clock at night-Only a few minutes before
the first tour Of inspection by the night
guards.
The Jail Commissioners have ample
means Of unraveling the mystery. As We
stated in yesterdays issue, it was Jailer
Heverin's opinion that the escape was made
through either bribery or negligence Of the
employees. From all the circumstances, We
are inclined to believe the Commissioners
will sustain the latter alternative Of his
opinion.
And, by the way, while everybody il
specializing as TO how the two men escaped,
not a few will be puzzled to understand
why this article appeared in the Bulletin
simultaneously with their disappearance:
DR. J. FLETCHER wOODARD.
Last summer DR.. Woodland, a ~photogra-
pher Of McMinnville, was sentenced 70
death tor the alleged murder of officer
COoksey, from which he appealed to the
Supreme Court Of the State. Last Saturday
the judgmentOfth the lower court was reversed
and the case remanded for a new trial
Judge Nicholson ruled the evidence Of Tan
ner to be insdmissable, he (Tanner) having
based his opinion as to the identity Of the
man who ran by him in the dark Just after
the report Of the pistol, upon what he heard
subsequently,. The throwing out of Tan
ner's testimony is a virtual acquittal o.
DR.. Woodland, the remainder Of the evi
dence being but slightly circunstantial
The papers here and elsewhere have
done great injustice to Woodland
character, and by their comments OF
the murder doubtless tended in some de
gree to bias the jury which sat on hi:
case. he is by no means the hardened
criminal described in public print, buI
a l~ong-sufering man in wTetcheC
health, who has borne his imprisOn.
ment with fortitude and patience. The
charge that he cursed his wife on tbs
day Of his sentence is not true, nor that
he was stOlid and Indifferent Throughout
the trial. He is a man of decided refine
ment and some degree of culture, and the
cruel articles appearing in the papers from
time to time have wounded him sOrely
Throughout his Imprisonment be has
shown great sOlicitude and affection
for his father, wife and children, keep
ing up a regular correspondence witt
them, and enquiring eagerly about tbeil
welfare, whenever a neighbOr dropped int
see him. His is but another Of those case:
where a bad name once being bestowed
too much evil report against him could no
be said by an Over-virtuOus public.