The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-02-16
JAIL BIRDS OUT.

THE ST. LOUIS JAIL BECOMES UNCOMFORTABLE
TO SOME OF ITS oCCUPASTs-THE WAY IN
WHICH THEY TOOK WING.
A st. Louis special to the Chicago Times
thus details the late jail wholesale delivery
in that city: Upon going into the jail. about
Z O'Clock this morning, for the purpose OF re-
lieving the night guard, Deputy Jsiler
Renaud found the prisoners in posses
sion of the institution, and the officers
locked up in one of the cells. Six
of the worst prisoners were gone. and
half dozen others were lOuuging about at
perfect freedom. Otthe six, FIVE were coun-
terfaiters, and three were among the most
desperate criminals in the West The coun-
terfeiters who escaped were John Hall, the
notorious Nike Rogers alias j. w. Moore,
Joe RittenhOuse, alias Robert Brown, the
king of the koniackers, Pete Mccartney,
alias Robert Wilmer, alias Judd, and the last
named's pal, George Rankin, alias Hoosier.
The sixth man was Dan B2nor, an
expert hotel thief. The jail is of recent con-
struction and upon an improved plan. , he
scells are made of wrought iron plates, and
stand in tiers within an immense rotunda,
and are guarded in the rear by semi
circular corridor. Two guards are on duty,
one in the center of the rotunda and the
other acts as sentry in the corridor, making
half-hourly trips around the half-circle
Connection between the corridor and
rotunda is by means of heavy
grating. AT half-past this morning
Watchmsn Miller went through the grating
and started around the corridor. At the
same time Waterman Head left his station
in the center of the rotunda and went into
an empty cell used as water closet. In an
instant Rankin thrust his hand between the
bars, and by means of a skeleton key
smuggled in to him in some unknown man
ner, locked his door. He then ran to Ba-
ffo and MI cd not rha ftrn IN
their stocking feet, ran across the rotunda
to a cell which Head had just entered, and
putting
KNIFE TO HIS THROAT,
silenced him and bound him. The other
prisoners say Head submitted without a
struggle, and WIS not gagged. he was
thrust into one of the vacated cells. By the
time this was done Miller returned. AS be
came through the grating he was seized
and bound, not without a severe struggle,
and gagged. His keys were taken from
him, and he was thrown into the cell with
Head Rankin and Banori then unlocked
half a dozen other cells, including
those of Seaman and Morgan, the wife
murderers, the former of whom, but for his
late Communication, would have been hung
to-day. They also let loose John Lee and
John w. Purdom, two more murderers,
but all of these refused to go with them.
The six then slipped through into the
corridor, and in two minutes punched a
hole through a IA inch brick wall, and were
in the Jail yard. In some mysterious
manner the gates were left open last night,
and the party walked out, find
ing themselves in quiet and
in not CLOSELY pstrolled part
of the city. Had the gates
been shut, they would have been obliged TO
scale fiiteen-feet wall, in full. view of the
night clerk of the chief OF police. Mccartney
was still suffering, or pretending to be suf-
fering, from wound received in late fight,
and hobbIed off Oh crutches. Purdom ac-
companied the party through the wall TO
get breath of fresh air. as he said, and then
returned TO his cell. After some time. Lee
and Purdom released the watchmen
from the gags and cords, but
refused to let them out of the cell
or give the alarm. Miller made himself
hoarse in shouting for aid, but attracted no
attention, although the police headquarters
and the calsboose are in the same building,
and only avail separated him from half a
dozen bed-chambers. Head, it is asserted.
made no effort to attract attention. and his
actions were so suspicious that he was ar
rested tonight by the United States marshal
| Up TO late hour tonight there is no trace
of the Jail breakers, The counterfeiters had
plenty of morey and friends on the outside
| Rogers was member of the Reno gang, and
only got out of Joliet last October. Joe Rit
tenhouse is brother of James Rittenhouse