The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-09-21

idly making their way through the fields
to the timber ard hills north of town.
John Hess kept up with the others for q.
short distance but, having passed David,
Sarchet's residence and reached the corn.
field beyond without finding marketa-
ble horse, his natural repugnance to walk
ing overcame his resolution and he
tiohged into a clunp of bushes. His
change of base was noticed by Mrs. Sar
chet who called attention to it, and he
was speedily captured and brought back
- Jail.
HESS 'sQJBALs'
"Oa his return TO Jail Hess became
very communicative, and voluntarily
made long and full expose Of the plans.
He said: "There is three or four weak
points in the architecture Of this Jail, that
man rs blind as am can see very
clearly" After relating with some mi
nuteness his career from the time when
ne stole McCreary's horse until the ex
piration of his late term OF service in the
| Peritentiary, he says he came TO the
Cambridge jail, on ;he third OF August,
with ''good Intentions" hoping for an
"amicabio settlement Of the charge on
which no is now held, but that his "bet-
ter resolutions" etc, were overthrow
by the Js6ersonion 5 notice Of his rear
rest, and brief resume of his past career,
which he accepted as "direct challenge
to try my (his) hand on the new Jail, =
He further says that when he came here
be found the three prisoncrs-Roach,
Morgan and Shores-"with full determi
nation and partially armed for liberty Or
death" and that they had two plans of
escape. One was "to open the lattice
work door and fight their way through
as they finally did," the other was to
"secure the Sheriff and family, lock them
up in Jail, take what could be found in
jail in the way Of arms and set at def
ance all pursuit." There was, according
to his story, division Of opinion among
the prisoners in regard TO these plans,
and they finally compromised on the
following: "To make a new key for the
cell door, by which they could get into
the halls, at night, saw the small wooden
pin that holds the slide, almost in two
and paste it up to escape detection, then
when the clock struck twelve all should
be ready, and with small levers which
they had secured, shove back the slide
and open the doors which would leave
their way clear to the wall, when they
could easily open way under one Of the
windows and gain thsir liberty. The
first difficulty was to obtain the material
with which to make this key. They first,
under pretense of wanting to wash their
own clothing, endeavored to persuade
the Sheriff to furnish them a washboard /;
next they clamored for mouth organ
They failed in this, and Hess pays Sher
iff Hartley handsome compliment for
his shrewdness in refusing these 'favors,'
while stating that there is zinc enough in
fifty cent organ to make a key for any
lock. At the time of these failures Hess
claims that he "came very near winding
the thing up by exposing the whole mat
ter" and that he would have done so but
for "ons little circumstance which it
would do no one any good to know. =
By feigning sickness they hal secured a
teaspoon with which to stake their med
iciue," but it was not large enough to
make key. just then fortune favored
them In the accession to their number OF
a drunken man who had on his person
about fifty large shot aud small sum OF
money, all of which was speedily appro-
priated and they then had sufficient met
al by melting the spoon and shot to
make their key. They prepared com.
position by mixing resin soap and bread
with which they took Impressions from
the locks, and then worked day and night
for about two weeks to construct their
key. After narrating something Of their
discussions and differences he tells OF
their final effort as follows: Noticing,
shortly after their supper had been hand,
ed in that the Sheriff aud several of the
family were absent, they resolved to
strike now, or never, for liberty
Grouping themselves around the lattice
door which they had unlocked, when the
servant girl opened the outer door to
take away the supper dishes, they threw
a spool of cotton into the hall and po
litely asked her to hand it in to them, =
As she stopped to do SO they threw the
lattice door open and Morgan seized the
girl and held her, threatening to kill hel
if she gave the alarm. Hess,Shores aud
Roach then ran through the Office and
gained the street, while Morgan, after
holding the girl until they were out, ran
through the kitchen, and all escaped"