The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-11-16

Who aided him IN Escape.
In the year 1856, the bank at Cadiz,
Harrison county, o., was entered in the
night by several men, who first visited
the house of the cashier, bucked and
gagged the family, and thus obtained the
keys to the bank. They took a large sum
of money. Among those arrested and
convicted was one whose real name is
Richard Mccoy, but who gave his name
as Richard Roe. He was sentenced to
the Ohio penitentiary ten years fer rob-
berry, and three years for burglary, thir-
teen years in all. September 10Th, 1869,
he escaped. After exactly seven years
absence he was recovered in the eastern
penitentiary at Philadelphia and brought
back to the Ohio prison. He arrived
Saturday night, in charge of Deputy War
den Dean, r. A. MCIntre, steward ofthe
Ohio prison, and James R. Spencer,
special officer.
In the year 1873, Warden Burr IT ceiv
ed information which led him to believe
that Mccoy, alias roe, was in the Cherry
Hill penitentiary, at Philadelphia. Cap
tain Cunningham, of the night watch,
visited Cherry Hill and identified Hari-
eon P. Brown as Mccoy, alias Roe, but
the prisoner stoutly denieh that he had
ever been in the Ohio prison. Proper
papers were served for the delivery of
the prisoner to Ohio officers, at the eX-
piration of his three years term at Cher
ry Hill.
Mccoy, alias Roe, alias Harrison, got
into Cherry Hill for atteml ting to rob
the Corn Exchange bank, Philadelphia.
He and a man named Williams were
captured. The remainder of the party
eluded the officers A dummy, with
moustache and hair ike those of the
tank watchman together with fine kit
of burglar tools, were found in the bank.
The supposition is that the burglars had
ome he lp flom the inside. They were
about 10 proceed with the job when the
arrest was made. The object of the
dummy or paddy was to mislead officers
outside-make them believe the private
watChman WAS inside, and on duty.
The escape of Roe las he was called in
Ohio) from the OHIO prison was made in
barrel. The barrel had false head
few inches from the top. Roe was un'
derneath the false head. an above it
was lot of fork ferules from Brown,
Hinman & Co.'s shop. On the dlay was
the driver, the barrel with Roe in it, and
Frank Hatch. The latter was son of
William A. Hatch, foreman in the finish
ing and handling department of Brown,
HInman q Co.'S hops. The elder Hatch
came into the employ of this firm in 1862,
and was esteemed by his employers and
acquaintances as one of the very best of
men. OF course it became known imme-
dately that Frank Hatch was guilty Of
aiding Roe in making his escape. This
thing so preyed upon the fathers mind
that he finally left the employ of the
firm, and the city. ..-
The son, Frank, disappeared with Roe.
1t has been ascertained that Rot alias
Brown, was visited at Cherry Hill, sew
eral times by Frank Hatch, and that the
latter is now dead He died of consump-
ton while Roe was at Cherry Hill, and
the latter paid the funeral expenses
The story Of the escape, as related by
Roe since his return to Ohio, is that a
confederate came here and worked
through young Hatch, who, being
son of foreman in the prison shops,
had access to the prisoner. The confed-
crate, Hatch and Roe took carriage, af-
ter Roe came out of the barrel, and Roe
now says that no double team ever made
better time about Columbus than this,
for fourteen miles. The men left the
carriage on the Panhandle road, and
, sent the team to Delaware on the Cleve-
land road. This trick had the desired
, effect. IL threw the officers off the scent.
Roe says he took the first Panhandle
train and was in Philadelphia within
| twenty -four hours after leaving the pris-
on, passing Immediately through that
section of Ohio where the robbery oc.
, Cured for which he was imprisoned.
} Roe was the leader of the Cadiz bank
, gang, aid the most intelligent man of the
party. He had nearly completed three
! years of his imprisonment when he es.
capped, and now has little over ten
: years to serve. His age is forty-fve. He
! says he is married. He has fine head
. and is nice looking man, with hair g
little frosted with grey. The present
e warden of the Ohio penitentiary Captain
' Grove received the following letter from
t Roe:
r EASTERN PENITENTlARY, |
PHILA., sept. 9TH, 1875.
DEAR SIR-By commutation my i'm
prisonment here expires on the 15tf
ult., al which time you may have me
One officer is as good as many, but sui
yourself. am yours, respectfully,
;. HARRISON P. Brown.
i What Roe meant by thus coming ou
and admitting that he was wanted il
Ohio is not exactly understood. He i
shrewd. Recently, his father, or nea
a relative, died and left him about $40 00C
He said to the Ohio officers II can
live outside with that unfinished sen
IS tence hanging over me. There are to-
many to pay" The inference from thi
N is that after he was released at Cherr,
Hill, class of detective sharks woult
rearrest him and harass him with tn
d idea of sending him back to Ohio If h
didn't pan out handsomely. That kin,
q Of black mail and dastardIy official cor
ruplion would soon settle $4,000.
There is another theory with referenc
n to the above letter, which is that tn
prisoner knew he was to be taken +
l. Ohio, and wrote the letter for the pun
pose of having but one man come afte
him, believing freedom could be oh
n tanned from QUE easier than from two o
more, by main atrength. by aid of con
lr iederates Ur by bribery. The averag
human being will be slow TO believe ths