The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-28
aNisrellaneous.
MORRIS AND LIGHTFOOT,
Their Leap for Liberty-Detailed Par
ticulars Of the Escape, Race and Cap
ture- Sheriff Davis on the Situation.

Sheriff Davis and Sheriff elect Drake
returned from their Columbus trip Mon
day night, They proceeded directly to
their homes and their presence in the
city was not generally known until TINS
forenoon, when Register and Tribune re-
porter headed them off in the County
Clerks Office. They were willing to De
Interviewed that is to let the public
have all the information at their com
mand, relating to the escape OF Morris
and Lghtfoot and the capture OF Morris
"This said the Sheriff, will give you the
particulars ofthe escape" at the same
time handing us the following, clipped
from the Ohio State Journal OF last Fri
day:
"a little sensational affair occurred at
Cardington between six and seven O'Clock
Last night thai illustrates the old adage
that a birtd in the hand is worth two in
the bush, Sheriff Davis, Deputy Hilker
and friend were coming to the clty In
charge of four prisoners destined for the
Ohio Penitentiary from Mahonlng county
Just before the train arrived at Carding-
ton two prisoners, named James Morris
and Henry Lightfoot, alias Frank Hentz,
who were under sentence of five years
each for burglary, and were handcuhed
together, asked permission to go 10 t9e
water closet They were permitted TO 90
so, being placed in charge OF the Deputy
who was instructed to hold the door open
and keen a watch on the men. Somehow
thev cot possession ofthe door and closed
and fastened it on the inside. Their next
move wasto crawl through the window
onto the platform and as soon as the
train stopped enough, they bounced oil
and into the darkness, the Deputy IN
pursuit. ,.c, 81.
the station. saw the Commotion, but sup
nosed it was only a couple of men scut-
Ainp. did not pay any attention until the
Depnty appeared upon the scene, when
one of the train hands got sight OF the
men and fred two shots at them without
effect. ....
"lhe train waited fifteen minutes for
search to be made, but not succeeding IN n,
that time in finding the men, the Sherlh
came on to this city with two OF the prs
oners and left Deputy Hiiker behind to
search for the missing men, but at last
accounts they had not been found
"Iightfoot is a man about tWenty-one
years old, five feet eight inches in hight,
thick set. short black hair, extremely low
forehead. dark hazel eyes, and has lost
the ton of his left ear. He had ON dirty
brown pants, very shabby black coat and
was minus a vest He has brother llv-
ing at Bucyrus, Before leaving the county
iaiI, he exchanged good sult OF ciotheS
with an INDECENT prisoner for the ones ne
had on. remarking that he would get
new suit when he got to Columbus
Morris is man about five feet eight
inches in hight has fine forehead, spare
face. ofslender build, straight black hair,
black ewes. He was dressed in black and
was without a vest. He also mad India
ink marks on the right hand; ls man
about twenty three years old, ana las
very bad coun enance.
Sheriff Davis returned to Cardlngton
last night to assist in the search. ms
is not the first time that prisoners have
escaped while being conveyed TO tile
Penitentiary. About year ago, we be-
lieve, two prisoners jumped from the
window Of "a car, near Delaware, while
the train was running at full speed, and
.eluded the guards for some time. bit
were finally captured and brought down
to serve out their sentences.
Continuing the Sheriff stated that when
he and Mr.. Drake returned to Cardlng-
ton, at about three o'clock the following
morning, they found Hiker and the three
started ous to proceed by different, ROADS
in carriages, but Drake was the luck man
on the right road and he will have to
tell YOU about that He said that at the
town of Bucyrus, near Cardington, they
found that Lightfoot was well known but
that his name was Frank Hentz, and he
has brother living eight miles from that
place. Here at Bucyrus he is sknown and
has a record as foot racer at county
fairs and took the name OF LlghttoOt be-
cause of his unsurpaced record there as
racer. The Sheriff regrets exceedingly
that the men escaped, but he is conscl-
GUS that he and the others with him
ought not to be blamed as they did not
realize that there was a possibility OF an
escape being even attempted; that one
ofthe prisoners has been captured and
placed in the penitentiary and that the
other is almost certain to be.
MR., DRAKE's STATEMENT.
Mr.. Drake was the next victim placed
upon the reportorial rack. lie wears his
honors gracefully and was becomingly |
modest, and reluctantly told the excit-
ing story of the race and capture:
I started out early Friday morning, |
and by ten o'clock was more than that
many miles in the country. The farms
there are all very large, varying in size
from three hundred to one thousand
acres, and containing generally but one
farm house. The country where he was
has the appearance of vast plain, very
sparcely inhabited. 1t was here that he
noticed two men a long distance away, |
coming through large field to the
road, and bearing off in the direction he
was going. 1t struck him at first sight
that these were the men he was looking
for. He buried himself in the buffalo
ROBBERS, concealing his cloak, which he
knew they would recognize, as much as
possible and drove along slowly, hoping
that he would not be recognized. There
was ouly one house in sight and that was
half mile ahead. He drove slowly with |
a view of getting past this house before
beginning the chase expecting to get as
sistance there. The men ahead also
walked slowly and when about half way
to the house they stopped square in the
road and turned and faced him. He had
now reached a cross-road and with aView
of turning off suspicion, he turned to the
right and started up this road, but the
instant he did: so the men started to run
at the top of their speed. He then turn-
ed in the road and whipped the horses
4 - i. L,