Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-07-27
A jail Bird Out.

of the PlattsvillIo Bayley safe burg
lars, had escaped out of the Lancas.
ter jail. Sheriff Mccoy was away at
Plattevile on business with the Dis
trict Attorney in reference to these
prisoners. Frank Meyer, his Deputy,
at once sent men out on search and
to telegraph and the Sheriff and 9TH
or men were here and started by
daylight next morning. Up to this
writing the prisoner has not been
disccyere When the other tw o &C.
completes were captured and brought
here the District Attorney and Sher,
iff determined that they and Crotty
should be kept apart in order to pre-
vent collusion in making up Of testi-
mony For this purpose C:otty was
kept in an iron-cased room in the
southeast corner of the jail while the
others were kept in the Jail proper
In Crotty's room there IL register
IN the east partition wall for admit
ting hot air from the furnace below.
1t is about ono foot square and was
simply screwed with inch screws
To the iron wall. The fue behind
this register was of only one width
of brick extending do IN to the fur
mace and barely above tho register
where sheet iron pipe stood upon
il to lot the hot mir off when the reg
later was closed II was not diff
cult matter to remove the brick be-
hind the register, AMI when removed
there was an open space up to the
garret whore Lo had to remove a
LAYER OF brick. He had also to re-
move a few feet of brick from the
corner of chimney. By this route
be made bis way to the garrett. he
then went down the stairs to the Jail.
er's room where he appropriated a
pair of pants and revolver. He
there found key TO one OF the
heavy doors which lead TO the out
side walk upstairs in the Jail. lie
opened that door and with q piece OF
iron Pipe which be had wrenched
from the water apparatus, prleo
down the floor of the walk until ne
coulI almost let out two iron bars, and
would thus have set his comrades free
So nearly did he accomplish this the
wonder is he left il unfinished. lie
also tried TO unlock the main door to
the Jail below. He finally went out
at the front door which may not
have been locked.
Just at what time he escaped Is not
known, IL was between dinner time
and four O'Clock He may have been
week or two in preparation. lie
had battered down the threads OF the
screws which held the register TO ita
place and wrapped them with threads
80 that he could open AID close the
register as quickly as one could open
and close door, and whom closed
there would show no appearance OF
anything wrong. He had previous
lv removed another register and d
few brick, but found that escape I'M
practicable. He is supposed to have
gone out Of town on the Pfalrie du
Chen road but was not seen by any
person in town. A boy working fol
Phillip Kelts saw man OF his DC
scription walking across HaloerCS
field west of town, betw cen two and
three o'clock. II that was he his
c0urse would be down through the
Hurricane and TO the Mississippi
which he probably crossed thai
night.
Crotty is hard case. 1t is great
pity no is out. But we ought not
to be too ready to censuro anybody
for his escape II, was kept in that
room for very good reason. That
reason will Likely effect its object in
the case of the other two and they
are greater villains than he. 1t al
three had been together in the other
place who knows but all three would
have found some other way to get
out ? Crotty's absence may compli-
cate the conviction of the others, but
we doubt whether it would DO good
advice to them to change their pro-
rramme on that account.