The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-10-12
OUT AND GONE.
A Jail Delivery-Three Negroes bore
Out Of Jail-But q Short Fat
Man is Left.

One OI the greatest NOTES We nave
ever seen was that accomplished by
the prisoners in the front upper cell of
the parish Jail Tuesday night. The
Jail is built of large sawed timber
closely jointed, with. weather. boarding
outside and two-inch ceiling inside,
spiked on. In the center of the room
is q large iron ring fastened to the
floor, which is called the &c bull ring. -
Twol small grated windows afford all
the light and ventilation entering the
room which Is about twelve feet square.
The entrance is by a door with heavy
lock. Five prisoners, all negroes, were
confined in this room, viz. Jim Rus
sell for hog-stealins, Green Murry for
stealing corn, David Davis for stealing
Il pig, Toll Phillips for aiding and abet-
ting in an attempt at assassination, and
Il negro boy, Bill Jones, for some other
Offense.
Wednesday morning it was found
that all the birds in the cage were out,
except Phillips. Jones got out with
the others and reported the escape OF
the prisoners to Sheriff Richardson. In
company with the Sheriff we went into
the Jail to examine the process of es-
cape. On the upper side Of the room,
near the northeast corner, Il large hole
in the wall was found, made by boring
with an auger. This anger was left
behind by the prisoners. 1t had
rough hickory handle, bound with two
pieces of bale wire near the point where
the auger enters the handle and with
cotton strings, hacked in several places
and was evidently made BY hand. The
auger measures one and a-half inches.
It is believed by the Sheriff that the
auger was drawn up into the cell,
through the CRATES, by means of a cord
let down from above. Jones says the
prisoners began boring Tuesday morn
ing. A large pile of auger chips, per-
haps two bushels, lay on the floor,
which the prisoners might have con-
cealed in their blankets, aud their work
in the wall was hid by hanging up
clothing on the wall. The hole made
measures 9xl3 inches. Some of the
prisoners weighed loo pounds. From
the hole to the ground the drop is
about eighteen feet, but the prisoners
had provided against a leap by making
a rope of the blankets, which they Sc.
cured to the 'sbull ring'' and then
passed this rope out through the hole.
1t reached near enough the ground to
let them to land safely, but the rope
broke with the second man, and the
two others were compelled to take Il
healthy fall, but without injury.
Three Of the prisoners made good
their escape, but Bill Jones reported to
the Sheriff, and has been promoted for
his good behavior to sweeper. Tol
Phillips had a most "narrow escape"
He is about five feet four inches high,
but weighs, all told, some 200 pounds.
Tol is built all in a heap-nearIy as
big around as he is high up. The other
prisoners made their exit feet foremost,
out Tol could not make his, either
way. Heads he lost tails he lost. No
hole 9x13 inches would fit him, and SO
Tol, who doubtless did his share OF
boring with the rest, had to be left be-
hind, and he now says he never wanted
to leave, no how. A little fat chunky
negro had better keep out Of Jail.