Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-09-07
ANOTHER JAN, DErIvERy Ahout e

| y oA00A A"oO Ouuuuy AlUIHluS OuCTll
Van Orsdol was aroused from his slum
bers by somebody making impatient as
saults upon the door Of the jail. Put
ting his head out Of the window, he saw
two young men from Mr.. Luloff's place
on the south line of Westburg town
ship, and on demanding of him why they
thus disturbed his Sunday mornin;
dreams, they Informed him that hi
boarders in the Jail had taken Frencl
leave, and were even then in the extrem,
southwestern corner Of the county, ma
king good time for parts unknown. Var
rubbed his eyes and then told the boys
that it was good joke but it was too
thin for him. They reiterated thu
statement, and when Van went down tt
the cage he found that the birds were
flown, sure enough. The prisoners
Frank Smith, j. K. P. Ditton, Chas
Lowry and Idaho Bill, had removed {
sheet Of iron which covered plank
about six feet long, upon the middle Of
which rested the chimney. After strip
ping off the iron, the prisoners attacked
one end of the plank with their knives
cutting hole through it which gave
them access to the side of the chimney
This they attacked in turn and made a
hole into it sufficient to admit mans
body. The next thing to do was to
break hole in the chimney above the
roof, and through the crooked aperture
thus formed they wormed their way to
liberty, first, however, leaving note to
the Sheriff, expressive of their regards
and thanks for kind treatment, &c. :.
AS was afterwards ascertained, the
four jail-birds adjourned hastily in a
body in southwesterly direction, until
they reached the premises of Mr.. Well
man, south of the Hospital, from whose
stable each selected horse and rode
on. Finding one of the animals old and
unserviceable, they stopped at the resi-
dence of MIR. G. A. Losure, little fur
Their on, and exchanged him for a fine
young horse, which fell the lot of Smith.
About daylight they arrived at Mr.. Lu-
lofts, about 5 miles north of Brandon.
Here Ditton was home, and the party
stopped while he secretly entered the
house to get his clothes. He did not es-
cape observation, however One of the
female members of the family discover
ed him, and after the fugitives left,
aroused two young men sleeping in a
granery, who Immediately brought the
news of the escape to the Sheriff as de-
scribed. From Luloffs the party, still
together, went on through Brandon, on
the way entering the house of Mr..
Scroggin and Mr. Day and stealing pro-
visions without arousing the inmates.
They passed through Brandon and were
seen, and, as it appears, soon after aban-
doned the horses, except Smith, who
left them here and rode off alone, and
has not since been heard of. The rest
of the party took to the woods on foot,
and made for the big woods in Benton
county. By this time the whole vicini-
ty was aroused, and hundreds of men
were on the trail. The result was that
the three fugitives, Ditton, Lowry and
Idaho Bill were brought to stand at a
house four or five miles from Vinton by
Esq Cole, and other parties coming up
Immediately, they were secured and de-
livered over to the Sheriff, who soon af-
ter came upon the ground. Officers
Handy and Currier were among the first
to get on the track of the rascals, and
at one time had them almost under
their hands, when stream which they
could not cross interviewed, consuming
time and permitting the fugitives to
elude them.