The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-02-20
REDDY's RUSH.
Tbs Notorious Desperate. Freddy" Nc
Kenns. Escapes From Jail at
Hillsboro. Ohio.


The most intense excitement and in
dignation prevails at Hillsboro, Ohio,
over the escape from Jail Of Bob
McKenna, alias Little Reddy, the
notorious Black Hills stage rob-
Der. The particulars are as follows:
On the night Of the 18th, a few minutes
before 8 O'Clock, the hour at which the
guard goes on duty ut the jail, the jail
or and porter unlocked McKenna's cell
for the purpose Of carrying in coal, and
IS they were about to enter, the desper-
ado dashed through the door with a re-
volver in each hand, firing first at the
jailor and then at the porter, fortunate
~ without effect; but In the confusion
he ran into the j%ailor's apartments on
the opposite side of the hall, expecting
to escape through a rear door. The
door, however, was locked, and placing
his revolver at the head of the jailor's
wife, who was about to raise the alarm,
he told her to keep still or ne would
blow her brains out, and passing again
through the front room, dashed into
the hall, through the front door and
ran across the street, disappearing
quickly in an alley. The jailer In the
meantime had seized a loaded shotgun
and as McKenna was passing through
the gate he fired, evidently wounding
him. as q cigar casc vas found neal the
gate In the morning, riddled with shot,
which has been identified ms belonging
to Mckenna. Spots of blood were also
found on the gate, and on q fence in
the south part of town, where he is
supposed to have gone. 1t is thought
that the fact that he IL wounded may
possibly lead TO his recapture. His
wife has been permitted to occupy the
cell with him, and to pass In and out
without being searched, and others
have also been allowed access to him
without proper precautions. The Won
der is that he did not escape long before
this. Ex-SheriG Bullock, of DeadwOOd,
who made the arrest, and who has had
McKenna in custody before, told the
sheriff that he vas n desperate charac-
ter, and begged of him not to permit
his wife or any one else TO have access
to his cell, but with n stubbornness sur
prising to his friends, and with an APP
parent lack of comprehension Of the
gravity of the case, he kept his own
counsel and pursued his own course,
and the result is just what has been
predicted. There is but one expression
among the citizens, and that is of dis
gust and Indignation that such IL thing
has happened.
McKenna's wife was not in the cell
ut the time Of his escape, but was with
the ~jailor's family, in another part of
the prison. She tainted when she
heard the facts, and it is thought by
some that she did not expect the attempt
to be made 80 soon, although this is all
conjecture. Later developments con-
1rm the belief that McKenna is seri-
ously wounded, as spots of blood have
been found on fences during the day
where he is thought TO have passed,
and tracks said to correspond with the
size of his boots have been found, in
which there are drops of blood. Bull
lock, who is at Tecumseh, Mich, offers
5000 reward in addition to the 300
offered by the sheriff. Mr.. Bullock,
Deputy Marshal Lyle, and a few others
are hunting for McKenna on their own
responsibility, the sheriff showing the
same incapacity for setting on foot any
effort TO capture him that he did to
capture him when he had him. The
feeling against the sheriff is intense,
and n movement is on foot to demand
his resignation at once.