Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1878-03-07
A CLOSE ESCAPE.
BURGLAR WALKS OUT OF COURT
DURING HIS TRIAL.

A BURGLAR WALKS OUT OF COURT
DURING HIS TRIAL.
Mr.. Thomas Wallace may be safely
styled the coolest and most audacious
burglar in the state, and though his
path has been an humble one COM
pared to those of Duncan and Tyler,
he has eyineed power of combining
circumstances to advance his interests
and free him from entanglements that
had he been educated in, higher
school would have enabled hin to
steal the whole cityin three weeks
Though for years past he has been
operating in the city, and has, been
in forced seclnsion from the whifl of
metropolitan life on numerous occas-
ions, he did not distinguish himself
until the burglary Oft. & D. Lundy's
jewelry store, on Third street, near
Market, i'm December last. About
$i0,008 worth of jewelry was taken
in less than an hour, though, thanks
to the detectives, th4 plunder was re-
covered and the burglars captured in
less than week. Pending examina-
ton hy the grand jury he was releas-
ed on bail. With surprising cheek he
began again, and was the burglar who
entered the house of j. L. Davis, on
Post street, above Powell. On this
occasion his companion shot servant
girl, who sounded an alarm, and es-
capped over the fence. Wallace shot
at officer Bennett, who came running
nto the yard. and then slammed the
kitchen door on the policeman, leay-
ing himself in possession OF the house.
He then went softly into the hall in
time to meet Mr.. and Mrs. Davis,
who had come down stairs in their
night-clothes. BY claiming in the
darkness to be policeman he kept
them quiet, and when the front door
was opened, bundled them out and
down the front steps, and locked the
door on them. Although the house
was surrounded, he escaped by leap
ing from Il sccond-story window to a
high fence, and thence climbing into
the next yard. For this he was also
indicted, and was this morning
brought down to the municipal court
for trial on the first indictment. He
sat quietly at the end Of the dock,
near the door that leads out into the
court yard. The room was full OF
jurymen, officers and spectators.
When the sheriff went out to call a
jury, however, Wallace cody jumped
o:er the railing and walked out of the
door as if going to the water elost.
Not an officer stopped him, and no
remark was made till the deputy
sheriff returned with the jury, after
an absence ofperhaps two minutes.
The officer at once remarked Wal
lace's absence, aud won't into the
yard after him. He was not to be
seen, however, having slid down one
of the verandah posts to the yard be-
low, and either passed out through
one of the numerous saloons and
stores that connect with the yard, or
secreted him self under the building.
Several policemen provided them
selves with lighted candles and dill
gently tranped around in the mud
and darkness, but failed to find him,
SO that the probability is that he
adopted the first named means and
escaped to the street. No one ap-
parently, saw him pass out from the
yard, however. AS, despite his al
roitneSs, he has been uulucky enough
to get caught in nearly all of his Of
fenses, the prospect is that his smil.
ing face will again look out from be-
hind the bars.