The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-27

UNSUCCESSFUL ATTENPT TO BREAK JAN.
The prisoners confined in the Ohio
county Jail made an attempt TO break jail
Yesterday morning at an early hour, which
had rather singular termination. Charles
Daily, 8 son Of the iailor, who was on duty
Is Waterman, while making his rounds
about 4 4. N. was accosted By Punch"
Long, one Of the fellows who is charged
with robbing the residence Of Alex. Rog-
ems, Esq. Long told Daily that q colored
man named Banks, fellow prisoner, who
Is sometimes entrusted with the keys Of the
cells, wanted the key Of his cell so he
could get bucket Of water. Daily entered
the corridor andinquiredof Long as to the
Whereabouts OF "Spooney" Butler, who
occupied a cell with him, and was told that
he was asleep. Jack Condrey, alias "Curly
Jack another OF the alleged Rogers rob
bers, was also reported asleep.
Thinking something was wrong, Daily
went up stains, and upon listening intent
! liz for a moment heard suspicious noises
below. He at once notified his father, and
while the old gentleman was dressing
went in search ofSheritf Tngie, who was
found at his residence, and who came at
once to the jail.
Upon examining the premises, the
Sheriff discovered Butler hall way ont OF
the back window OF the corridor, sticking
fast between the bars Of the outside win.
dow. Condrey was found in the wash
house near by, patiently waiting his turn.
By some means they had obtained posses.
sion OF ia couple OF case knives, which they
had converted into saws, and with the aid
OF these rough tools had cut through q bar
on each OF the two windows. The bars are
about one inch thick, and were held firm
in their places By cross bars at intervals
OF ten or twelve inches. The lower ends
OF the bars had been cut entirely of, and
the upper ends cut through until they
were easily broken oil, thus leaving hole
on the inside about by lOl inches, and
on the outside 81 by 81 inches, The latter
was too small to admit OF the passage Of
Buffers person, he being rather large
man, and he got fastened so tight that he
could move neither forward nor backward.
Indeed, Sheriff Tingle found it necessary
TO remove another bar in order to effect
his release, which was not accomplished
until between Z and SA. ".
It is provable that Condrey and Butler
had been working on the bars OF the win
dow for at least month. 4 bench in the
hall hid them from view while they were
at work and after the first bar was re-
moved, and one OF the men was obliged TO
lie down between the two gratings and
work on the outside bar, string tied TO
his foot was pulled by some of.his fellow
prisoners when it was necessary to warn
him to cease operations. Thus the two
fellows worked whenever at liberty in the
corridor, and were screened from observa-
ton either inside or outside the building.
On Monday evening, when the pris-
oners were locked up, Butler and Con-
drey secreted themselves in cell used as
washroomand escaped observation. Sup
per was taken in as usual, and when the
attendant inquired for the. missing men
he was told that they were asleep. They
had made stuffed paddles" out OF some OF
their old clothes, and laid them on the bed,
so that when the attendant peeredinto the
cells in the darkness and imperfectly saw
the reclining forms he was satisfied.
II Butler had not been caught in the
trap, the two could easily have effected
their escape, as they could have got into
the engine room without any trouble, and
to get from thence to the yard, and from
the yard outside OF the walls OF the
prison would have been comparatively
light task 70 what they had already accom-
plished. This is theseeond time Condrey
has failed in an attempt to escape. In
August last, it will be recolleCted, he I'M
derook to dig through the wall OF the jail
and was discovered by the iailor.