The Russellville Democrat., 1879-04-17
WHITE BREAKS JAIL,
Or, Rather. Just wasks Out.
Gross Carelessness of the Watch
 Men.


 Friday last the news reached our town that the notorious thief, White. had escaped from the jail at Dover. We have endeavored to get the facts In regard to the matter as correctly and reliably as possible, and find them to be about as follows:
 White, Mollie White and Sam Cab rell were prisoners in the jail. WRITE WAS IRoNED AND SECURED TO THE FLOOR BY CHAIN AND STAPLE. On last Thurs day night John Bayliss and George Jamison were on duty as night-watch- men, and were on guard in the jail. Friday morning about ten o'clock, some one passing the jail was informed by the woman, Mollie White, one of the prisoners, that White was gone.
 The guards, Bayliss and Jamison, had left the jail after daylight, aud something like an hour later, Linton, the jailor, had taken the prisoners their breakfast. After this still, / John Bay liss had taken Gabrell, one of the prisoners, suit of clothes; and yet strange to say it was not known that the prisoner White had escaped until the woman informed some passer-by about 10 o'clock, as above stated, al- though he actually left the jail when 1t was quite early in the morning-say when it was just getting daylight.
 Now the question Is, how did the prisoner get loose from his shaekles and from the floor to which he was chaincd2 And how did he gain an egress from the jail without the guards knowing it9
 The guards make statements about as follows: Jamison says that about day break, White, the prisoner, who was at that time in jail, awakened him; that he (Jamison) got up AND AwoKE BAY LIss, THE OTHER NIGHT-GUARD. and leaving him sitting up in bed, went and took the shackles off of the woman; l; that he then went out of the jail, LEAv- ING THE DOOR OPEN, for Bayliss to shut. That is Jamison's account of it. Bayliss says about as follows: That Jamison got up, loosed the shackles from the woman, went out and home, LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN, BUT NOT AwAK- EWING HIM, (BAYLIss); that he got up afterward, looked at the bed where the prisoner, White, slept, THOUGHT HE SAW HIM IN THE BED, and that he then went out of the jail, closed the door, and went home.
 These are the circumstances connect ed with the escape as far as we can ascertain, and we think the public will agree with us that the escape is sur- rounded with very suspicious circum- stances and justities grave doubts in | the premises-circumsta and doubts which demand a most rigid and scru- tinizing investigation.
 As soon as the knowledge of the escape reached sheriff Hogins, which was about 10 o'clock on Friday, he started Mir. John Young ard Constable John White out to search for the escap- ed prisoner, and they secured the woods until night, without getting any trace of him.
 | Justice to the Sheriff demands that we should say that no one planes him for the escape of the prisoner. He has done all in his power to have the pris- oner securely kept, and it is simply inn possible, as was remarked by a gentle man who informs us that Mir. Hogins was very busy at his office waiting on taxpayers at the time he heard of the escape, for q man to be sheriff, collect or and jailor all at the same time.