The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-04-13
A sTRIKE FOR LIBERTY.
Almost a Jail Delivery Last Night
Full Particulars of the Plot.
from the Evening Edition.

from the Evening EdItion.l
Last night when Sheriff Draper went
into the jail to see that every thing was
all right and locS the prisoners into
their respective cells, he detected
thing wrong in the working of the lock
on the cell occupied by Clark and Wells.
This little incident excited his .suspi-
cions that the prisoners had
been tampering with the lock. An
Investigation was then ut once entered
into. Sheriff Draper summoned his
deputies and a thorough overhauling Of
things was commenced.
A few moments work proved that
Sheriff Diapers suspicious were well
founded. He found in the possession of
Clark and Wells a key made from the
hard wood handle of a broom stick and
whitfield to a shape so that it fitted the
paddock on their cell door as well as the
original key. In their cell was found a
saw-fle about four inches long by one
half inch in width, and very thin, and a
rope made from old rags or strips Of
cloth, carried into the cell for bandages
for Price, the road agent, who was
taken to Laramie a few days ago. The
rope is so strong that several powerful
men can not break 1t. Upon an exam
ination of their shackles, it was found
that the chains uniting them were cut
upon the ankles of Clark, who is in for
murder, Brown and Ross, Dad agents
and Wells, murder. A bar of iron
leading from the cage into the main
corridor of the prison, was also found to
be sawed, SO that a light blow would
sever it.
The plot for u general and complete
jail delivery seems to have been well
matured, and had it not been discovered
last night, this morning would, in all
probability, have found our jail CON-
pletely deserted by all of its prisoners.
The scheme for the grand escape was,
according to the acknowledgement of
the prisoners, planned as follows:
Clark and Wells, who had the wood
EN- key to their cell-lock, were to un-
lock it as soon as it was dark. They
were then to take the rope, attach it
to the foot of Brown and Ross cell
door and around one of the iron rods Of
the cage walls, which completely snr-
round the cells, and with the united
strength Of themselves and Brown and
Ross spring the cell door out sufficient
ly to admit of the latters' exit into the
cage. This method of opening cell
doors was to be continued until all the
prisoners were admitted into that part
of the prison called the cage. They
would then break the bar of iron in the
cage walls which is mentioned above as
having been nearly cut of, and thus
effect IN egress to the main corridor of
the Jail. They had then only a seven
eighths inch bar of iron to cut off and
u small glass window to remove
This work being accomplished five min
utes more would have found them all
free men.
There are sixteen men confined
in the Jail and it is supposed. or rather
claimed by them that the piece of steel
from which the saw was made, was
brought to them by a former prisoner,
who was in for a minor offence and al
lowed more privileges than others. The
prisoners in for high offences are Inow
haudcuffed ..and otherwise heavily
manacled. Sheriff Draper says he has
them 70 fixed now that they will not
get away until he wants them to go.