New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-17
ESCAPING THROUGH A sKYLIGHT. "a.
ow HORSE JOCKEY GOT OUT or THE HOUSE OF

| ESCAPING THROUGH A SKYLIGHT ~.
HOW HORSE JOCKEY GOT OUT or THE HOUSE Oh
DETENTION.
A remarkable escape from the Houee OF Detention
occurred Thuraday night. The fugitive was
| Samuel Swim, o horse Jockey, and brother OF the
noted Jockey bobby" Swim. Last Autumn ne
became implicated in Sme fOrgeries commln1te9 by
| BrOckWay, the well-kuOwn 1Orger, on the Bank OF
the Republic and others. He was arrested, out was
| discharged for lack of evidence. On February
Swim gave himself up and offered TO lnTn S sTatGs
way had cheated HIM in the division OF the sp0Is'
BrOckway was soon afterward surrendered TO chi
case could be made out against him here, and it
was determined to hold Swim and convict him II
possible.
make his escape, and set himself to work with ex-
tTaOrdinary patience to accomplish this. he began
MS operations in TG ways 10 fhs ASIse
of Detention used for the prisoners is recreation
room. 1t is about IL feet in height and 10 nRhte1
by a skylight which is directly over the staircase
inch IN thickness. The only. tool Swim had
was broken case-knife, which he tempered IN the
stove, and fashioned into saw by striking IL
against another knife or the edge OF the stove. he
fastened this to the end of an old broom, ana by
standing on otabes which were IN the recrsatiOn
able TO reach the iron bars. For little over
week, Swim says, he worked before he sawed one
of the bars IN two. He labJred always during the
day, while his companions were IN the yard. Thurs
day evening at q quarter past he heiped tne
keeper make up several DedS on the 1ouftn moor
When the keeper returned at quarter to y 10 lock
mp the prisoners for the night Swi Inn was gone
He had succeeded in cutting through one OF tho
bars and having bent this nearly double, had made
his escape The hole was less than foot III width,
and he had creased tho b0rs to enable him to get
through. He is small, slight fellow, twenty-one
wears of age Sealing an iron fence about nine feet
In height which separated the roof of the House Of
Detention from the adjacent buildings, Swim made
his escape readily through a neIRhbOrng tenement
house. At half past o'clock yesterday morning,
Norman Jones, night Waterman ofthe United states
Hotel, discovered man prOwling around the hotel.
As he declined to explain his presence there, Jones
had him taken TO the New Street Police Station,
where he was identified as Swim. lie Was drunk
When taken to the House of Detention yesterday
morning, he was so violent that he was removed TO
the Fourteenth Precinct Station.
Swim was also engaged in cutting hole about
Is inches square through the wall of the room
he occupied The yard of the House of Detention
is divided from the adjacent yards by brick wall
about IS feet in height, upon which there Is an
iron fence IL feet in height. Swim had carefully
calculated at what point Of the wall the fence
touched, and digging through at that lace
This happened to be right under his own bed, so
that there was no chance of detection. Swim, how
ever. says that ne had nothing to do with the at
tempt at escape.
There were formerly three keepers at the House
of Detention but as two of these have been dis
missed, and the one man remaining has also to act
as dOorman, the prisoners are left to themselves
during great part of the day. Not long ago, q
broker who was detained as witness, made his
nv night.