Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-04-21
BOBBY SwIM's BROTHER.
His Agility Displayed Getting
Out of the House Of
Detention.
New York Tribune.l

A remarkable escape from the house
of detention occurred Thursday night.
The fugitive was Samuel Swim, a
horse jockey, and brother of the noted
jockey, Bobby" Swim. Last autumn
he became implicated in some forgeries
committed by Brockway, the well
known forgor, on the Bank Of the Re-
public and others. He was arrested,
but was discharged for lack of evil
dence. On February 4th Swim gave
himself up, and offered to turn states
evidence against Brockway, claiming
that Brockway had cheated him in
the division of the spoils. Brockway
was soon after surrendered to Chicago
officers, who had evidence against him,
as no case could be made out against
him here, and it was determined to
hold Swim and convict him if posi-
BILE.
When Swim learned of this, he de-
termined to make his escape, and set
himself to work with extraordinary
patience to accomplish this. He be-
gan operations in two different ways
to make sure of success. The fifth
floor of the part Of the house Of de-
%tention used for the prisoners is a
recreation-room. 1t is about eleven
feet in height, and is lighted by a
skylight which is directly wei the
staircase. This is fastened by iron
bars nearly an inch in thickness. The
only tool Swim had was a broken
cheese.knife, which he tempered in
the stove, and fashioned into a saw by
striking it against another knife on the
edge ofthe stove. He fastened this Ia
the end of an old broom, and by
standing on two tables which we're in
the recreation-roOm, and which were
used for card-playing, he was able tC
reach the iron bars. For a little ovel
a week, Swim says, he worked before
he sawed one Of the bars IN two. HI
labored always during the day, while
his companions were in the yard.
Thursday evening at a quarter past :
he helped the keeper make up several
beds on the fourth floor. When the
keeper returned at a quarter to 8 Il
lock up the prisoners for the night
Swim was gone.
He hadsucceeded in cutting through
one of the bars, and, having bent this
nearly double, had made his escape
The hole was less than a foot in width
and he had creased the bars to enable
him to get through. He is a small
slight fellow, twenty-one years of age
Scaling an iron fence about nine feet
in height, which separated the roof O
the house of detention from the ada,
cent buildings, Swim made his escape
rapidly through a neighboring tene.
ment house. At half past 3 'clocl
yestesday morning, Norman Jones
night watchman Of the United State
hotel, discovered a man proWliD
around the hotel. AS he declined t
explain his presence there, Jones ha,
him taken to the New street polio
station, where he was identified a
Swim. He was drunk. When take
to the house of detention yesterda
morning, he was so violent that he wa
l removed to the Fourteenth precinc
station.
r Swim was also engaged in cutting
t hole about fifteen inches squar
through the wall of the room he oc
cupied. The yard of the house of de
tention is divided from the adjacen
yards By a brick wall about eighteen
= feet high, upon which there is an iro.
t fence twelve feet in height. Swim
e had carefully calculated at what poin
o Of the wall the fence touched, ant
was digging through at that place
This happened to be right under hi
z own bed, so that there was no chanc
a Of detection. Swim, however, say
4 that he had nothing to do with the at
Z tempt to escape.
G There we're formerly three keeper
e at the house of detention, but, as tw
+ Of these had been dismissed, and tn
a one mar remaining has also to act a
a doorman, the prisoners are left t
themselves during a great part Of tn
day. Not long ago a broker, who wa
: detained as a witness, made his e.
), cape at night.