Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-28
Jill DELIFERY.
Four Prisoners Under Sentence Make a
Break for Liberty and Get It Two of
Them Recaptured.

Break for Liberty and Get It Two of
Them Recaptured.
There are some men who stoop to crime
with the utmost impunity of conscience, and
then kick against taking their medicine, II
caught. True, with States prison sentence
impending over ones head, and the doors OF
the bastile ajar in the immediate foreground,
the dose is pretty hard to take. No doubt this
| theory was entertained by the quartette of
crooks who planned and successfully execr ted
their escape from the Jail in this city yesterday
afternoon.
The break for liberty was made about l
|! o'clock yesterday afternoon and the principals
| to the conspiracy were Louis Murphy, Joseph
Harrison, Thomas Mobiles and Peter Morgan.
Murphy, Harrison and Morgan are the trio
of crooks who burglariZed Meyers tailor shop
| on jackson street about two months ago.
Mobiles, ii will be remembered, was convicted
of larceny from the person of granger named
Donovan.
Murphy and Harrison pleaded guilty to the
charge and were arraigned for sentence yes
terday forenoon. Murphy was sentenced by
Judge Wilkin to zine months Imprisonment
in the county jail, and Harrison received a
year and nine months in the State penitenti-
airy. Mobiles was convicted and was also
sentenced to States prison for year and nine
months. Morgan was to have been sem
fenced tomorrow morning.
After being sentenced, Murphy, Mobiles and
Harrison were returned to the county Jail and
as usual they were allowed the freedom of the
corridor until locking-up time, o'clock in
the afternoon.
The men were all writhing with resentment
at the sentsnce which implied involuntary con-
finement and were desperate to degree In
this mood they met Morgan, who had expect
ed to see in their sentences Il fOreshadOw of
his own fate.
Becoming desperate at the prospects the men
decided to carry out a well-planned scncme for
escape. The hour was most opportune and at
least three of the men had not, or so they con-
sidered, anything to lose.
One of the jailors was absent at dinner; Joe
Spiel was in the upper corridor, and their in
tentions were speedily executed as follows:
The plan was laid in the north corridor of
the Jail at point in the rear of the building
where the cells terminate, and the scheme was
this: Procuring an old clamp. formerly used
on lock to one of the cells, they pried up
section of one-haf inch flooring, about four
feet long and two feet wide. Through the
openture thus created they let themselves
down to the basement, distance Of eight or
ten feet.
Unfortunately the door leading to that par.
ticular portion of the basement was unlocked.
This arose from the fact that men were engaged
in storing away fuel. To reach the basement
was but the work of a moment, and once
down, all they had to do was to walk through
the open doorday leading to Fifth street.
The scheme was executed in quicker time
than it takes in the telling and the men were
soon in the open air.
The delivery was discovered about 2 o'clock
when an outsider called to sec Murphy. He
failed to respond to his name and a search re-
suited in the discovery.
Sheriff Richter marshalled his forces at once
and the police were apprised of what had
happened. In less than half an hour Deputy
Sheriff Harrison overlook Mobiles and Harr-
son near the Mississippi street bridge. He
seized both men, but in the struggl. that en-
sued the latter escaped. Mobiles was returned
TO Jail.
About o'clock telephone message was
received at city hall, stating that man giving
the name OF Harrison had been found secTeted
in barn near Hamm's brewery, and that he
had stated that he was one { { party " no had
broken Jail. Officers Cook and De Corsey
were sent out and returned with their man.
Last night Sheriff Richter mailed postal cards
describing Morgan and Murphy, as follows:
BROKE JAIL,
January 9th, Peter Morgan, about feet S
inches, brown hair, dark mustachc: weighs
about $50 or 155 lbs, about 2S years old; dark
grey eyes.
Louis Murphy, about feet 10 inches; brown
hair: blue eyes; smooth face; weighs about
100 lbs; about 25 years DID, high heeled boots.
The above prisoners escaped from Ramsey
county Jail. They had been sentenced for
burglary. None of the men had oyercoats on.
Will pay sos reward for each one, or for in
formation leading to their capture.
FRED. RICHTER,
Sheriff of Ramsey County.
ST. PAUL, Jan. 81, 1881.
THE RESPONSIBILITY,
County Commissioner Mcintosh visited the
Jail soon after the escape, and he unhesitating-
ly states that the escape is chargeable to the
sheriff rather than to the insecurity of the
building. He claims that the sheriff should
never leave the basement with open doors Civ
ing an opportunity for walk away. On the
contrary, he says that portion of the Jail ought
to be utilized as place of confinement for the
tramps who are constantly being sent over.