Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-08-03
AT LARGE
wasNearly Ihe Lot of Several Jail
Birds.

NOW That TWO dozen prisoners are
large number for the jailer to tax,
care of, he seems unable to keeI
them from getting away. It may b
that the jailer thinks more about goiuI
fishing, or having a holiday now an,
then, or that his aids are too few t.
guard the culprits as they ought to b
guarded, or perhaps the few fellows ar
not worth guarding, in the estimation
of the guardsmen.
These are merely surmises, how
ever, and are worth mo NOR,
than tho remarks usually cur
rent, when model and vigilant
jailOr, whose unqualified praise has
been sounded over and over again b.
the newspapers, let's his prisoners dis
through the walls and get away Will,
he sits quietly in his quarters, only
short distance from the spot they un,
dermine. This may all be very regu
lar, but it don't look so, and a little at
tention to the matter, with more strin.
gent regulations on the part of the
officers in charge, would not be amiss
just now. Unless Sheriff Athy over
hauls his derelict sub officials, the
public will begin tc believe after a
bit that the walls of the Jail are less
secure than our city calaboose.
1t was hardly three weeks ago that
a trio of prisoners dug their way
through the Jail walls and went
at large. The three Brownsville
safe burglars, came near getting away,
but their plans we're happily frustrated
just in the nick of time. Last Mon
day a prisoner under three years sen
tence to the penitent;ary, concluded
to go a fishing, or indulge ia a free
hunting frolic. He stepped quietly
into the keepers quarters, took a
guardsmans pistol and slowed it un.
der his waistband, then started out
into the street, and took up the rail
way. When last seen he was moving
rather lively, and he still roams.
No obstacle like locks and
bars, usually arranged to limit
a prisoner to a narrow area seemed to
be in the way of this man. Some Of
the jail employees took after, but failed
to catch him, and merely fastened the
man in his travels. A pursuing
official returned to the Jail putting
like porpOise, with one prisoner less
to look after.
Yesterday another effort to dig out
Of the Jail was frustrated by the
untiring vigilance of the officials, who
seemingly never sleep, but are always
on the lookout for the sharp fellows
who are trying to escape. The officers
found in the cells of Williams and
the sharp Brownsville safe
robbers, dining knife, bedslat, gas
pipe and other tools. 1t was also dis
covered that lot of brick had been
pulled out of the dungeon wall,
md that some of the iron
bars in the prisoners cells had
been sawed through. The men sup
posed to have participated in
The job Of trying to get out were
promptly locked up in a dark cell to
ruminate over their mislOrtunes and
Iay idle until later on.
1t is very evident that several pris-
,ners in our county Jail don't want to
stay there. Possibly the Jail keepers
will catch this idea and begin to think
she same before long. 1t is to be
hoped they will before any more rob
Ders run away.
Deputy Sheriff G. r. Stewart was at
5he Jail yesterday afternoon when the
.ricks of the Jail birds were discov-
sred. He went there, he says, at three
)'cloek in the afternoon, to relieve
Mr.. Leslie, who had to go to the
courthouse to make a report. Mr..
Lad not been at the jail more
han twenty minutes ere he discov-
cred there was something amiss. How
he discovered it is not stated, but he
quickly gave the alarm. The idea that
/ general outbreak was likely would
not do to keep, 30 Mr.. Stewart let
Deputy Bannon know it, and the jail
bells were rung at once. Mr.. Bannon
went inside to ferret out the trouble,
taking the keys Of the quarters. He
found the dungeon unlocked, and
soon saw budget Of tools, including
the iron hedslat, a knife-saw, a bar
of iron five feet long and sharp
pointed piece OF iron, eight or ten
inches long, and sundry other objects.
He collected the kit and soon laid
them in the Office on the floor in a
heap, They proved to be fine lot Of
instruments, precisely suited for the
people on the inside Of Jail to work
themselves to liberty. The way the
tools got there is, however, a mystery.
The jail birds had dug the inside wall
out to considerable extent, but had
not worked their way entirely through.
The keepers, Messrs. Leslieiand Ran
non, knew nothing of the matter until
the note of warning wa al h, NJ.