Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-27
A CONvICT's RI
Escaping from = Penifen
shoe BOx-The Fugitive
Crime.
4tt.o,.rgcRa., Special to Nspg York

About 10 o'clock to day word
ephoned to the various police staSlOns in
Allegheny that prisoner had escaped
from the Western penitentiary. 1t ap-
pears that about II o'clock this morning
q boy hailed the driver of a wagon
owned by Mr. Schmertz, the penitentiarY
shoe contractor at the corner of Penn
sylvania and Sixth avenues, in Pittsburg,
and informed him that one of the box
lids had fallen, and that a man had
jumped from the vehicle and ran away
from the wagon. The driver looked at the
boxes and discovered that one of them
was without a lid, and, instead OF the
box being filed with shoes, only pair
of prison pantaloons with the number
6,816 on them was found therein. The
boy who had informed the driver in re-
gard to the box lid could not afterward
be found, and it was impossible for the
driver to discover in what direction the
man had fled, so he drove as hastily as
possible to the factory on Fifth avenue
and gave the alarm. Word was instant
ly telephoned to the penitentiary, as
above stated, and search was instituted,
but No. 6,816 James w. Miller) could
not be found. Captain Wright at once
detailed all the officers he could spare
and started them on a hunt for the
escaped man.
Miller is described on the prison regis
ter as being twenty four years of age,
five feet six inches high, weight one
hundred and thirty-five pounds, fair
complexion, grey eyes, brown hair and
a little brown or sandy mustache. He
has scar on the left arm above the
elbow, and has feet ten inches long. He
was convicted in Clarion county on the
Goth of last August and sentenced to
seven years at hard labor in the Western
penitentiary on a charge of burglary.
His work consisted of packing
shoes in boxes, the latter being
about five feet long, two feet
deep and eighteen inches wide, and
then loading the boxes on the wagons
that are used to haul them over to
Schmertz's. He was at work up until
about ten o'clock, but no person seems
to have seen him after that time. Gothiel
Veeghly, the driver of the wagon. only
began hauling to-day. He was inter
viewed, and stated that the box in which
the man had been nailed up was of about
the same weight as the others, and he
did not suspect that there was ANYTHING
''AOhSs ~AASSA tl4C 10y 0dNA CdllCtl Ills dl-
tentiOh to the lid, however, he discovered
that the box was peculiarly constructed.
1t had been made stronger than the ordi-
nary box by putting braces in it, and the
lid was a double one. & number of
fOotmarks tended to show that the figures
1851 were used as a sign for his con-
tederates, so that they would not stand
him on his head when putting the box in
the wagon.
Captain Wright is of the opinion that
the man had been working up the de-
tails OF the escape for some time. He
also believes that some person has un-
doubtedly furnished him with pair of
pantaloons Miller was recently visited
by woman who lives in this city, and
who he the Warden) thinks may have
helped him, The woman alluded to
aided Miller at his trial, and also gave
him money. Miller was rather of a sui
len disposition, and talked very little.
lie belonged to a notorious gang of bur
glars, whose headquarters was at Cleve
land, Ohio, and Buffalo, n. Y.
The Catfish" robbery. in which Miller
participated, was a celebrated case. 1t
occurred on the night of March Is, at
Catfish, in Clarion county. An old
couple named COnners, who were known
to have money, were surprised by the
entrance into their house of two
masked men, who Overpowered them
and bound them hand and foot.
They then searched the house and Sc
cured about ten thousand dollars in cash.
but they knew the old man had bonds,
and not finding these they went to him,
and. in order to make him divulge the
hiding place of the bonds, they roasted his
feet in the fire. After enduring this
agony for some time he, to save himself
from further torture, finally told them
were the bonds were hidden The men
then secured about $4,000 worth of
bonds and made good their escape. The
robbery caused considerable excitement.
and the Pittsburg detective force set to
work at it, but without success, and the
matter was finally dropped. About
four months ago a Mr.. South, doing
business on Smithfield street. negotiated
with G. A, Whitney for the sale of
$4,000 worth of bonds, and when pro-
duoed they were found to be the Catfish
bonds. Word was immediately sent to
the Mayors office, and shortly afterward
Miller was arrested at the Red Lion
Hotel, the place where he jumped out of
the wagon today. Up to midnight no
trace OF the fugitive had been discovered.