The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-07-29
S.'AiLE.AProRI Li 10, 4,
Two OF. tho Bsal brothers Attempt 70
i,l Escape from the County Jaii, 5sg5J4, n

- ASS"Pe rum tue Sounty jail. Z -
The intensest excitement was created In
the vicinity OF the ( County jail yesterday
afternoon about hall past -four O'Clock By
the sound Of pistol shots In ithst building,
and q crowd quickly gathered about The
barred door which keeps the outside world
from the residence portion OF tho jail build.
Ing. For some time the cause OF
the shooting could not DO asesr.
taineth but u. length the wife OF Tailor Davis
came up from the lower story with the inior.
nation that John and Elias Deal, two OF the
three brothers confined In tho Jail for the
shooting OF Harry Paxton, had escaped,
Several OF the men attracted by the shooting
were admitted to the building, md made
their way 10 the yard below, where thew
found one OF the brothers In The boiler house
and another In the ash shed. They both gave
up without any show OF resistance, and we're
taken Into custody by the crowd. M
Capt Davis shouted out the thirdstory
window, aud being told that the prisoners
we're recaptured, informed the men that one
Of the lail.birds had the key to the main cor.
ridor In his pocket, and that no was locked
in. Jimmy Flynn, the janitor OF the Court
cured the key and released Mr.. Davis 1'I-.
BY this time Chief OF Police Bennett, Dep.
uty Sherills Mitchell md Blanchard, and
several other officials had reached the iail.
and the prisoners were brought up Into the
jail office - r-''s
Tailor Davis explained that he had gone
into the corridor on the upper floor, TO iced
the, prisoners. The Beal Boys were allowed
10 distribute the food, md while engaged In
doing so, and when near the door, the Tailor
was called to the far end OF the jail, While
there, one OF the female prisoners hallooed
that the Deals had escaped, and turn.
Ing round, Davis saw that they were
gone. Reaching the door leading into
the residence, he found that the boys
had locked It after them and taken the key
along. This door Is a double one, with about
two feet space between. When the Tailor
entered he left the inner door unlocked, and
allowed the key 10 .enain In tho outer one.
VI course II was easy to unlock this from the
inside, and the idea Of locking II again and
taxing the keyawny was an ingenious one.
AS soon as Capt. Davis found be was locked
In, he drew his revolver and fired several
shots to alarm persons In the vicinity, The
prisoners evidently supposed the gap In the
wall next Mendel's furniture factory was
still open, but this was mistake, rs 1t was
recently closed by q massive gate. 1t was
this TACT alone, perhaps, which prevented the
plans OF the two brothers from being success
ful. o 49, 49, 49,
Their method OF escape from the Jail to1he
yard was reckless and daring In the extreme.
A wide brick wall with n stone can, and ppr.
haps ten feet high, surrounds the ward, al n
distance on the north side OF the Jail OF about
eight feet from the Jail building. The two
prisoners leaped from window IN the third
story OF the Jailor's residence, to the ton OF
this wall, and thence to the yard below. The
distance from the window TO the top OF the
wall Is probably twelve feet. The
intention was, perhaps to leap from
the top Of the wall TO the
ground outside oil the enclosure, but. Elas,
who jumped first, did not alight fairly on
the wall, and fell backwards, turning almost
complete somersault, and striking his head
above the right eye violently on the brick
pavement. He was badly cut and bruised
and also broke his left wrist In the fall. John
followed, and succeeded In reaching The
ground in safety, only to be recaptured in
few minutes. -
The wounds OF Elias were very painful.
Ihey were properly dressed by Drs. Hoge
ETHEL and Wilson, and the prisoner was
placed in cell, much the worse for his
reckless leap for liberty. John was placed
i'll irons and locked in another cell.
This makes three prisoners in irons and
solitary confinement for too much devotion
to liberty the other being the notorious
Morris McAdams, Of this city. ~
Harry Paxton. the victim OF the Beal boys
is still Lying, but there are no hopes of lis
recovery. The third one Of the brothers was
confined on the lower floor, hence his lack
oil cooperation with John and Elias.
John remarked yesterday that II any id
reporter wrote up his attempt TO break iail
he would break Ills neck-but he will not,
not soon ut least.