The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-06-24
" SKIPPED"
The Walls OF the New Jail Prove no Bar to
First-rate Burglar.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.

HOW IT WAS DONE.
| The new county Jail OF La Sale county has
proved a failure, so far as holding experienced
men in the line burglarlous is concerned. Extra
pains were taken when it was building to insure
good job, and when finished It was pronounced
burglar. proof. 1t seems 1t isn't for along about
daylight on Thursday morning last four prison
ers cut their way through iron and brick walls
and escaped.
Two Of the quartette are Maurice Kelly (dlias
Thomas Garrty) and John McGowan, the men
known as the "Lostant safe blowers" They
have, however, long been known to the Chicago
police as flrst-class cracksmen. They had been
tried and convicted and sentenced to the pen.
Tertiary for term OF years for job committed
in Lostsnt. supersedess hSd, however, been
granted by the Supreme Court, and they were
here waiting hearing by that court The other
two men we're OF no special consequence. Their
names were Patrick Mulvey, in for stealing at
La Sale, and George Tryon, Of Marseilles. in for
malicious mischief.
These men occupied cells and the corridor OF
the south half Of the second floor Of the jail.
Here they lived day and night. At night they
were placed in different cells, not occupying the
same one Tor any length Of time continuously.
On Wednesday night, as the lever shut the cell
doors, the four men got into the two cells near.
est the front hall of the jail. In the morning
none OF the four could be found!
Their escape is simple matter. 1t was sheer
case OF dig out. They understood the ground
perfectly-better in fact than any man or men in
the world-except the man who put in the iron
work.
The cells are separated the one from the 9TH
CIR, by boiler.iron wall about an eighth of an
inch thick. Each series of cages, or cells, 10
supposed to be surrounded by battens of iron
and steel-iron and steel bars alternating being
an inch and a half or little more apart; the
battens running perpendicularly as well as hori-
zontally. To get out it was believed prisoners
would be compelled to cut away these steel bars
There is just one place where this is not so.
From the cellar to the roof in the wall separat-
ventilator. The wall of the most easterly tiers
of cells ION the south at leasD butts this air duct.
The cells are there lined with boiler.iron, behind
which are the iron and steel bars, though not
in front of the air duct between
the brick wall and the cels-one on each story,
very likely. The specifications for the ail's iron
work, member of the committee tells us, called
for the iron and steel bars here also, but the
omitted to put them in, as the wall
made sort of projection around which the bars
would have had to be fitted.
So the only place where man could escape
these steel bars was at this air duct, a space
some two feet wide. The prisoners were, as 10
vulgsrly said, ION to 1.-THE only men in the
county who were.
How they obtained working tools is unknown.
visit. Visitors are remarkably numerous at the
all, the sheriff tells US, and are admitted, there
being no regulation to the contrary. The men
evidently had the best of tools, however. As the
all was considered burglar-proof, no guards
we're kept in the building-the ianitor porter
md sheriff being the only men about the place.
The men were fastened in by day by half dozen
combination locks and by night by as many
more. Further than these no precautions were
AIKEN. The men could work by day or by night
IT both and none but their fellow prisoners
would be any the WISER
There were two men in either of the cells men,
Toned. To put the four together 1t was neces-
AIRY 10 cut passage through the boer-iron
vail between the two cells. This was done.
lines were cut through, perpendicularly aboutl1
nohes long; connecting which, close to the floor
Tas another line IA In long The three sides the
ole being cut, the piece was bent upwards, leav-
ng beautiful hole, through which the men
rawled INTO the cell nearest the air duct The
ole into the air duet was cut higher up-ssy
We feet from the floor. This was a regular fig
re, 10 inches in perpendicular by IA horizontal
:. The iron here was fairly cut away on all
des. Back Of this hole, where there should
ave been the iron and steel bar land where they