Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-19
LANCASTER DAILY MTELLIGENCER TUESDAY JUNE 1888
FRANKFORD'S CAPTURE.

FRANKFORD'S CAPTURE.
HOW He aAprEnED TO BE CAUGHT.
The WanderiDEs OF the Fugstives-A Plucky
Delaware County Man-now They
Broke out of jail.
Last night John Frankford and Clarence
A. Dunn were again lodged in the West
Chester Jail. They had been captured
near Media by Lewis Dotts and G.. Frank
YarDall, of Edgmont, Delaware county.
They gave the following account of the
capture to Republican reporter:
A number of persons at Edgmont early
in the day had heard of the escape of the
prisoners from the West Chester jail, and
anything of suspicious nature was in
vestigated by the persons st once. A
smoke was seen arising from the Bar.
rens" on the Willistown township line,
about II o'clock in the morning, and sew
eral persons saw three men sitting arou nd
they fire. They gave an alarm when the
men fled. The trail was lost until later in
the day, when Lewis DOTS arrived home in
Edgmont, about 6 o'clock from work. His
wife told HIM that three men had been
there and asked for something to eat. She
had given them some victuals, and they
had paid her twenty. five cents for the
same. Dotts Immediately thought they
were the escaped prisoners, and on giving
the alarm was joined by the other rur-
suing party, and tho trail followed up.
It appears the men had set on the
banks of the creek near DOtts' house
until about five O'Clock, wien they
left. The trail was then followed from
thence along the Providence road toward
Media, until about one quarter of mile
from the Rose tree. There they went
easterly to the bridge at Palmer's mill, on
the Crum creek, where about O'Clock,
the pursuers on foot and horseback came
up with them. The two prisoners, Dunn
and Frankford, were sitting on tho bridge
when the pursuers came to that point.
Both men jumped down and ran under
the bridge into the creek, and
ran down the stream some distance pur-
sued by several persons. Here Lewis
Dotts jumped from his horse and ran
into the water and pointed pistol at the
men, ordering them to surrender. Frank
Yarnall then drove his horse into the
stream on the opposite side and the pur-
suers after some parley gave themselves
up to their capturers. They were then
taken to the Media Jail, and put in cells
and kept there until the midnight train
for West Chester arrived, when they were
brought to West Chester Jail by Messrs.
Yarnall and Dotts. accompanied by Officer
Hopes. Keeper Haggerty was awakened
and the men were again beneath the roof
they had left early yesterday morning.
Incidents OF tho Escape.
In conversation with Frankford it was
found that the work of Jail breaking was
only begun last Saturday. The men
worked silently whenever they got a
chance. They jumped from the roof when
watchman Eachus was on the opposite
side of the yard. They escaped at Gas
near as they could telD about half past
two O'Clock. Frankford was the last man
to get off the roof. 1t was no who left his
shoes on the Jail roof.
Frankford said to Keeper Hagerty
"you did your duty, but wo wanted to
get away" And further he said that the
old man must have telegraphed all over
the country" Dunn said he was sorer
than he had ever been before, aud that he
couldn't sleep any he was so tired.
FrankfOrd had travelled all day without
shoes, and his feet were cut up and full
of briars. He borrowed pair of shoes of
Jas. Hagan, in Edgmont, about O'Clock,
and had them on when captured.
| The men were evidently striking for
| Philadelphia, but did not want to enter
town in daylight. They, however, were
very careless about being seen in the
country as they laid about in Dotts' mea-
dow for several hours, and built fire in
the Barrens. 10 reply to inquiries of
Mrs. Dott, Frankford said they were
"going down the creek" but afterwards
said cup the creek" They say that
Robinson left them at the " Barrens," "
but Mrs. Dott says that there were three
of them who got dinner at her house late
in the day.
The capturers stopped at the Eagle last
night and will call on the prison inspect
ors to day for the 500 for Dunn and 5000
for Frankford. They think they earned
tho money, and they certainly did.
| FrankfOrd seemed to take his capture
philosophically, but Dunn was down
in the mouth about il"
The Modo OF Exit.
| Tho West Chester newspaper have ex-
tended accounts of the escape from the
Jail there of the notorious John Frank.
ford, from which it appears that he had
| at his COIuIu1uu Ouly SUCH SIIRuC IaClllCles
as those with which he has so often proved
his ability to pick his way out of cOnfine
ment. 1t will be remembered that Frank
ford aud Robinson occupied adjoining
cells on the second tier, above Robinson's 8
and Dunn's, and above Dunn's was the
roof of the Jail. When their escape was
discovered and Frankford's cell was ex-
amined it was found that an iron plate
(size 2x14 feet.) which had been fastened
to the wall by means of iron bolts, which
held in place another in the adjoining cell
where Robinson was kept, had been re-
moved.
The work of doing this was evidently
commenced by Frankford, who with some
instrument thst he evidently took with
him, succeeded in cutting down the rivet
ed ends of the bolts on his side until he
was able to take off tho tightly drawn
nuts that were also on them on that sido
and then forcing them out sufficient dis
tance on Robeson's side to enable the lat
ter to draw out the bolts. This must have
been long and exceedingly delicate oper-
alton to conduct without attracting tho
attention of the turnkeys or underkeepers,
who almost daily visited the cells to see
that all was right. There were not less
than nine of these bolts to overcome, aud
II