The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-23
A DESPERATE EXPEDIENT.
A Partially Successful Attempt to
Blow Up the County Jail.
One Wall Shivered by an Explosion of Dyn-
amite-A Dangerous Criminals Start
ling Break for Liberty.

ing ISreak ior Liberty
At 7:20 o'clock, last night, nearly every one
within radius of two miles of the courthouse
heard short but deep and heavy sound, of
an explosion. 1t proved to come from the county
Jail. and in a few minutes several hundred peo-
pie about that building. The telephone
brought the news to each of the news
paper offices that dynamite cartridge had been
exploded at the Jail, and within few minutes
from the time of the explosion dozen reporters
and as many policemen were admitted into the
prison.
The grated doors being opened, the reporters,
escorted by Sheriff Hess and number of police
men, passed into the body of the Jail from the
north side to the south corridor. This was filled
with flying dust, while fragments of stone were
strewn about, the water pipe was torn up and
broken, the water rushing over the floor. In
the south wall, near the west end of the corri-
dor and about two feet above the floor, was an
lrregular-shaped hole large enough to admit the
escape of any prisoner in the Jail. Great pieces
of stone were lying both Inside and outside of
the jail, underneath this hole, which was blown
entirely through block of solid limestone
twenty-five inches thick. To the west of this
hole. four or five feet away, in the west wall of
the old jail, which FERNS the east wall of the
now bulluiHRs d great UlOCk Oh SGOQO uhu D06U
forced outward fully three-quarters of an inch.
The walls of solid masonry for ten or twelve feet
| alongside the point where the explosion had
taken place also showed serious cracks In the
upper part OF the hole was dowel-pin of heavy
iron, which could have been removed by one or
two strong pulls of firm hand. A washing
tank of heavy plate iron in the corner near the
hole was completely demolished and broken like
brittle glass. The force of the explosion must
have been terrific.
AS the reporters passed into the JAIL the pris.
oDers, who were all in the north corridor and
away from the scene of the explosion, with
| heavy walls between, showed pale and awe
| struck faces In the south corridor were several
policemen. Three OF four of them had two of
the prisoners, Dwight E. Wheaton and oliver
Taylor, whom they were searching preparatory
to putting them in the dungeon, a cell with
solid iron door. This cell is directly opposite
the opening in the wall made by the explosion.
| The sheritfs officers put leg-locks and handouts
on Wheaton aud handouts on Taylor and then
closed the door upon them. They were con-
| sidered as the ringleaders in the con-
spiracy to break Jail, and having
procured, fixed and exploded the
| dynamite cartridge. Wheaton Is square
| shouldered, sturdy built man, above medium
| height, between thirty-sx and forty years old.
| While being searched, and while the bracelets
| and anklets were being placed him, his
| strong, impassive face did not move a muscle.
| Oliver is about twenty-five years old. His thin
| face, smooth, with the exception of light mus
taohe, was very pale, his lips twitched nervous
| " as he made hysterical attempts to impress the
| lookers-on that he was quite at his ease.
| SHERIFF HEsss STORY
fThe explosion took place." said the Sheriff TO
| the reporter, 'about half past o'clock by my
watch, which is still run on old time. I was sit
ting here in The Jail office. The noise was ire
mendous, terrific, being SO near me, you know.
| and louder IMAM a cannon. always carry a re-
! vol,er. had no time to make any extended
| calculation. did not think, but, revolver In
hand, rushed into the Jail, Mr. Fisher keeping
guard at the door. The gas was burning in the
north corridor, bat out on the south ridge.
| ftave found out subsequently that the lava
tips had been removed from the burners and the
openings had been plugged up. So all was dark
in that corridor, as they intended it should be-.
| great cloud of sitting dust and fragments of
stone fell around me as went in-the air was
| thick with it. The prisoners 1 could hear, but
not see, crowded down into the corner
near the hole. Greatly excited, [ called
out, Come out of that corner, am going TO
shoot They came away. rushing past ME in the
they went by. They got back lively; if they
hadenot there would certainly have been some
| funerals tomorrow. The last man to come back
was Wheaton He had started to go through the
hole, and had the marks of stone and plaster on
his back. 1t was the dowel pin in the masonry
| that probably kept him from slipping through.
Had he had but Two minutes more time he could
have pulled that out, aud made good his escape"
The reporter further noticed that the stone
| was so cracked about the opening that 1t crum-
bled away. and 1t was no trouble to remove
pieces larger than mans fist with the fingers.
Tho cborjf olYa HOY ha M tn 10 Whaa.
ton and Oliver as the guilty persons. "By SET
| of circumstances too long to DETAIL" he answer
ed. "There l9 a third person with them whose
name l do not now desire to give, who is impli-
Gated with them, and who furnished the cart
ridge"
THE MANNER OF THE EXPLOSION.
While this conversation going deputy
entered with a string twelve or fourteen inches
in length the baekened remnant of the fuse
that had been used to fire the cartridge There
was 10 crack or hole in the wall in which to in.
sert the destroying dynamite and the supposi-
ton is that it was merely stuck to the wall with
wax. A clearer illustration of the terribly de.
struetlve force of this explosive could not posi-
BILE be given than was afforded last night at the
county jail. Had it been placed in crevice OF
hole where there could have been contact and
concentration of its power it would have torn
out the entire southwest corner of the building
OF course when the explosion TOOK place none
of the prisoners were in the sontn corridor. hav
ing all gone to the north range, between which
and the point where the cartridge
was attached two heavy walls and seventy
five or eighty feet of distance in
tervened. But looking at the great pieces OF
limestone torn from the wall ana the pieces OF
iron plate torn like paper into shreds, 1t seems
after ALL little short of miraculous that none OF
the prisoners were injured. 1t Is strange that
none of them escaped. Had Sheriff Hess and
his ready revolver arrived two minutes later
there would not have been the full complement
of prisoners in the county prison this morning.
AL Taffe, turnkey at the statiOn-house, square
, | and a half away, heard the explosion and wa;
the first man to arrive. He took his place al the
door, while Joseph Fisher and Two or three
others reinforced the sheriff, enabling him tC
hold the fort. The hole in the wall was guarded
through the night by relays of policemen.