Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-07-22

oae Of the Nest Remarkable Jail e
eapes sn Reesra-The FsGitives Re
captured.
A letter from Westchestef. Pa, SAYS
The escape of John Frankford, bestel
known as "Frankford joe" with Clar
ence A. Dunn and J. Lewis Robinson
three desperate horse thieves. was /,
most remarkable exploit in its way
Frankford is AZ years old, and ha,
served several terms in prison. DurinS
the past few years he has gained a wide
reputation as successful jail breaker
Twice in succession he has cut his way
out Of ironclad cells in the Lancaster
Jail, and in one of these escapes one OF
his eyes was shot ont.
| A short time ago he was arrested in
Chester county for horse stealing, and
was taken to prison. Lancaster county
wanted him, but the Chester county Of
ieials promised the State authorities
that they would hold on to frankfort
Joe and produce him for trial. Frank
ford vas accordingly placed in the iron
apartment of the West Chester jail. the
strong cell which Udderzook occupied
before he was hanged. The cell ia con-
pletely lined with boiler plate iron, half
an inch thick. "If you get ont of here,
Frankford," said an officer, "you can
get ont of any iron cell in the world"
Frankford smiled and said he wouldn't
be in hurry. 1t did not take Frank
ford long to discover that in the adjoin-
Ing cell. which was also completely lined
with plate iron, was another horse thief,
j. Lewis Robson by mama, of Honey
Brook township, sentenced to three
years. Frankfort at once planned for
his escape, and Robson agreed to join
him, but the job appeared to be hope
less one. Frankford procured two old
knives and fitted them rudely into large
handles wrapped in rags. He trans
formed these knives into saws. On one
iron plate we're nine heavy bolts that
fastened the plates in Frankford's cell
and then extended through a twenty
inch stone wall and fastened plate in
RobisOn's cell. These bolts were fas-
tened by heavy hammered heads, and
were almost flush with the plates. The
plates were whitewashed. Frankford
with his rude tools, sawed the bolt
heads, and Robson pulled the bolts out
from his cell. The work was slow, and
frankfort made wooden imitation bolt
heads, whitened them and deceived the
jailor.
When the iron plates were removed
In both cells the twenty-inch wall was
tunneled, and frankfort was able to
get into Robison's cell. During the
day they could put up the plates So
snugly as to deceive the most expe-
rienced eye. The stones, of course,
were also nicely put in, and the mortar
and sand concealed in their mattresses. /
The two prisoners at night worked their
way through the iron ceiling of Robi- |
sons cell up into the upper-tier cell oc- |
cupied by Clarence A. Dunn, another
horse thief under sentence. This diff |
ficult task was safely performed, where. |
upon the three cut their way into the |
attic, thence through the roof, then |
lowered themselves to the ground by /
ropes and escaped. To reach |
the roof they had to saw through a six
inch j0ist twice. All this work had to |
be performed in silence and in the dead |
Of night with two old knives and the
iron bolts they pulled out of the wall,
by which the plates were fastened. Be-
Tore going the desperate men with false
keys unlocked side door at the Jail
and liberated thirteen prisoners, in Jail
for petty crimes.
The night Waterman at the Jail saws
he visited the cells occupied by Frank
ford and Robson thirteen times be-
tween $50 O'Clock pm. and 4:3O O'Clock,
he hours between which they escaped.
4 reward of $500 aroused the neiehbor-
hood, and the fugitives were chased in
The barrens of Wilson township, where
Robson struck out for himself. Frank
ford and Dunn remained together.
Late at night they were run down,
,hased into creek and captured by
,itizens at the point of the pistol. They
are now back again in Jail. Frankfort
lakes his recapture very coOlly, and says
that he showed what he could do. He
IS, however, terribly down cast at times
10 think that after all his labor he was
30 quickly recaptured. He was serving
a nineteen year sentence in Lancaster |
when be escaped there. While he was
crawling from a chimuey-top, after he |
had worked himself out Of his iron cell, |
the guard shot him in the eye, but he |
nevertheless. At another time |
he led band of seven notorious men, |
and escaped. H, will soon be tried for |
horse stealing.