The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-01-31
Talks AhOut IaiIS.

The recent escape from the fine new
Jail has turned all attention to the SUBJ
ject of jails in this county, and caused
many old citizens to seriously question
whether the fine new Jail is really an i'm
provement upon the old log jail which
stood upon, or near, the site of the pres
ent "old jail" Many are the anecdotes
told of Jail history in this place, but
through them all stands forth the fact
that there was no breaking of the old jail
made of cross-barred logs, and many per-
sons have within the past few days laugh
ingly compared the old log stronghold to
the new structure, which, as a citizen re-
marked a few days ago, BILL Jones
knocked the gilt edge completely off Of
Among those who have had the most
thrilling experiences in jail matters in
this county, Mr.. johnson Wade, ex-Sher-
| iff, perhaps stands at the head.
| A few days ago we heard this gentle
man telling of little incident which
rshows how the slightest carelessness may
possibly lead to serious results. Just as
he took charge of the jail, he saw, one
day, an old knife, nicked or filed into a
saw on one edge, while the other was a
sharp edge. He noticed this sticking un-
der a window-sill of the old brick Jail, on
the corner. He was on his way to the
stable, and thought he would take charge
of the knife on his return. But he forgot
it for a few days, and when he came to
look for it, it was gone. He then went
into the Jail, and found it in possession
of one of the prisoners. Some one had
taken it from the window-sill and slipped
it to the prisoner. Thus the putting off
of small matter might have resulted in
a Jail delivery.
We believe the ex-Sheriff still bears the
marks of his desperate scutfie with Smith,
the colored man who was sent to the pen
itentiary for carving" the old man Smith
with a corn-cutter. The Sheriff went
into the prison-room on some business,
when the prisoner attempted to break
out. Wade seized him around the body,
and in the scuffle they got down onto the
floor. The big colored man began crawl
ing toward the door, Wade hanging to
him like grim fate. Suddenly the colored
mans clothing gave way, and Wade lit
orally pulled the breeches off of him."
In the struggle the colored man was final
ly enabled to grasp the door-frame, just
getting his fingers hooked over it, when
a member of the Sheriff's family whack-
ed his fingers with the staple of the lock,
or some other loose piece Of metal. The
colored man gave up, but upon being re-
leased showed a disposition to try it over
again. But this time the Sheriff "read
the law to him." in vigorous terms.
While the officer was on the way to the
penitentiary with the colored man after
ward, some one suggested to the colored
man-merely in sport-the possibility of
escape. mo, sah," replied he, "Ise had
one tussle wild de Sheriff, an 1 don't want
ter try it aginp'
Most of our citizens will remember the
manner of the escape of the notorious
Boyd Thompson. Having gotten out of
his cell he secreted himself within the
outside door, and awaited the coming of
the Sheriff or his aid, in the early morn
ing. A brother of Sheriff Wade went in,
early in the morning, and when he opened
the door, Thompson struck him a stun
ming blow, and ran. Thompson was per-
haps the hardest case ever confined in Jail
here. He was captured by Sheriff Wade
once near Monroe Furnace, after a bold
resistance, in which he shot at the Sher-
ifs officers frequently. After breaking
jail here while John L. Jones was Prose
cutting Attorney, he was captured by Mr.
Jones at church meeting, we believe in
Jefferson Township. We heard a man
remark, one day last week, that Boyd
Thompson told him that he Boyd had
been in fourteen jails, and he never got
into one he could not get out of. But the
Ohio Penitentiary was a little too stout
fo ~