Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-19
CoNvI0TS ESCAPE
From the Penitentiary at Frank
fort. A Bloody Fight and Great
Excitement!
louisville Commercial.

Excitement!
Louisville Commercial.
"FRANKFoRT. Aug. 14.-Thc quie-
tude of the Capital was broken in a
most startling manner this morning
about O'Clock by several convicts
making a most desperate break for
liberty. There was only one guard,
Mr.. Johnson, at the gate and a"trns-
V," James Cunningham, life pris-
oncr from Hickman county. John
II. Wolfe, son of the old Circuit Clerk
of Scott, who was recently put in for
ten years for forgery, approached the
gate with a box which he told the
guard he wanted expressed TO his
family, at Georgetown. johnson, the
guard, suspecting nothing, opened
the gate wide enough to receive the
box, when Wolf struck him power
full blow on the head with bottle,
knocking him down. George Alsop,
the life prisoner from Jefferson county
for the murder of Constable lIar-
rison, then rushed to the gate with
three con4ederates, the Graves broth
ers, Cash and Bob, in for eighteen
years from Madison county for MUIR
der, and VIM. Grant, Il twcnty-onc
years prisoner from Anderson coun-
ty. One of the Graves brothers then
leaped upon the postrate johnson
with uplittcd knife, when the "trusty"
Cunningham seized him. Alsop
thereupon stabbed Cunningham back
of the left shoulder and showed him
through the gate into the prison.
THE CoNvICTs CAPTURE TIE GUNS.
The convicts now made a rush for
the gun stack, where they provided
themselves with muskets and pistols.
At this .iuncture Mr.. lIoge, one OF
the lcssecs, opened the door of the
office, which opens into the exit or
hallway where the convicts were
operating, when he was fired upon
twice; one ball only missed him a
couple of inches. lie closed the door,
but looking out of the window little
later, he barely escaped slash from
Il knife. One of the convicts fired in
to the Office upon Capt. Holloway, the
chief clerk, who leapcd through an
open window and ran up the street
followed by other shots.
Alsop, with two guns and Il pisto
threw open the prisongate and call
ed upon the convicts. all Of whom
were loose in the yard, to join him,
but three guards were between them
and the open gate, and they stood
huddled together in sullen silence.
SOME LIVELY FIGHTING.
One of the guards upon the inside
stepped up and shot AIsop i'll the arm
through the grating of the Office win
dow. Meanwhile young "Bud' South,
nephew of the Warden, who lives
some forty yards from the prison en-
trance, heard the firing and came out
of his residence upon the street with
his carbine. Wolfe who had been fir
ing in the street in front of the prison
gate, pulled on young South and a
duel ensued. South took position
behind a shade tree in front of his
door, and Wolfe would fire and screen
himself behind the projections of the
portal walls. Presently Wolfe pre-
: scented a full view, and South sent a
/. "45" ball crushing through his leg
:. breaking the bone near the hip join
y and tearing portion of the femul
y out. Wolfe fell helpless in the ell
: trance way.
II MAKING FOR TIE WOODS.
$ Grant, the Anderson county con
&c Wet, broke for "Fort lIill' in the ear
II ly part of the action and mad
good his escape. Alsop ant
Teophilus Graves ran up the Ow
II enton road until they met farme
y in buggy, whom they compelled t.
t. get out. They then turned the horse
II head toward sweet Owen and plie'
IS whip. Another farmer met then
ID two miles out. Alsop was sittin
y upright with cooked pistol in eithe
4. hand and the blood streaming owe
Id his shirt sleeve. Graves was drivin
IN with shotgun across his knees. A
r the toll gate the fugitives leaped fror
the buggy and took to the woode
hills.
When johnson, the gate guard, re
= covered consciousness, he arose t
" find C. M. Graves coming down tn
>, stairway of one of the offices, pisto
y in hand and firing. Johnson re
~ turned the fire and drove him abov,
IN where he was afterwars captured
% In the melee Owen Robinson, one Q
i the guards was shot in the leg abov
the knee; the ball shattered the bon
and lodged in the fleshy part of til
y limb"
. Young Wolfe, the wounded col
~ =. Wet it is thought will die. lie tall
: freely and seems to keep nothin
vi back. lie says there were eight
10 the conspiracy but three backed OIL
" at the critical moment. Robinson I'll
guard, was also wounded, his leg b.
ing shattered above the knee. I'll
FL "uusty," Cunningham who was eli
'h is not seriously wounded. This ma
IL and convict from Louisville name
eli Kean who saved Robinson's life and
w "truStvv named BRADLEY who roe