Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1885-03-05
JAIL JUMPERS.
Five Prisoners Confined in the Lewis
and Clarke County Jail Nuke Il
Successful Dush for the Free
and Wholesome Mountain
Air by Ovcrpowering
Their Guard.

Uuu w IVlCSV.Ic MOUutUlu
Air by OvcrpOwering
Their Guard.
All Helena was startled and clagrined
by the escape of fve criminals from the
Lewis and Clarke county jail on the night
of the 25th ult., about s o'clock. For the
particulars of the escape VIC are indebted
to the columns Of both the Herald and
the Independent, both Of which seem to
think the escape was due TO criminal care.
lessncss on the part Of those in charge of
the prison. To fully explain the nodus
opcrandi Of those who escaped II will be
necessary to describe the interior Of the
Jail, which on entering the front door Is n
hall that opens into two rooms that occu.
pied by the cook on the right and the
Office on the left. Each of these rooms
communicates with the jail proper by
iron doors, which, when locked, are rs sc.
care against ingrcss and cgress rs they
could possibly be. Passing through these
doors one sees II large iron cage, with
heavy door in the end, and small aisle
Of about four feet between II and the
walls on three Sides the end being close
up against the east wall Of the room In.
side Of this cage arc the cells for the pris.
oners, with mn aisle probably three feet in
width between them and the sides of the
cage. These cells are eight In number,
four on each side and joining back to
back. The cells are opened during the
day and the prisoners allowed the free.
dom of the cage, which imprisons them
a. securely us the cells themselves. AT
night the prisoners are all locked, or sup.
posed to bc locked in tho cells, and the
cage enclosing the latter is also barred,
boltcd and locked, thus securing the in
mates OF n Jail within n Jail With such
an arrangement II is
IMPOSSIBLE roR PRISONERS TO ESCAPE,
except through the connivancc or negli.
gcncc of the Jail officials. We neglected
to mention that ut the further end Of the
aisle and ut the end of the row Of cells
tcrs II, Is the wasl,.room, II small apart.
mcnt of about 5xG feet in dimensions,
smaller than the cells, but like them In
every other respect save that 1t has no
door. About 8 o'clock, so the turnkey
statcs-.whose story is corroboratcd by the
cook and one Of the prisoners who Was at
large in the Jail building at the time he
started as usual to lock up the prisoners
in their cells. Here his first piece of
negligence shows itself The prisoner
before spoken of had gone up stairs to
his cell and expected the turnkey up to
lock him in after he had finished his job
on the lower floor, there were two floors
OF cells, the upper being exactly on the
same plan as the lower one. Che cook, rs
has been said, was in his room asleep. On
leaving his office to lock up the prisoners
the turnkey unlocked the double door that
led into the Jail and
LEFT THEM UNLOCKED BEHIND HIN,
in place OF locking them MS should have
been done. However, on entering the
cage he locked the cage door after him.
lie then turned the lock which fasto MS all
the cells at once, proceeded do"n the
right side of the cage and locked all tho
cells on that side. Ut WIS In the cells on
tho other side that the prisoners who
! made their escape were c0niincd) lie
then returned to the entrance to the cage
and began locking up the cells on the left
side, while the prisoners who escaped
were slowed away in tho wash room
where they had concealed themselves
during the day when they were allowed
the freedom of the cage. When he hat
arrived at the cell next to the washroon
, tho five prisoners sprang out upon him
three of them seized him by the throa
, and in u twinkling had him bound ant
, gagged with ropes and gags that they hat
, already prepared for the occasion. The,
then took his keys, opened the door o
the cage. and were going out when the.
, met the prisoner before mentioned rs be
. ing at large in the Jail, who had beef
, startled by the noise of the scutilc Will
the turnkey and had come down to SCI
. what was up. One of them prompt.
. knocked him down, bound and gaggc'
: him as they had served the turnkey, AM
! left him, telling him that they did no
2 want to hurt him, but for him not t.
!. 'squawk" on them. They then proceeded
Q through the Office into the room of til
. cook, who was still asleep, dragged hin
+ ont OF bed into the lookup and serve
= him in the same manner as they had til
two others. TAe man being thus rudel
awakened was rather confused at tlrs
being, rs he expressed it, "all ashlumber,
' and did not know what had happened
y Having thus disposed of every one i
y their way they were
= MASTERS OF THE SITUATION,
and lost no time in going out of the fror
door of the Jail and gaining their freedom
v After lying bound AMI gagged for abou
firtcon minutes, according to their ow
" statement, the turnkey and associate
y were libcratc by Il female prisoner, VIII
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