Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-01-14
THE econ" MANS STORY.
Jhe JaiIer's Wife PreventsI an Ex-
odus.
New York Sun.


''The place was full Of hard cases.
and I hadn't been In there three DAYS
when we formed a plot to break out.
Every county jail has its weak spot.
This one was strong in doors bars and
walls, but weak at the bottom. It
would be no job st all to go through
the floor and tunnel out.
There were six cells in one corridor
and sixteen of us in the crib. Ten of
us had, therefore, TO sleep on cots out
side of the cells. We took the cell
furthest from the door to begin opera
tons IN. There was no watch kept on
Us at night, and before morning we
had fine tunnel started.
''There was q jailer, stupid boy of
Is as turnkey, and the jailer's wife.
Everything was passed to us through
q wicket, and there was no call for the
j8iler to come among US. It was
terribly strong place, just the same,
and the only weak spot, as I have said,
was the charce for tunnel. A chap
named Dodging Bill, who was In for
burglary, bossed the job. He pretend
ed to know just which way to head
the tunnel, and just how far to dig to
come out in the alley behind the jail,
and of course none of us interfered.
cat the end Of three days we were
all ready to go out. The idea was of
course to go at night, but one of the
prisoners was taken very i'll, and we
put off the escape for another twenty
four hours. About mid-afternoon Of
the next day there was an alarm Of
fire in the town, and we saw the jaileP
and his assistant hurry away from the
jail. AS this left the wife alone, and
as every body would be at the scene of
the fire, we concluded to go oUt then.
"Dodging Bill had dug as near the
surface as lie dared. He now passed
on ahead to break out the way, and
we passed close upon his heeIs-thatis,
three or four Of us. The tunnel was
short and would not hold over three Or
four. The others stood ready to creep
in as we crept out. [ was next to Bill.
and as he broke the crust aud daylight
streamed in, heard a scream from
woman. Next moment there was a
dash Of water into the tunnel, follow
ed by another and another, and
enough came in to drown us. We
had to shin back, and Bill was half
dead when we seized him by his heels
and drew him out.
"What had happened9 Well, the
tunnel was to short by fifteen feet
Instead of coming up in the alley, Bill
broke ground in the back yard, and
right at the feet of the jailer's wife,
who was washing. AS the ground
gave way she saw hand and arm,
and, being quick witted woman, she
tumbled to the tunnel plot. There
were three tubs on her bench, and
she poured the contents of each one III
the hole, and then ran in and brought
out boiler of hot water and swished
that in for good luck. That didn't
satisfy her that she had driven us back
and she puts wooden conductor
under the pump, leads the other end
to the hole, and she didn't let up
pumping for a straight hour. Such
was the grade of the tunnel that we
were ankle deep in water in the cor
ridor before she ceased operations. 1t
was fine display of woman's ready
w.t. and although we were half starry
ed and shackled to the cell doors for
the next fortnight, none Of us held
any grudge against the jailer's wife.