Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-02-11
THE JAlLER.s WIFE.
How She Prevented the Escape OF . Lot
Of Ilascaiiy Prisoners.

OF Rascaiiy Prls0ners'
It was tho ICON" mans turn to tell Q
story. and ho cleared his throat and be-
gan:
~ had got tired Of footing It over tho
highways Of Indiana, and one day bor-
rowed horse 70 make travelling castor.
For some reason never could under
stand. tlicy called 1t stealing. and was
arrested. bound over and sent TO the
county Jail.
"Thc place was full OF hard cases,
and hadn't been In there three days
when we formed plot to break out.
Every county Jail has It's weak spot.
This one was strong in doors and bars
and walls, but weak at the bottom. II
would bc no job ut all to go through
the floor and tunnel out.
"Thcrc wcrc six cells in the one cor.
ridor and sixteen Of us In the crib. Ten
OF us had. therefore, to sleep on cots
outside Of the cells. We took the cell
furthcst from the door to begin opera
tions in. There was no watch kept on
US at night, and before morning we
had fine tunnel started.
"Thcrc was q jailer. stupid boy OF
sixteen as turnkey, and the jailers
wife. Everything was passed in to us
through q wicket. and there was no
cause for the jaler TO come among us.
1t was q terribly strong place. just tho
same. and tho only weak spot. rs l
have said. was the chance for tunnel.
A chap named Dodging Bill, who was
in for burglary. bosscd the job. lie
pretended to know just which way to
head the tunnel, and just how far to
dig to come ont in the alley behind the
Jail. and of course none OF US inter.
fered.
"At tho end OF three days we were
all ready to 60 out. Tho idea was, OF
course, to 90 at night, but one OF tho
prisoners was taken very III, and we
put of the escape for another twenty
four hours. About mid.afternoon OF
tho next day there was an alarm OF
lire in the town, and we saw the jailcr
and his assistant hurry away from the
Jail. AZ this left the wife alone, and rs
everybody would be at the scene OF the
fire. wo concluded to 90 out then.
"Dolging Bill had dug as near the
surface az he dared. He now passed
on ahead to break on. tho way. and we
followed close upon his heel'-thst Is.
three or four Of US. The tunnel was
short and would not hold over three or
four. Tho others stood ready to creep
in rs we crcpt out. was next to Bill,
and rs hc broke the crust and daylight
s,rcamed in. heard scream from n
woman. Next moment there was q
dash OF water into the tunnel, followed
by another and another, and enough
camo ia 10 drown US. We had to
skin back. and Bill was half dead
when we seized his heels and drew him
out.
"what had happencdi Well. the
tunnel was too 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 jail
er's wife. who was washing.
As the ground gavc away she.
saw hand and arm, and, bcinsa quick.
wii,cd woman, she tumblcd to the tun.
mel plot. Thcrc were three tubs on her
bench, ani she poured the contents OF
each one into the hole. and then ran In
AMI brought out boiler OF hot water
aud swishcd that in for good luck. That
didn't satisfy her that she had driven us
back, and she puts a wooden conductor
under the pump. leads the other end to
the hole, and she didn't let up pump.
Ing for straight hour. Such was the
grade of tho tunnel that We were ankle
keep In water in the corridor before she
ceased operations. 1t was fine display
Of woman's ready wit, and although VIC
wero half starved, and shackled to tho
cell doors for tho next fortnight, mono
Of us hold any Srudgo against the Jail.
er's wife. ~ Y Sun.