Telegram-herald., 1886-09-01
.LOAGED FOR LIBERTY
An Attempt 70 Break Out OF
the County jail Frustrated.
EFFORTS Of A DESPERATE GANG Fl.Ln
The Tools Secured Extra Prscs--
cautions u.u be Taken . 20 -a.s-
Ysrs Suspected of B4ing Ac-
Ccmpi C-s

-e.ilm las fl- Aenf eoaaty aA con
tanned a lou1her lal criminals laau 81
Gle present rm- Foremost amans them
&. Charles Cookfa th- Hsrt posteace oaf-
gal. Coata IS wanted .n uun.oer oi
places u tl- Ia.tet slates aai Canada for
desperate crimes He ea- sentenced to q
I.uz term .f .a.-Isoumenr ID Ioronlo for
murder % tls second degree tlt escaped by
killing guard lie 3as also shot 10 che
~ while stepping into a back outside t-l
in nlak llga au elfretaal escape HIS record
IS 4s 1al a. ans man in the United
States and as SEQ n1 prison has
been strong rnouel o. hold hlm Beside
hIm john Boyd tae murderer M ". Is
Johnson of E1ckf8ri. b. III. Webster a
yolug crook Nho has posed az the erring
,0u uf M Wisconsin, launer.lan. ln JAM
awaiting l0ai loF forgery Naciean horse
tllei and h3mmar burglar anl exon
FlcE have been laler -leriI kinney
charge for some time past some i've weezs
ag1 SHERIFF Kinney realized The iacf that
scheme lo release C0uklng aud rae
men mentioned above Nas on foot
aut be- failed a. Iret to llt olt
lls workings C0ukhn had friends on lhe
outside and kinney soon found oat that
ta-y we're to enter tLe jali hold up the
nieht watch secure the KEYS and release
I tle prisoners. This was evidently the
scheme Tor less than month ago Kinney
xas awakened from sleep by hack driv-
.ug up and stopping alongside tle all. lie
an once JUMPED out Of bed, hghled The gas
7 and seiLiug his revolver. proceeded to Tee
c0unotre. The bright light scared the four
I inmates Of the back and was driven away.
Ou sunday niglt week, sheriff kinney
I arose about 1 o clock and entering the lower
E corrlfi0r quietly. heard the sound ot some
I instrument working The men also heard
\ him aud were prepared i1r search the
I next dav A thorough search failed 20 dis
] cover any tools, which the prisoners had
/ evidently planted All the men mentioned
! above were confined On the second door IN
I the front corridor. For Two weeks past
] Constable B0os has patrol Ell the corridors all
/ night Ear.y Yesterday morning ne heard the
/ sound OF an instrument az work he
/ aroused Sheriff Kinney. and both hearing
the noise. a thorough search was deter
I mined Ou ~ s0on as aylight appeared -
I soon as COnklin saw that the officers were
/ about % commence searching he said 10 the
/ Sheriff well everything Is fair m war.
/ Here are the tools we give it uD. Al the
( same time be handed Out from his cell an
old razor aud several pieces of broken IRON.
I The south end cell occupied Dy Hum
f.
der The iron truck bed the stone iiO1r had
been cut about ls inches square. The cut
on two sides of the 81 lAre was at last nve
inches deep and penetrated % the bottom
of the slab door The other TWO sides
varied from one % three inches I'M depth.
An OLD pair Of shears suarPeued az the
/ point ike a chi-el and found in H0mmer
cell bad been used Go cut the stone. IL
was evident that they intended cutting
through the floor inl0 the eighteen inch
ventllat0r below. and thence antic pated
/ crawling % the outside wall. where. Oy
/ knocking out te~ bricks the}
hoped t0 be- free Work on the slab
Vas commenced SD one oi the prisoners said
last Saturday week. During he day they
I took DO i'm turns to work, The others play ing
/ a banjo and singing iO drown the noise
A. night Hummer worked alone, while ms
companions made noises % avoid tne sound
lf tue cutting being heard. some years ago
some prisoners escaped Ia similar man
/ uer. and At that time two iron partitions
( were run iengrhwise throughout the entire
[ ventilat1r. tc prevent repetition, 50 had
the present gang succeeded I'D reaching the
ventiiator, their progress would have been
etfectlaly stopped by the iron partitions.
Yesterday afternoon. NOT sttl-ued Win
his first and Sheriff Kinney researched the
cells In Conkin he found two nne steel,
dismoud-t1ofhed saws They we're SD une
/ thar they look Ike two ordinary pieces ot
I steel bat the teeth would g through an
iron bar a. easily as an ordinary saw would
penetrate a piece of pine wood In the
hands of such an adept as COnkhn
escape from his cell would
have been quite easy Copies
OF The Chrlaign af Work and
the PNre R.card were found 70
Hummer cell and had been used as pro-
lection Tor the hand while using the broken
shears. lt was evidently Conkin'- object
Ia handing Sheriff Kinney the old razor and
pieces of iron 90 disarm further suspicion
and trusting that search would be- discon-
tinued. 80 that he might retain The saws ior
( future use 80 one has been allowed iu tle
iaiI except attorneys for some tlme past
and sheriff Kinney is convinced that tle
two shvs-er lawyer who have been VISIT
ing C0nxba and Webster are the men whc
have conveyed the tools inside The jail
raey will NOT be allowed to enter the jail
again The same precautions viii oe con
tinued bg the iai. officials until the desper
ate gang nov under their charge has beer
disposed o.