Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-17
A SECRET DISCLOSED.
Mysterious Escape of Five Massachusetts,
C0nYicts EXPLAINED.

BosToN, Mass, Oct 16-The secret of
the mysterious escape of FIVE convicts from
the Massachusetts states prison, ten years
ago. has just been disclosed by the confess
sion of John Harvey, we'll known crook
Harvey is the principal witness against
David l.. Stain, who is now in
Maine Jail for the murder of
Cashier Barron, of the Dexter bank. The
prisoners escaped on the night of Novem-
Der z, 1873. Their names were Jordan,
Cole. Williams, Proctor and Billiard.
They We're securely locked in their cells
when the keepers made their last round
The strangest thing of all was that their
cells We're all locked behind them,
and no one has ever been able to
solve the mystery from that day
to this. Jordan, the first-named
prisoner, was on the last year of four
years sentence, and only Joined the others
in order to help them make their escape.
Cole was serving a twelve years stretch,
Williams three, Proctor eight and Billiard
twenty years sentence. There is no
doubt that to the latter was due
the keen shrewdness by which
the escape was affected. Proctor
like many another, after finding
himself behind the bars experienced re-
hgion. He got Billiard into the scheme
and the latter made the keys which re-
leased them. Cole, Jordan and Wlthorms
were taken into confidence. They wanted
Harvey TO join them but he refused The
plan for escape is described by Harvey as
follows: Proctor was to come at night and
unlock the solitary cells in which they were
confined, and also the outer door of the
prison, and the five men were to leave
together. Everything worked nicely. My
division fell in and Jordan and Cole came
along. When within a few feet of Officer
Ramsdell, Jordan turned upon Cole with
an oath and struck him. They clinched
and tussled a few minutes and went down.
Then the big officer grabbed Jordan and
got hold of Cole. and in about two min
uies they were locked up in solitary
cell Williams and Billiard worked
side by side, but the officer in charge of
them was a different sort of man from
Ramsdell. When the two men got to
fighting he would let them fight until
they got tired of it. Jordan and Cole were
in solitary, and Billiard and Williams had
to get there also, SO Williams jumped
from his bench and grabbed Billiard by
the throat. They pushed each other in
among the shoe boxes and upset a sewing
machine, but did not strike each
other. Officer Smith interfered, and
Billiard and Williams were locked up in
solitary besides Cole and Jordon. Then
everything was ready for night, and Proc
tor was busy watching the officers upon
guard. 1 will never forget the look upon
his face as he saw the officers disappear to
the other side of the wing. He then
went to the outer door, unlocked
and opened it. When satisfied that it
was all all right he went to the window
of the outer room, inclosing the solitary
cells. This was open. Through it he went
and unlocked the cells of the four men,
Cole, Jordon, Williams and Billiard He
then came out, before the officers got back
from the other side of the wing, and when
the officer was out Of sight once
more he beckoned to the men to
to come though the window, which |
they did, and he then opened the door
and out they went, Jordan waving his
hand to me in farewell. Proctor was the
last man to leave, and he coolly closed the
door after him, noselessly locking it on
the outside. When they reached the yard
they went to the entrance at the
railway, got a ladder and scaled
the wall. They finally came to
the farm house where Billiard had
provided for their reception. 1t
was a little oyer two miles from the prison
At the farm house they were provided with
clothes After partaking of good meal
they were driven good distance away,
and then boarding train they were in due
time landed in Canada.