Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-07-14

A short time ago the Chronicle pub
lished an account Of the escape Of two
prisoners from the Fall River County
Jail, but not being at that time advised
could not give the method employed by
the prisoners in eilecting their escape,
| which is 0 submitted at length in the
following article from the Crawford
| Crescent Of the 2Sth ult:
Fall River county, Dakota, is to be
congratulated upon the excellence Of its
Jail and officials. About once a month
some prisoner escapes and there is al
ways a mystery rs to how they get out.
Since the escape OF Glover Bill" about
a year ago the sheriff has made il a
practice to put shackles on the prisoners
and chain them to the wall. This plan
worked well enough for awhile but "A
short time ago the Sheriff awOke to find
that Charles Pitts, who was awaiting
trial for burglary, and Charles Russell,
| who was held on the charge of shooting
! with intent - Kill, had left for parts I'M
known, leaving only their broken shack
les behind them. A posse of deputies
was SEN after the maynard chaps to try
and induce them to return to the fold.
but no trace could be found and they
gaveup the search. AS the fellow whom
young Russell had shot was keeper Of
the jail, no blame could be attached 10
the officials and the Crescent will be the
first to tell the inhabitants Of that coun-
ty the secret Of the escape and how it
could have been avoided. The prison
ers were ut first under the charge of f.
&. Willor, the deputy sheriff of Fall
River county, and We're treated as if
they were human beings and Russell
was often allowed to 60 around the town
unguarded, but showed no desire to get
away. Afterwards they were turned
over to the sheriff who Immediately put
them in 2x4 cells and commenced feed
ing them on bread and water. shortly
after their confinement, the authorities
saw that no one WIS likely to appear a.
gainst Russell unless some stringent
measures were taken, and they arrested
the complaining witness and committed
him to the Jail also. With him came a
host Of those little animals called "gray-
backs" and in a short time they became
SO numerous hat they amused them
selves bv chasing the prisoners about
their cell until they could 90 no longer
and they would drop down to spend the
remainder of the night in agony. A few
months of starvation and graybacks SO
reduced the boys that they were able to
crawl through the shackles that were
formerly intended for their wrists and
one night while the Jail keeper was
snoring in the adjoining cell, they slip
ped through a crack and went in search
of greener pastures. Charles Russell.
knowing that the fertility of the soil of
this section could not be equaled, came
here and related the story Of his escape
to a friend who in turn told it TO the
Crescent. Mr.. Russell also said that he
would not think of breaking out had he
been treated halfway decent. but wal
lowing in a hog pen went against his
grain. While here he procured some
clean clothes and a horse and started
ont in search of work. Before going he
said that if ths authorities would inform
him through the columns Of the Cres-
cent when his trial will take place, he
will be on hand prepared to prove that
he did the shooting in self-defense.