Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-11-25
PRISONERS ESCAPE.
TWO INMATES OF TIE CITY JAIL DIE
APPEAR gYsTEnIousLY.
Riley. the Alleged Diamond Thief and
Monts, the Cigar Lever, ssesrs
Their Liberty.


acre since the LIST Of July was effected be-
tween the houfs Of II p. NJ. Friday night
and 1 A. III. Saturday merpine, when two
of the inmates Of the city prison diyes'ed
themselves Of the sbaeklcs Of bondage aud
90, out Of Jail IN way somewhat mystic
rieus and once more breatbed the cir OF
liberty.
One OF the men was Henry Morton alias
Riley, who was arrested on Thursday The
25th Of October on the charge OF stealing
two diamond rlncs. a diamond stud. aud
oiamond-p!n. aN OF the value OF S19j, the
property OF J. +. Koher. = BFoad,stteet
is0eief. lie was sent 10 jail by Justice
IrutcbGsid 20 await the action 81 tue
erana Jury. aud az the November term OF the
Husslngs Court was indicted, 30 that when
he hade aditu 10 bis b0srdiaR-house nc was
awaiting trial. The other jsil-bTeaker Is
George Ments, who was convicted on tbe
1874 Of November Of breaking and entering
the resiAuran. OF Kain & Doyle at the Expo
sltion-G0 POUNDS and stealing lot OF cigars
wines. and liqiiors thercirom. lie had eleven
months and nineteen days OF bis years
term yet 10 serve.
VISIT TO THE JAIL.
inst how the escape was made Is matter
about which very little ia known. DIS
f~teb reporter called at the jail YESTERDAY
morning and spent some time there VITA
Pohcs.Juytice Crutchheld twho went down
"a INQUIRE into the natter and others. All
OF the officers were wilkng 10 tell all that
they knew about The affair, but this was not
very much. Dir. kerse, the iailer, who has
fllsd that position under beta this ane Tor
rner admin istrstions, generally locks Tue pTi-
sOners in their cells In the a!terooen' bus
Friday about hail-past O'Clock. when ne
had locked up tee colored prison.
ers he got Depuiy-sergeant ReseDdon
10 lock IN the whiies, ts he (Kerse) bad to
prcpare sene medicine fer sick prisoner.
Mr.. ROsonaOri says be locked sll 81 TIE Ocsu-
MED cells, With one nan in each except enc.
After seascbinc closeg for the Taissing man,
and being usable 10 find hrm other In the
ward. In the cells. or the closets. he rcportes
the fact 10 Jaher Kerse. wAo sold that one
man ,thc SICK one) was uBstoirs. Pills ended
the matter. and the oEicers, feelsng that
everybody was in place. gave Themselves
no further worry. The guards on duty
were william Hall and Mic Burns, ane
Deputy ScM;eont William Burgess was In
bis room. where he sleeps
NOISE 0v TIE Es0P.
Absut half.past n O'Clock one OF the pri-
foners who sleeps IN the room In the new
addition 10 the iail ncarsst The Sergeants
Office heard 2 HCiss on The tn roof over hin.
At fr.t ne thought 1t was The tin being rat
tied by the wind, but after iisteainE for
moment be- distinctly head the tread OF
mans ie0t. NIthOst waiting TO dress he
ran out. walked Nh. BHrvss. snd called 10
Waichtsan Nall and told them that prl-
toner was trytng 10 scale The Jail-aliey wall.
The alarm was given ard immediate search
wss mhdc, bu' Il was toe late, for one OF the
prisoners had made good bis escape.
When The proclamation was going the
rounds that prisoner bad broken
out Kliry'g wife, who occupies the Dispense
~ room, the fret one on tho right entering
the upper ter and Just across the opening
from thc SsrCcsuts Office P96eo Der BEAD
out ~ tbe window and asked who u was
that Ind escs8ed. This aroused the officers
suspicious, and Eiley's cell was searched,
when to the utter amszemcnt OF all II was
found that Robert Hamilton, who had been
arrested as q suspicious character and com.
Initted tD jail IN default Of security. was the
occupant, aud that Riley was not locked up
at ALL
TIE skC0SD.
Quiet bad moi been long restored when, ri
1850 8. NJ. the second alarm was given.
This tme Mary Jane Washington and other
colorcd female prisoner, declared that they
heard some one waking on the roof OF The
main hun hng and saw him through the sky
LIGHT. Officers al once assembled toe walls,
hut failed 10 detect any one on tnc housetOp.
Thinking he bad descended through an open
INC 10 the female ward aud secreicd hiDsclf
there. tbe officers maze search IN that quar-
ter. and ihls Wss also lrulties-. An examina-
tion Of thc jail however, disclosed the TACT
that another escape had been made and that
MOnta was the man.
HOW TWAS DONE.
Onthe top Of the jail we' found cord or
rope made ~ strips Of blanseiiBg witch bad
been 80 we'll twisted rs 10 make il vepy
strong. Tied to one end Of this WAS a piece
Of iuch hoard about two feet long, The
suppOsi,iOn IL that by tirowing the plank
upon the roof and letting 1t catch under the
projecting hricks. where It was made perfect
is safe and fast. they climbed ND the rope,
which they pulled up after them 10 avoid de
lection or rescue from the buildings ton.
Just how tAe descent was made l. net known.
but the belief is that FROM the main
building the prisoners descended hy
the AID Of q gutter and across 10 the ward,
from wlHoh they made easy descent 10 Jail
alley by the nee Of rope or wire. The lst-
ter. " Il thought, was used, and some col
ored women hyipg In the alley are repor4o
NJ saving that they saw two men on the
ground helplag the escaping pri 7aRers and
that when one % them reached the ground
one Of bis friends said 90 him: awe have
gotten you ais tar. new take caro- Of y0ur.
self" whsch n1jDaction, 10 all appearances,
was strictly beeaod. Police officers Werc At
once seui ia pursuit Of the ex-prisSners, but
thew have not yet been captured nor Is Il at
oil probable that they Will be anywhere in
tbs region.
WANTED TO PLAY CAME.
when asloed Yesterday morning what he
was dol Ing In RIiey'E cell Hamllt0R replied
"Rtley sskpd me to exchange with him last
night. saving tbsi he wsNieJ 10 have gaWo
with satae frlcnds" Riivy's cell, in which
Hamilton sp>St gbe Rlght. Is the first ron
hue1 one, and IL tbe mast secure VI al m the
San. Hnnite0R now rests in tne dungeon.
An examination made yesterday showed
that an eyDrt was iPst made to cut through
the east wall hole large enough for
man 10 crawl throuEs Was cut the depth OF
one brick and Of this stage the WORK was de-
serted.
THE Cause.-The WIFE.
Tue circumstances connected with the ar
rest OF both Riley aud bis wife, who, when
taken ut the Chesapeake and Ohio depot,
gave the name Of Martin or Mertan, are still
fresh in the Rsiads Of the readers Of the
Dispatch, Snd the general impression il that
the accused was very unwise 10 break jail.
IA has trial was sci for DeceIRser 9Th, and
there IL oniy cueuTSstanttai evidence against
him. AND tsst is net coEsidered strong. Had
he remained IN isil about ten days leager he
and his wife might have bern liberated, but
now II he IL cS0ght he will certainly be sent
down for iaiLkreaklsF, aud his scttsn will
strengthen the other case against htm.
ON Fricay a ppnSber Of streetfakirs and
one or moro detectives we're II the prison 10
see 81 they cotAa idsrtiiy Riley as 3 person
wanted in the North. This, IL Is thought,
Wss WIS. iud0cei him TO escape.
His VIDE roAagrss IN prison and will appear
at the Hastings Court wben the case comes
up for sEgal. She says she has no fear OF the
rssuh ~ her eoensel siands by her. She was
very tsgkative yesterday and seme OF The Ian
gusge that she used better becomes
the place where she BOW rests than the sta
uou in lie wtgaeA she woula have been
Thought Gt 10 grace whea arrested. Dressed