River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-01-03
i" sALo-KNoesERs" SET FREE.


Two of the Condemned Missouri Bandits
Liberated from the Ozark jail by
Friends-O Dave and Bill Walker,
Whose Day of Execution Is Near, Re-
fuse to Follow Their Comrades to Lib
erty-Five Train-Robbers Also Rescued.
OZARK, No. Dec. 81 The long-talked-of
! Bald knobber rescue has come and John
/ aud Wiley Matthews are now at liberty
/ somewhere in the woods of Bull Creek.
/ perhaps. Dave and Bill Walker declined
/ the offer of temporary freedom. and were
/ found in their cells a few m nutes after the
escape OF the Matthewses and five Others.
/ every door between them and the outside
world being open. b Il Walker gave the
alarm while the cl. tier of the hoofs Of the
/ horses bearing away the escaping murder
+ ers could be heard in the streets Of Ozark,
and Sheriff johnson found the Knob
Der chief and his son standing in the open
doors of their cells; the two most prom
inent figures IN the history Of the Green
Edens murder, being the sole occupants
of the Jail. except Clabe Rucker, whom
the rescUers had left living in bed, gagged
and bound hand and foot
/ The delivery occurred about ? O'Clock
/ Saturday morning. The Jail was entered
+ from the south through the wall lust
above the stone foundation. A hole in the
! hrlekwork nearly large enough TO admit
I the body of man showed how the res
/ cuers had reached the cells Of the pris
/ oners
1 After the friends of the escaped pris-
I oners crawled through the hole made IN the
/ wall they had to unlock the corridor door
/ and lever. Rsising the lever withdrew the
sliding bar from the cell doors. When
i the corridor door was unlocked with
+ the sar4e key that is used for securing tho
/ lever, the padlocks on the cell doors were
+ all that remained between the prisoners
and liberty. how the resclers pro-
/ cured keys that would unlock the corridor
and cell doors is, of course the mystery
/ Sheriff johnson had all the Jail keys in mis-
family room in the front OF the Jail build
/ ing.
/ The prisoners locked in the cells were
/ the four Bald-Knobhers under the SEN
tence of death-Dave and Bill Walker.
John aud Wiley Matthew's, the four train
robbers, and Clabc Rucker, a young man
of Christian, charged with obtaining
money under false lretenses. The train
robbers were all young men and gave
their names as follows. W r. Hlberse-
ben, aged 81; Frank johnson, %; Will am
Bedford. p; Thomas Rooney, y, and Will
lam Yowson, %
Sheriff johnson and his family were
Z SAtGptuS III tut upper EOOWl- OF the l1ll
/ building in front of the cells William
Fisher, one Of the shoriffs guards, occu.
pied room Immediately over the prison
ers. At l. o'clock johnson heard a nose
a out the jail and called Fisher.
The sheriff and his guard both got
out Of bed, took their shot-guns
and walked round the south side of the
jail, where the entrance was made. Every
thing seemed gu ct, and after watching
few minutes the sher fl and assistant went
back to bed. The town still seemed TO be
in stir. but johnson thought the noise
was made by boys retuI ming from party.
The sheriff felt uneasy, aud did not go TO
sleep again.
About = O'Clock Fisher called johnson
and told i'm there was some one about the
Jail Johnson got out Of bed, cooked
both barrels of his shotgun, and went
downstairs a second time, now seri-
Ously apprehensive that a re scue at
tempt was being planned. He walked
again around the south side of
the Jail and saw a light shining through
the hole which the friends of the prisoners
had entered but thought it the reflection
of lamp in his cell. aud the sheriff sup
posed the light was shining through the
window. At tHis time the rescue party was
in the Jail, and had the officer known the
wall with his shotgun and bagged the en-
tire gang. After standing on the cold
ground barefooted FOR several minutes the
sheriff concluded that it was false alarm
and went again up stairs to his room. In
about fifteen minutes from this time john
son heard Bill Walker call, and on enter
ing the Jail found seven of his prisoners
G ne
The story of the delivery told by Dave
prisoners had all left the jail before they
were awakened Bill Walker says the
first intimation of the affair he had man
came to his cell door and punched him,
whispering: IF you want to 60 nOws
your chance -"
y ung Walker says he at first thought
it was a mob aud drew his knife in de-
Tense. Dave Walker WHO W in the same
cell had a razor and likewise made ready
to IT sist the apprehended violence. The
men whispered to the Walkers again: If
YOU want to go the Jail is now open" The
Walkers say they then refused to go out
and the men left. There were but three
men in the jail all armet with pistols.
Rucker says he was awake when the
three men entered the Jail They had no
light, and burnt only two matches while
inside. They unlocked the corridor with
out the slightest difficulty, and
called for wallace" in whisper.
Wallace is supp psed TO be the
real name OF one of the train rob
bers The five train robbers began to go
through this hole in the wall at once.
The hole proved to be too small for one Of
the men. and they worked several
minutes charging it. John and Wiley
Matthews responded readily TO the
invitation to leave the jail, and
passed quietly out of their cells with
out paying any attention to the two
Walkers, who seemed to be asleep. As
soon as the seven prisoners had left their
cells Rucker says one of the strangers
told him to go. On refusing to accept the
offer Of liberty one of the men thrust a
pistol in his face, telling the prisoner not
to move or speak under pain of death. The
other men tied and gagged Rucker.
The KnCbber chief and his son had a
merry twinkle in their keen eyes yester-
day morning as the excited citizens Of
Ozark gathered around the il, peepiug
through the hole in the wall at the two /
lonely prisoners
me and Bill have not done any thing
TO be hung for and we won't run away"
remarked Dave.
when leave this Jail il will be through
the hole | came in at" said Bill, with
the ld-time humorous smile on his face
Every body commends in the CHEST terms
the fidelity o. the two, and the common
expression here to day is: Dave and Blu
will never hang"