The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-08-08
Where, Oh Where, Was Dep
uty Warden Sharp?
The County Jail Broken and the
Prison Birds, Ed. Blair, Cy.
rus Pauley and Charles
beaverton Escape.
A False Key and a Broom Handle
Reach the Lock, and the Trio
Walk Out to Find the Front
Door Unguarded.

broken last Thursday evening about 8
o'clock, when it was announced that the
county jail had been broken and that
Ed. Blair, who was awaiting sentence to
the penitentiary. had escaped. To add
to the feeling Of modification, disap.
pointment and uncertainty, the fact that
Chas. beaverton, one of the parties who
was bound over in the sum OF $500 to
the grand jury for the johnson robbery,
and Cyrus Pauley, who had only been
incarcerated few hours, charged with
burglary, had also escaped. All this
happened in the absence OF Sheriff Mack.
erley, and for all practical purposes az
far as any effort was made to capture the
escaped birds in the absence Of every.
body else. Even the trusted and we'll.
fed warden las Gov. Hart expressed it),
Cyrus Sharp, seems to have been COM
PEELED to have his whiskers trimmed just
at time when he might have been Of
use about the Jail. Deputy Sheriff Roush
was at one of the hotels. The women
and prisoners, mostly the latter, kept
the Jail, for neither the women nor the
jail kept the prisoners. The method
adopted for escape was the construction
OF key to fit the lock. The paddock
which holds the hasp is of the Yale
construction. James Robinson, who re.
mained in the cell, says that they begun
the work of constructing key the Sun.
day previous. The material first tried
was piece Of hickory wood, but they
failed in that effort. The material next
tried, and which proved successful, was
a part OF the brass plate of French
harp. This material, with the aid of a
file, accomplished the end in view. The
harp would not be difficult to account
for, but who furnished the file to those
prisoners is question that is not likely
to be answered in the immediate future.
After the key was finished 80 as it would
fit the lock, a portion of the plate was
still left attached, which was broad and
strong. This was inserted into part ol
broom handle and tightly wrapped
With this wooden handle OF considera
BILE length the lock was easily reached
from the feed hole in the cell door. The
cell door once open the exit of the pris
oners was not difficult matter. The
front door-the wire front door is re
ferred to-is kept locked from the in
side, and the key is left in the lock
This the prisoners could easily see, ant
of this fact they took advantage, wher
everything favored their escape. Mrs
Long, lady living with the Sheriff.
family, was the first to discover the pris
oners outside the jail. They passed
stealthily by the window where she wa
sitting. She promptly gave the alarm
but the escaped birds waited not to SCI
how they managed things after they left
Too much censure should not be heape'
on Sheriff Mackerley, and yet it ough
to be said that Jail containing a nun
\ Der Of persons one of whom is awaitin
, sentence for burglary and another foun
! guilty of murder in the second degree
8 should not be left without some NAL
, guard. The County Commissioners hav
). offered reward of $4OO and Sheri
). Mackerley $50 additional for the pri!
oner Blair. Nothing has been hear
from any Of the escapes up to the tim
of goingto press, but it is hardly probs
0 BILE that Blair can make good his escape
t LArER.-Word has just been receive
I this "Wednesday morning that Blai
!. and beaverton have been captured by
t man named Smith, and are now in til
Z lookup at Greenfield.
o The clearance sale OF wall paper wi
q he continued at Bowles' store durin
g during the summer months. Come an
8 see for yourselves how cheap your room
can be papered.