The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-06-12
A REMARKABLE LETTER
Descriptive Of Burglars Efforts
to Escape From jail.

An Interesting Epistle to His wife Showing
the Desperate Chances IIo Was will
ipg TO Take In Order to Regain
Ills Freedom. s
Ina London police court recently
William William was arraigncd for
Burglary. During the trial tho follow
Ing lotter, written by the prisoner to his
wife, and intercepted by the jail war
den, Vas introduced: tDE1E PoELY-f
-writn-thcso few lines trusting they will
reach You safe. am going to put them
ina note for tho solicitor, only don't
,fuoE his name and address. ] expect
you will be disappointed to-day, as they
will not let you see me. will explain
alHahont 1t now. / was going to tell
you on Saturday, but that fellow Butch
or, the gaoler, would not GO away. /
told you | had been working all the
week At a ventt1ator. | had got it al
ready by Friday-all but just taking
two little bricks away. Well, was so
pleased that was jumping about in the
afternoon and broke one of the little
windows Three or four came up and
fs~asked about it, and went away again,
and il. got to tea time. ] thought
should not have any body in, so COM
chcwed bread and stuff that / had
stopped the cracks up with, thinking 1
would come out about eight o'clock,
when all at once the warden came in
and said he very near forgot 1t, but l
Should have to go to another cell, but
begged to- stop there, as it was the
last night, but he said it was
tbe GOVERNORS order that no pris-
oner was to stop in room
with a broken window in, so !
had to go out, and | lay awake all night,
and then | thought about the police van.
That van was bit too coarse. Directly
The started / commenced work, only
was put into the first one near the
door, Just close to the policeman, and
there lisa stile runs through the middle
ahouta an inch thick, but managed to
get twice through it top and bottom, and
very near down one side. When the van
pulled up at Holloway was proceeding.
i theughtit wassomewhere they stopped
on the way, but it was not. 1t was too
late then, as we were inside the gates
If had known we were so near would
haze burst that bit off and jumped, SO l
lost my liberty again by five minutes.
i. knew they would see it, and know
was the one in it. and knew they would
find cut about my cell, SO made, up my
mind to have another go wherever was
put. wrenched bit of iron off the
closet When we got our tickets was
in L !, Gone of the same sort OF cells
mine was. My heart leaped. ! knew |
could be ont in an hour with the iron
and saw, but one Of the head warders
came along just as they we're going to
our cells, and said: what number is
HAT nsali2' meaning me. When they
: 1nld- him he changed It to 55, differ
cell altogether; but when ] got
I in | thought of what should get,
-qnil / made up my mind to try this one.
leould-all tho warders going to look at
my old cell, j 4, SO, you know; and they
! stationed a man outside my door not to
60 away.
II lay abed watching him as he
.looked through the little hole till near
ly twelve o'clock, should think. Then
lfell asleep. When awoke again it
was quite light and ! thought it was
morning, but | could see the moon
through the windows. / thought what
should do could not see the man at
thc door, and ] thought of you and Nell
lie and whatI have in front OF me, and
know I could not make it any worse,
So got to work on this very awkward
one. Should have to get out two venti-
ators, two courses of bricks, and then a
sqaareof glass, then tic my bedding to
the iron bar outside of the window, go
through the hole and down the bedding,
which should have to take with me, ana
get heavy iron bar that knew was in
The yard, tie it to the bedding, throw it
over the high wall, pull myself up with
it Well, | made very small progress at
first The iron had was not pointed,
aud II curlod about any how, and the
yeQdiator was set in with cement. Not
knowing the time and having to leave
oil at the least sound as we'll as keep
ing very,quie myself. it was very slow
work, and lust managed to get one
yentilhtor and two bricks out when the
bell rang to get up. 1t was all oyer
r , then : would have took me another