DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-05-01
REMARKABLE LETTER
|crintive of a Burglars Efforts
to Escape From Jail.
Interesting Epistle to His Wife Showing
he Desperate Chances He Was Will
Inc to Take in Order to Regain
His Freedom.

London police court recently
liam William was arraigned fol
Rlary. During the trial the follow
letter, written by the prisoner to his
and intercepted by the jail war
was introduced: "DEAR PoLLY-l
e these few lines trusting they will
bh you safe. am going to put them
note for the solicitor, only ! don't
Nv his name and address. l expect
will be disappointed to-day, as they
not let you see me. l will explain
pbout it now. I was going to tell
on Saturday, but that fellow Butch
the gaoler, would not go away.
you I had been working all the
k at a ventilator. 1 had get it al
BY by Friday-all but just taking
little bricks away. Well, l was so
ased that was jumping about in the
rnoon and broke one of the little
dows Three or four came up and
Fed about it, and went away again,
II got to tea time. thought |
Buld not have any body in, so COM
need and took out some of the
owed bread and stuff that / had
pped the cracks up with, thinking l
bid come out about eight o'clock,
len all at once the warden came in
said he very near forgot it, but !
Puld have to go to another cell, but |
Bged to stop there, as it was the
Y night, but he said it was
b Governors order that no pris-
Pr was to stop in a room
|th broken window in, so /
y to go out, and lay awake all night,
4 then ! thought about the police van.
BAT van was bit too coarse. Directly
van started | commenced work, only
was put into the first one near the
Or, Just close to the policeman, and
ere is a stile runs through the middle
outan inch thick, but managed to
! twice through 1t top and bottom, and
" near down one side. When the van
lied up at Holloway l was proceeding.
houghtitwas somewhere they stopped
the way, but 1T was not 1t was too
Q then, as we were inside the gates.
had known we were so near I would
We burst that bit off and jumped, so I
tmy liberty again by five minutes
new they would see 1t, and know l
the one in 1t, and / knew they would
out about my cell, SO / made up my
no to have another 60 wherever l was
wrenched bit of iron off the
set When we got our tickets / was
b 4 @-one of the same sort of cells
,e was My heart leaped. ! knew I
ia DO out in an hour with the iron
saw, but one of the head warders
ne along just as they were going to
cells, and said: What number is
! man?' meaning me. When they
him he changed it to IS, differ
cell altogether; but when I got
! thought Of what should get,
made up my mind to try this one.
'uld-all the warders going to look at
oia cell, b 4, 80, you know; and they
aoned a man outside my door not to
away.
lay abed watching him as he
Rea through the little hole till near
,Welve y, o'clock, I should think. Then
IL asleep. When T. awoke again it
quite light and I thought it was
'nlng, but ! could see the moon
ough the windows. / thought what
lould do | could not see the man at
aoor' and | thought Of you and Mel
ana what | have in front of me, and
new could not make it any worse,
sos TO work on this very awkward
:, , should have to get out two venti-
'rs' two courses Of bricks, and then a
ale oi glass, then tie my bedding to
gon bar outside OF the window, 60
'uga the hole and down the bedding,
VI should have to take with me, anu
. neayy iron bar that l knew was in
. ssra' tie 1t to the bedding, throw IT
uN, she high wall, pull myself up with
we'll u, | made very small progress at
me iron Ihad was not pointed,
~. !. .curled about any how, and the
1iator was set In with cement. Not