The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-09-13
LUCK AGAINST HIM.
A Prisoners Many Attempts to
Escape.

ESCAPE.
PHILOSOPHERS may say what they
please-may call it the fruition OF
studied effort or the result of intel
ligent causes-but l tell you there
is such thing as luck, and I will
prove it to you by the tragedy which
occurred in your city on Decoration
Day." The speaker was one of the
best known detectives in the State
of New Jersey, and is attached to
the Prosecutors or District Attor-
ney's Office of Essex county, N. j.,
at Newark. Detective John T. Re-
yer, that being the speakers name,
says the Philadelphia Inquirer, was
here recently on private business,
and while detailing his experience
told the following story:
Il allude to the killing of the ne
gro Jackson and the capture of his
companion, Thomas, as being the
tragedy on Decoration Day"
"What do you mean by the "luck'
attaching to it?"
"Just this: There were two men,
| ignorant negroes, who were in the
New Jersey State prison to serve a
term of thirty years each, and yet
they made their escape with the
greatest ease-scarcely without eff
fort and with very little preparation
or fore-planning that required in
genuity, excepting the grasping OF
the opportunity, while there is to-
day in the same prison man who
for years has been trying to get out
and has made several unsuccessful
attempts, bringing to his aid all the
technical mechanical knowledge of
which he is master, and he is one
of the finest mechanics in the Uni
ted States.
Before coming to the State pris-
on he made three almost successful
attempts to get out of the Essex
county prison at Caldwell, and the
history of those attempts is won
derful one. But first | want to
point out that dumb luck-and |
can't call it by any other name
succeeds where well-directed effort
fails, as | will show.
"Now, Connors, for that is the
name, the professional name of this
man, is burglar who takes rank
with Jimmy Hope, Irving and 9th
ers in that class, with whom he did
several jobs. in fact, and he was
sent to Caldwell pending his trial
for breaking into Traphagen's jew
elry store in Newark. He was
closely watched in the prison, but
he threw the keepers off their guard
by complaining of costiveness. The
prison doctors offered to prescribe
for him, but he said that he didn't
want any powerful medicine, but
that some figs would do, as they
were sufficiently laxative. He was
and is delicate-looking man, and
his request was complied with. He
used to throw the boxes, as he got
them every day, upon the shelf in
his cell, and no notice was taken OF
the action.
"At the close of one day, when
the turnkey started to pull the lever
which locks all the cells on the tier
where Connors was confined, he
found the machinery refused to
work. An examination was quickly
made, and the trouble was traced
to Connors' cell. 1t was there found
that he had loosened the anchor bar
in his cell, although it was strongly
set into the stone, and but for the
timely (untimely for Connors) dis
covery he would have been free to
the corridor in an hour"
"What had the figs to do with it?''
"He took the boxes, broke them
up, and placed the thin wood be-
tween his Bible leaves. He then
bound the book strongly with stout
cord, and using it as fulcrum
gradually, with jimmy, forced the
bar. The Bible was like rock, SO
hard was it. He is a thorough mas.
ter of the power of leverage"
"Connors' next attempt was just
as accidentally discovered. One Of
the keepers was talking to him
through his cell bars one day when
taking his hands away from the
bars which he had clasped for sup
port, he noticed that his hands were
black. An examination of the bars
showed that two of them had been
all but sawed through and the spaces
filled up with waxed filings, the
hole being hidden by blacking from
his shoes. He had intended to
make his break for liberty the night
of the day he was discovered.
ellis third attempt in that prison
was unsuccessful on account of the
failure of his friends to be on time
He had worked the bars of his eel
window loose, and had the neces
sary rope to lower him to the yard
the watchman was to be silenced by
an airgun in the hands of his friends
:. 80, o@+or-orI forn1 ont hu1