The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-12-05
ESCAPED CONVICT CAUGHT
- His Way Through q Dungeon
wall and With Companion
Escaped.
,,.,s Arrested Three Days After
The Other now Sentenced
for Horse Stealing.

bsputy sheriff Page of Fergus county
cod in town Thursday forenoon, hav-
IN his custody the man who took a
rrom viii Scifred's stable at Arm
go, ,bout two weeks ago. lie cap
,I him last Tuesday down on the
uor Missouri about forty miles from
u, and in the neighborhood of 30
from this city. The deputy sheriff
.oal his mar with the persistency
/ zeol of a true detective through as
,,b a niece Of country as is to be
md in these parts. Anyone who has
IT, tried to go through the Bad Lands
fine lower Judith neal where that
am cmptics into the Missouri knows
,t the tourney is fraught with hard
.; and no little danger. it consists
tirh bluffs with perpendicular banks,
[,y of which are almost impossible
when on foot. Like the Bad Lands
EASTERN Montana and western Dakota,
'sr Of the lower judith are said To q u
n fine craters Of extinct volcanoes,
sat yaVning cavaties that would fair
hury ? mar alive il he fell into them.
! ro1ch such Il country a vcritahlc
~thecmcnc,thc deputy sheriff chased the
icing horse thief. Sleeping at night
the r,lI ground with no covering save
T. sharp atmosphere and going without
EYtIing TO eat for nearly two days the
,rr certainly displayed the met
l. that is in him. The prison
r. clnfosscs that he doubts
Neither any other mar in Fergus coun
\ could have so successfully tracked
Elm through that wild country. Emcr--
r, from the Bad lands and thinking he
md successfully eiuded his pursurcrs he
but 10 at the -. ii. >. ranch Of the no
beer .attlc company, where the officer
on after arrested him.
Is o as he was placed in the Jail
ere Thanksgiving day Scott Morrison
the prisoner as none other
han V. II. Fuller, alias liili Davis. an
.apcd convict. lie gives his name
how a. Charles d. Grant. and frankly
admits he escaped from the prnitcntlary
recently.
". Ii. Fuller. or as he now styles him
s4l. Charles Grant is Il half breed Cher
,ice about - years OF age. OF medium
height and build and possessing more
Intelligence than the average breed.
He has been in Montana ten 81 Il dozen
wears working most of the time as q COW,
ioy and seems to be pretty well posted
many Of the large cattle outfits III
this section OF the state. He If
also familiar with the lay OF
the country which no doubt
prompted him On his recent escapade t.
stnke for the Bad Lands as fast as his
stolen horse would carry him. Wher
one takes into consideration the daring
he exhibited in making his escape from
the penitcntiary and successfully elud
ing the prison authorities who had sem
| descriptions of him in every direction, il
is indeed remarkable that the authori
ties are able to put their hands on hin
again. While jail-breaking is not to bC
cOndoned in civilized communities on
cannot help feeling more or less admira
ton for the nerve and skill this fellow
displayed.
He was sent to Deer Lodge for TIVE
years from Fergus county nearly two
years ago for robbing a ranch near Lew
stOWn and when he escaped had onl.
about four months more to serve.
The tanner in which Fuller effected
MS escape would make fruitful materia
for 4 five cent library story. One o
those yellow covered ones which Tin
boys ike to take out IN the hay NOV {,
READ; the boys that leave a c%Ontented
happy home in the east and come on
west to protect us from the bold. bad In
The following is Fullrr's narr;
tive Of the way he made his escape iron
the pen:
In the dull routine of life in the stat
relurnatory. if it can be referred to a
Fuller tried Ia cnliven matters
little by getting into a fight with an
Ithor convict, a negro. For this ne wa
into what is known in priso
p%arlancc as the dungeon as a sort oi
punishment for his transgrcssion Of III
etiquette Of penal life. He had as
'ompanion at the time he was ready (
make his fight n named Burns, VIII
Has sent to the penltcntiary froi
This city for robbing tn
store. But Burns 10
nonc Of the others, who were at ~variou
lines in the dungeon aided him i
.utting a hole through the wall. Ihi
aerculean task he did unaidcd. lie too
the bail from "a bucket that was in tn
place aud while the others slept worke'
at the mortar between the bricks wit
energy. He had to use grea
about the time he WORKED
that none of the guards might hear Inn
The mortar and debris removed 1rol
the opening he hid under his blanl
cts, and as the dungeon Is oar
AS Egypt none of the guards disco
cred anything wrong. He worked at tn
for several days, wearing. as he says II
flesh from his hands and finally had a
opening made through the wall which
several feet thick. 1t was large enoue
for a man to crawl through and lead il
to the large bread box in the prise
kitchen.
When everything IA ready |
found hat he would have
secrete himself in the bread b'
for several hours before attemptil
to leave the building and to prove
Burns from ''peaching" on him he !
him into the secret. They carried Il !
of tho broad tbroupl, fine hole and co