Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-12
DUG OUT OF PRISON.
Marvellous Tunneling Feat at
Waupun, WIS.
SIXTY FEET THROUGH THE EARTH.

Three Men Burrow Their Way to Liberty
A Job That Almost Rivals the Libby
Prison Achievemcnt-Month Occupied
In the Work, Which Required the Ut
most Vigilance and Caution and No
Small Amount of Engineering Skill
WAUPUN, Wis, Nov. l2-After work
ing in the most marvelously secret and
shrewd manner for a period of time which
must have covered many months, and
which passed unnoticed and unsupported
during the administrations of two war
dens, three murderers, each serving life
term, made their escape from the peni-
Tertiary here Tuesday night. They are:
Robert y. West. sent up from Rock county,
Nov. p, 1869, 80 years old, feet inches tail,
dark complexion, dark brown hair, gray eyes;
he had made tire previous attempts TO es-
cape.
John Stage from jefferson county. Sept "a,
1884, 81 years old, feet 6ls inches tall, light
complexion, dark hair, blue eyes.
Ferdinand Mack, sent up April 70, 1870, from
Waushara county. AZ years old, 5 feet inches
TALL light complexion, brown hair, blue eyes;
face pitted with smallpox.
Began Operations in the Well.
All three were employed in the prison
washhouse. and carried on ali the extern
sive operations of the prison laundry. In
the west end of this building is the boiler,
at the south end of which is a bricked
open well twelve feet deep. The men
commenced operations on the east wall of
this well about eight feet below the floor
surface. They removed enough brick to
make square passageway large enough
TO permit the passage of a mans body.
They then fastened the removed brick to
board, making a door which, when
closed, left the wall with every appear
ance of undisturbed solidity.
Were Expert Engineers.
Beginning here they tunueled east about
four feet, turned to the north and went
distance of six feet, and then went directly
under the Mushroom boiler and through
the wall of the house, thence under the
alley to and through the main foundation
wall of the workshop into q. ditch beneath
the floor, made for convenience in running
water and steam pipes about the build
ing. After using the full length of the
ditch they dug under the shop wall again.
beneath an alley roadway distance OF
forty or fifty feet, and then under the wall
surrounding the prison buildings and to
the surface and the outside world.
Had Three Hours start.
The men could work but few moments
at time consecutively, and when it is
considered that they were obliged to re-
move and dispose Of all dirt and rock
encountered in the tunneling of over sixty
feet without taking it outside the walls or
awakening suspicion, the magnitude of
the undertaking and the skill with which
they worked may be realized. The men
were not missed till O'Clock la.t night.
when the yard guards made their re-
port. and it is supposed that they got
away at 8 p. m as they could have done
SO. Snow and rain were falling at the
time they are supposed to have got away.
Left No Tracks Behind.
This assisted them in escaping the OBJ
servation of the wall guards. one of VIII ON
was stationed not over fifty feet from
where the convicts emerged from the tun-
mel. This also obiiterates their tracks. 1t
is believed from reports brought in by
citizens since the escape was made known
that the fugitives have travelled west from
the city. a reward of $500 is offered for
their capture, and as they have not long
start and are in prison clothes they will be
in great luck if they are not soon recap
tGred