The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-12-14
DARING JAIL BREAKING,
DAVE PADOOCk'S REMARKABLE ES-
CAPE FROM JOLIET.

An Almost superhuman Display of In
genuity Exercised by a Convict to Get
Out of Prison-Working a Few Minutes
at "A Time for Over Two Years.
A section Of iron bar was cut from the
cell door Of Dave Paddock by that re-
doubtable knight Of the dark lantern
| and Jimmy On the occasion of his SEN
s~ational escape from Joliet. For over
two years Paddock has schemed and
worked to effect his purpose. He was
sent up from Rock Island On an eight
year term, and was placed at work IN
one Of the shOeshOps, where during
every minute of the working hours III
the shop he was constantly under the
watchful eye of his keeper. There was
not the least chance to plan an escape
from the shop. But, not daunted at
this, he determined to find some means
of getting ont Of his cell at night.
To fully appreciate the difficulty Of
cutting out Of a cell it must be remem-
bered that three times every hour during
the night. at irregular intervals, a guard
wearing padded slippers-called ''sneak
shoes" by the convicts-makes his rounds,
peering into each cell to make sure that
all are secure and in bed. Paddock first
appropriated a couple Of thin bladed shoe
knives from his shop, and, concealing
them from the guard, took them to his
cell, where, by using II as a file, he
converted the other into a fine steel saw.
Then bv slow degrees he collected a large
amount of shoe thread from the same
shop. with which he braided the rope.
All this required months of stealthtul
work, but in the course of time he had a
slender, strong rope, fully fifty feet IN
length. This he kept carefully hidden in
the mattress of his bed.
Next he began saving the bars on his
door a little at a time. Night after night
! he watched for the passing of the guard,
and as soon as that official was beyond
hearing distance he would cut a little
A and then fill up the space with black
wax, which he had also obtained from
i the shoeshop, so that the prying eyes Of
the guard could not discover by daylight
that the door had been tempered with.
. When the bar had been cut through he
u carefully wedged it back into place with
small iron staples and bits OF lead.
J REMARKABLE CLEVERNESS.
He could now get outside of his cell,
+ but the hardest work was yet to be done.
\ His cell was located high up on the
q third tier, some sixty feet away from
4 the tower door through which he hoped
4 to make his way. Watching his chance,
I when the night guard was on the op-
posite side of the block Of cells, he re-
moved the bar from his door, craWled
through the opening, and with all the
agility Of a cat climbed down the railing
from tier to tier, ran across the corridor
to the tower door, and, with a piece OF
~shoemaker's wax, took an impression OF
the lock, regaining his cell before the
. guard appeared on that side of the cell
house.
By careful working he made a key ou1
of lead pipe that a plumber had dropped
near his workbench in the shop. Sew
n eral trips from his cell to the tower doc
u were made during the mex few weeks
&C. before his key would fit, and then l
took him some time to get togethe.
", enough material to make a dummy" tt
put in his bed to prevent his absenc'
being discovered before he could get be
yond reach. On the very day that h
intended to make his escape, while re
. turning from the shop to his cell, n
slipped upon an icy stairway and badl
sprained his ankle. This almost DIS
couraged him. His months of anxlou
toll had come to naught. His schem
would surely he discovered. After thre
weeks in the prison hospital he was sen
back to work, and when he reached hi
cell that evening was Overjoyed to I'm
that his rope, key and ''dummy' wer
still safely concealed in the mattress
and everything as he had lett 1t.
ESCAPE AND CAPTURE.
Another week elapsed before his ank}
-. would permit his making the attemp
The night came, however, and alo
about midnight he was safe inside tn
- tower. A single iron bar still stood b'
, tween him and freedom, and 1t WOul
NJ Take long hours of hard work to CT
through it. Just as daylight began
break the bar gave way. The rope no
'n came into good use, and with its aid
slipped down upon the prison lawn an
{ hurried away TO the woods that line u
bluffs east of the prison. Here he tour
a thicket or underbrush where he la
hid all that day, and when darkne
came again he got away.
&C, His absence was not discovered fro
prison until the guard went to unlot
his cell in the morning. This was Wit
L y ont doubt the clevereSt escape that h;
taken place at Joliet, and stamped Pa
c.. dock as a genius. Extraordinary etfor
- were made for his r~ecapture. Lar
rewards were offered, and his descrl
ton was cast broadcast. a year later
was discovered that Paddock had a m
tress in Chicago. A watch was set
rs her house for several weeks, and su
enough one night Paddock put in an
~pearance. Captain Simon ODonnell,
the police department, had the pla
surrounded and the daring convict W
again in the tolls. He was taken Da
=" to his old quarters at the prison, whe