Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-12-26
DARING ESCAPE.
Dropped From the Roof of the
Ohio Penitentiary.
The Dummy Racket Successfully
Played on a Prison Guard.
]. q. Shaw, the Notorious THIEF ana
Housebreaker, Who Tried to Save His
Pal, Chas. Rohan, by swearing Ho
Committed tue Crime, at Large.

COLUMBUS, o., Dec. 2L-AD escape
which eclipses anything Of the'kind
within the history of the Ohio peniten'
tiary took place Sunday evening. J.
G. Shaw, a notorious thief and house.
breaker, descended from the roof
by rope into the front yard
of the prison, just north of the
warden's office and main entrance,
and got away. Shaw was serving a
double sentence, aggregating ten years,
/ having been sent up from Franklin
county for seven years and from Cuya-
hoga county for three years, the otfense
in each case being house-brealing. Af-
ter being convicted in Franklin county,
he was taken to Cleveland and tried
there. He was received at the peniten'
tiary in the fall of 1890.
The prisoners confined in each range
or story of cells are allowed Sunday af-
ternoon out in the corridors alternate
ly. Sunday was the afternoon out in
the hall for the prisoners in Shaws
range, and then he had an unusually
good opportunity to carry out his plans
for escape. Guard Goudar, who
was on duty in Shaw's department, saw
the latter enter his cell about 4:30 Sun
day afternoon, and passing the door a
short time later, he noticed q form he
supposed was Shaw's reclining on the
bed. Sunday evening, about six o'clock,
after the prisoners were locked in their
cells, it was found that the form in
Shaw's bed was dummy made by
stuffing Shaw's prison garb with bed
clothes.
A search for the missing prisoner
, was at once instituted 1t developed
that he had ascended to the roof and
: passed out through the ventilator.
Thence he reached the ground on
rope fastened around chimney. This
rope, which was yet waving in the
breeze, was made of little pieces OF
wrapping twine which Shaw had pick
ed up in the shop where he worked
I He had tied hundreds of these bits to
gether until he had rope long enough
: to reach the ground 1t must have re
ouired several months to manufacture
k the rope, and how he kept it concealed
t in the meantime is a mystery.
l. He had evidently climbed through
e the ventilator just before the prisoner
It were locked up in their cells ant
: waited for favorable opportunity t.
d come down. The escape was mad
e from the east wing, between the mai
s entrance and the female department
g and within less than sixty feet from tn
n warden's office. 1t is pronounced b.
is the prison officials as the most DARN
n on record. Shaw evidently had an az
id complice from whom he received SUI
7 of elothoa, 40 ho ueed his 7ehra coStum
I'd for the dummy.
I'd Shaw is the man who attempted
d, save his pal, Charles Rohan charge
e. with the celebrated Cohen burglary o
10 Murray Hill, New York city, by swea
ing that lie committed that crime. R'
han was released from the penitentiaz
a wear ago, and Immediately rearreste
mt here by two of Inspector Byrnes me
and Detective Murphy, of this city, IL
ne the New York crime Rohan was
as graduate of Oberlin college. He wei
IN TO New York, where he wooed and VIC
IN n prominent young lady.
MT On the night following his weddin
on his wife was awakened by pistol shot
as and soon saw her husband rush in
ez the room He had burglarized the ne
ds door res dence, and being discovered
p his nefarious work, was pursued al
IS, shot at He fought his way through
lls crowd of policemen, who were attra'
as ed by the pistol shots, and made go
ed his escape. He was soon afterwar
m captured for another job and sent
nd the penitentiary from Cuyahoga count
ire In the meantime it developed that t
ro- wedding in New York was mo
nd affair, and his supposed wife has sin
to married wealthy merchant.
A few days ago Rohan was tried
the New York crime, and his defer
was based on the affidavit OF Shaw
let. the effect that the latter was the m
who deceived the young lady and r'
lry bed the house of her next door neif
ed. Dor. The young woman, deeply vel
out to conceal her identity, came into co'
,hn and identified Rohan as the man, n
ms withstanding Shaw's affidavit l
nil- name was kept secret in the cor
ner room by an arrangement with the
and torneys and the New York papers hi
ey, since been unable to solve the probl
ere of her identity. Alta late hour sumo
bod night Shaw had not been captured.
the