The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-30
DAVE pADDoclrs ESCAPE.
Almost snpcrhninnn Ingenuity Exercised
byh Convict to Get Out OF Prison.

Almost snpcrhuinnu Ingenuity Exercised
by u Convict to Get Out OF Prison.
Joliet (lA.l Lettn.
A section OF iron bar was cut from the
cell door Of Dave Paddock by that 70.
doubtablc knight OF the dark lantern
and Jimmy on the occasion OF his
sensational escape from Joliet. For
over two years Paddock had schcmed
and worked to effect his purpose. lie
was sent up from Rock Island on an
e!ight-ycar term, and was placed at work
in one OF the shoe shops, where during
every minute OF tho working hours in
the shop he was constantly under the
watchtul eye Of his keeper. There was
not the least chance to plan m escape
from tho shop. But, not dnunted at
this, he determined to find some means
OF getting out OF his coll at night.
To fully appreciate the difficulty Of
cutting out OF cell 1t must be re-
,mcmbercd that three times every
hour during tho night, at regular inter-
walls, Il guard wearing padded slippers
called SNEAK shoes" by tho convicts-
makes his rounds, pccping into each
cell to make sure that ali arc secure and
in bed. Paddock first appropriated u
couple OF thin.bladcd shoe knives from
his shop, and concealing them from The
guard, took them to the cell, where, BY
using n flo, he converted the other into
into fine steel saw. Then by slow de-
grees he collected large amount of
shoe thread from the same shop, with
which he braided the rope. All this
required months OF stcalthful work, but
from 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 OH his door little at n
time. Night after night he watched for
the passing OF the guard, and as soon as
that official was beyond hcarin. dis.
lance he would cut 4 little and then fill
the space with black wax, which he had
also obtained from the shoe shop, so
that the prying eyes OF the gnard could
not discover By daylight that the door
had been tempered with. When the
bar had been cut through he carefully
wedged it back into place with small
iron staples and bits OF lead.
He could now get outside OF his cell,
but the hardest work was vet to be
done. His cell was located high up on
tho third tier, some sixty feet away
from the tower door through which he
hoped TO make his way. Watching his
chance, when the night guard wis on
TIM nppnr;tn oi,ln of ibn HILL IS Ill
he removed the bar from his door,
crawled through the opening, and, with
all the agility OF cat, climbed down
Tho railing from tier to tier, ran across
the corridor to the tower door, and,
with piece OF sliocmakers' wax, took
an impression oil the lock, regaining
his cell before the guard appeared on
that side OF the dollhouse.
BY carefully working he made a key
out OF lead that a plumber had dropped
near his work bench in the shop. Sew
eral tripa from his cell to the tower
door were made during the next few
weeks before his key would fit, and then
1t took him some time to get together
enough material to make dummy" to
put in his bed to prevent. his absence
being discovered before he could get be-
You'd reach. On the very day that he
intended to make his escape, while re-
turning from the shop to his cell, he
stepped upon IN icy stairway and badly
spraincd his ankle. This almost dis
couraged him. His months OF anxious
toll had come to naught. His scheme
would surely be discovered. After three
weeks in the prison hospital he was
sent back to work, and when he reached
his cell that evening was overjoyed to
find that his rope, key and dummy"
were still safely concealed in the mat
treSs, and everything rs he had left it.
Another week elapsed before his
ankle would permit his making the at
tempt. The night came, however, and
along about midnight he was safe in
side the tower. A single iron bar still
stood between him and freedom, and
it would take long hours OF hard work
to cut through it. Just as daylight
began to break the bar gave way. The
rope now came into good use, and with
its aid he Tipped down upon the prison
lawn and hurried away to tho woods
that line the bluffs east OF the prison.
Here he found n thicket OF underbrush,
where he lay hid all that day, and
when darkness came he again got
away.
His absence was not discovered IRON
prison until the guard went to unlock
his cell in the morning. This was
without doubt the clevercst escape that
has taken place at Joliet, and stamped
Paddock as 4 genius. Extraordinary
efforts were made for his recapturc.
Large rewards were offered, and his de-
scriptiol was cast broadcast. 4 year
later it was discovered that Paddock
had q mistress in Chicago. A watch
was set on her house for several weeks,
and sure enough one night Paddock put
in an appearance. Captain Simon
C'Donncll, OF the police department,
had the place surrounded and the dar.
ing convict was again in the tolls. He
was taken back to his old quarters at
the prison, where he finally completed
his sentence, not, however, until hehad
tried several other schemes for escape,
but he was too closely watched TO ever
again succeed.