Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-13
THEY WOULD NOT STAY.
Two Petty Larcenists Leave the
City Jail
While Prayers Were Being Said in
Cell Ten.
They Crawl Through a Small Square
Hole Into the Hospital, Reach
the Roof and Then
Disappear.

A couple Of petty larcenists serving
rather long sentences in the city jail
made their escape yesterday in novel
manner. 1t is the custom Of number
of people, mostly women, to come to the
city prison every Sunday afternoon I'd
sing and pray with such OF its inmates
as feel inclined to join them. The COM
ing Of these religious persons is not en-
tirely relished by the police department,
but they have always heretofore been
granted ready entrance when they
showed anxiety to labor with the
drunkard and the thief.
AS usual the spiritual exhorters made
their appearance yesterday afternoon,
armed with Bibles, prayerbooks and
tracts, to have what they call "a good
time" with the brethren in durance vile.
All prisoners who expressed desire to
listen to them were removed from their
cells and taken to No. 10, which is q
large ward in the back of the Jail. The
door OF this room had not been locked,
and while the attention of most of it's
occupants was directed to the hymn
singers, three men slipped out into the
corridor.
Jailor Collins had gone to dinner be-
fore these people came, and the officer
who had been directed to relieve him
having omitted to lock the door of No.
10 or to remain in the Jail, these three
prisoners had things very much their
own way just then.
In the jail corridor there fs an iron
door leading into the receiving hospital,
and in the door there is wicket ten
inches by ten, from which the iron flap
had been removed long ago, leaving
there square hole through which II
was possible for man of slim build to
crawl without much trouble.
John Foster and James Seward, two
OF the petty larcenists, got into the hos
pital all right, but chicken thief by
the name of Young was too heavily
built, and stuck in the hole, thus
blocking the way to all other possible
candidates for liberty.
Once inside OF the hospital ward the
two thieves tlaced q table under the
skylight, climbed along gaspipe, W hich
they broke, and escaped through an
open window in the top. From the r0oi
it was an easy thing for them to reach
the ground at the back of the Jail, and
they lost no time in placing consider
able distance between their late abode
and themselves.
An intense smell Of gas, apparently
emanating from the hospital. caused the
officers in the front Office to investigate
the matter, and much to their surprise
they soon found out how the two jail
birds left their avisry. John Foster
was serving 100 days for petty larceny,
of which he had hardly done more than
twelve days, while James Seward, with
280 day sentence, had only ninety days
to his credit.
When the escape was reported te
Chief Glass he ordered Collins on q beat
and appointed Officer Hawley turnkey
in Collins place. At the change ol
watch the pictures of both escaped pris.
oners were shown to the outgoing and
returning watches, with instructions to
keep sharp lookout for these fellows.
It is probable, however, that they have
had all the Los Angeles hospitality that
they want, and are far away today.