The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-29
0UTOF THE LAW'SGRASP.
HORSE THIEF KING ESCAPES FROM
ST. JOsRPH's INFIRMARY.

The Noted Criminal Steals Two Suits
of Clothes Belonging to Fellow Pa
tients and Scales the Rear Wall Be-
fore Daylight Yesterday-His Wound,
the Doctors Think, Will Be rriteted
By the Cold, Bring On a Relapse and
Cause His Recapturs - kilograms
Sent All over the Country for His
apprehension.
James King, the notorious horse thief and
aIl-round criminal and Desperate. who was
brought to the city twelve days ago In a
supposed dying condition with hole clear
through his body from Brock Rogers Win
chester rife, has taken French leave and by
this time has probably put many miles be-
tween himself and SavsnDah's courts, which
were anxiously awaiting his recovery to
give him a taste Of justice he has so often
outraged and defled.
King escaped from st. Joseph's infirmary
some time before daylight yesterday morn
ing, taking along as q souvenir two suits of
clothes belonging to other patients of the
institution together with considerable
pocket change. Savannah's officers are
both sad and mad in consequence. and are
working the wires In every direction in the
hope of apprehending the man.
1t will be remembered that at the time
the horse thief was brought here by Mr..
Rogers the physicians pronounced bis wound
fatal and King remarked he was glad,
as he preferred death to a term in the
Georgia penitentiary.
oUTwITTED THE DOCTORS.
For days he lowered between life and
death at the infirmary, but finally his strong
constitution triumphed and recovery be-
came rapid. A few days ago the sisters
suggested that King be removed to the Jail,
but the willy criminal, probably at the
time concocfInR plan to escape, began to
simulate weakness and the physicians, fear
ing too quick a transfer to a cell might
bring on q fatal relapse, decided to let him
remain at the iniirmary few days longer.
This was exactly what the horse thief de-
sired. He wanted a few days more rest in
order to be sufficiently strengthened to
make bis ecape sure.
The night nurse. In his rounds of the
ward at 3 O'Clock yesterday morning, found
KING awake. He asked the criminal how
he was feeling, and King answered fairly
well" following it with a question about
the condition of the weather. The nurse
replied that it was very cold, and the horse
thief said he thought as much, and turned
over apparently to go to sleep.
SLIPPED OUT UNSEEN.
That was the last time he was seem The
nurse left the ward q few minutes after
ward and did not return until O'Clock.
When he reached Kings bed he was sur
prised to nd it empty. The horse
thief's clothes were lying at the foot of the
bed in she usual place. de looked around
the ward for his patient, but he WIS not in
sight.
At onoe the thought of escape flashed
across the mind of the nurse,
but how could the man have
ventured out in such weather Glad only in
underclothes was what puzzled him. A
quick glance at the beds OF the adjoining
patients, dispelled such an illusion. Their
clothing was gone. The nurse at once be-
gan search Of the yard aud premises of the
intirmary, but there was no trace OF King.
The only theory to be advanced is that as
soon as the nurse left the ward at O'Clock
King arose, stole the clothes of his neigh-
bors, quietly donned one suit, raised one Of
the windows, slipped down the back piazza
stairs and scaled the wall into Jones street
lane.
THE WOUND MAY STOP HIS FLIGHT.
The police were notified at once, but could
get no clew to the missing man. IL is sup
posed be boarded one of the early outgoing
freight trains over the Savannah Florida
and Western railway. The physicians do
mot think King can go very far, as they be-
lieve the excessively cold weather will irri-
tate his wound and bring ON a relapse.
The officers claim they have reason to be-
lieve King is an escaped murderer from one
of the Massachusetts prisons. There was
correspondence going on in regard to this
part of Kings career, and one detective
was anticipating a reward for the noted
criminal.