The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-07
At an Early Hour Wednesday Morn
ing They Escape From the
Butte Bastile.
One Murderer and Two Profess
sional Burglars Are Of the
Number.
Tho Latter Supposed to Have Dono the
/ Fine Work--No Trace of Any
of Them

and four o'clock this morning seven pris-
oners escaped from the Silver Bow county
Jail. They were Charles g. Price, arrested
for the murder of =. j. Cunningham; G.
Stafford and Dan Crowley, arrested for
safe blowing; j. Smith (colored), arrested
for assault with intent to kill; frank
Sparks, Vim. Burke and Thos. Cosgrove.
for robbery. Sheriff Lloyd was awakened
by the barking Of his dogs and ran to tho
window. and, looking into the east Jail
yard, saw man climbing over the wall.
He seized his gun and drove back two pris-
oners who were trying to escape. The
seven mentioned. however, got away. The
nine prisoners concerned in the Jail break
were kept in a massive iron cage covered
with latticework of chilled steel bars, on
the inside Of which are the iron cells. The
doors of the cells are closed by q
heavy steel bar. operated from the outside
OF the cage, and each cell door connects
with this by lever. The bolts holding
the lever of the cell had been cut with saws
SO that when the corridor was closed the
door of one cell was not fastened. and In
this cell were the nine men. Once in the
corridor the men broke four bars of the
latticework and crawled into the part Of
the Jail where the food elevator is. BY this
they descended to the kitchen, thence by a
door into the yard and by mounting wood
pile the wall surrounding the jail was easily
climbed. The men had somehow obtained
plenty of short saws and it is believed there
has been gross negligence somewhere in
allowing them to become possessed. and re-
main possessed. of 40 many tools. All
day the officers have been searching
through the city and securing the
surrounding country for the fugitives but
| without success.
This evening wooden duplicate Of the
big jail key was found in the vacant cell
but how any one ever got opportunity TO
make a copy OF the key is another of the
mysteries surrounding the case. man
employed at the Parrot smelter was coming
from work at about 4:3O o'clock this morn
| ing and met Smith, the negro, walking
along the street car track. The man says
he was not mistaken. aa he knew Smith and
his attention was particularly drawn to him
this morning because he was bare-headed
and walking very fast. As soon az this in
formation reached the sheriff's Office
Deputy Glover was sent to the neighLor-
hood and spent the greater part Of the
afternoon in search, but gave it up at a late
hour without finding trace of Smith, and
no one else could be found who had seen
him. That vicinity has been Smiths old
haunt.
The county commissioners to-day noti-
fed the county clerk to inform Gov. Toole
of the escape and ask him to offer reward
for their recapture.
Sheriff Lloyd has offered reward of
$500 for the capture of Price and 500 each
for the others. The following is a very
fair description OF them:
Chas. Price. five feet eight, weight 160,
full ruddy face, heavy dark brown mus
tache brown hait: wore black derby hat,
black chinchilla oyercoat; aged 80.
Frank Sparks five feet nine, light brown
mustache, weight 1G5, bullet mark on right
hip, cut on left hip; wore a black silk shirt
soft hat, brown cloth clothes; 30 years old.
J. Smith (coored), weight l75 five feet
eleven, aged 80, side whiskers to lower part
of ear. clipped close; wore cap, brown
sack coat, flannel shirt, grey vest and
pants
q. Stafford. five feet eleven, weight It's,
smooth face, dark hair and complexion.
full, thick nose; black derby hat; % years
old. ,e
Dan Crowley, five feet nine, weight 16O,
sandy mnstache and complexion. light
brown hair. nearly bald, age IS; black derby
! hat, brown overcoat.
Wm. Burke, five feet seven, weight 140.
smooth face, thin dark hair and complex
ion, 2s years old; small soft black hat
dark clothing.
Thomas Cosgrove, six. feet, weight 100.
blotches on face, mustache brown, hair
dark, cut close; dark check coat, black
slouch hat.
Charged With Stealing Grain.