The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-06-01
A WONDERFUL CONVICT!
HOW ALBERT JENKINS ESCAPED
FROM THE EPENITENTIAiiY.

Months Filing Rivets From his cell ant
'Dotns' Padiock-Slid Down Fiv,
Stories.
COLUMBIA, S. g., May 25.-One o
the most ingenious escapes ever made
from tho penitentiary occurred last night
The authorities are mystilied, and can
not satisfy their own minds how it oc
Cured.
Tho convict's name is Albert jenkins
aud as he was considered dangerous
convict, he Was conlned in cell on the
first floor, where il was thought it would
be impossible for him to escape, but tc
a man with the ingenuity OF Jcnkint
nothing is seemingly impossible.
The doors Of the cells are of iron ant
and are doubly protected. From the
upper part of the door there projects q
triangular piece of strong iron. When
the cell is closed long iron bar extend.
Ing throughout the length of the build.
my is Drawn in front. The door can.
not possibly be opened then. tor the
projecting iron from the door strikes it,
This projecting piece is firmly rivetcd to
one without the necessary tools to break
it. In addition to all this there Is n pad
lCck on the doors.
jenkins, by SOme means, to Ok the
rlvcls out. There is some evidence that
iile was used to file down the heads,
aud IL is supposed that this was his plan
OF operation.
He Must have worked at 1t for many
20 SNI al f>.
the guards or any OF the convicts in the
adjoining cells ever heard him make
any noise.
In his cell was found little ball Of
coal tar wrapped in on old rag. 1t ls
supposed that after filing the heads he
would smear the coal tar on the heads,
so as 70 prevent the guards from seeing
what he was doing. In the opening,
where the rivets were there were evil
dences that Tar had been placad there.
Having gotten out the rlvets there
was still another difficulty, the paddock.
But jenkins had evidently fixed that
some time ago. The lock, when closed,
d Will make click as ifit had locked, but,
on examination this morning, showed
that it would not, although sounding ex
actly like it. The guards have never eX.
amlnca it, Or at least not )ecently, and
as they closed the door and clicked the
ock they doubtless thought the prisoner
was secure. Having fixed both the lock
and projecting iron it was an easy
matter to open the door noiselessly.
jenkins had on ball and chain. The
piece around his leg had been broken for
some time in preparation for the escape
TO the ordinary observer, or even to The
praci!ccd eye, nothing was wrong with
Ii. The prisoner quietly took 1t of his
leg and lett it in his cell. The only
tool found in the cell was a small piece
OF iron like a part Of blacksmith's
ton9s, but TO what purpose he put that
is not known.
jenkins, having gotten out Of his cell,
which was IN thc new prison, went up
stairs to the fifth story and priced OF a
small PLANK in the ceiling. Two con-
Vlcis were sleeping near by but they say
that they heard nothing. Now came
thc most daring aud dangerous part of
the escape. jenkins went through the
ceiling floor to that portion of it which
projects four or live feet beyond the
building. ltc pulled up another plank
near where a large scantlng extended
from The roof to the ground. To get
through thai narrow hole on to this
scAn.ing wOu!d be most hazardous in
broad day light; to do so successfully nt
night ls wonderful. But Jenkins &C.
c0mplished the feat. He slid down to
the ground. The scantlng was covered
with threads from his cotton clothing.
a guard in the hospital heard noise in
the PRISON and summoned other guards.
They looked all around the building and
abou; the yard but could find nothing.
1t IS probable thaC Jenkins had reached
the ground aud secreted Himself before
the guards reached the scene.
Jenkins amazing nerve in climbing
Gown tie sc0utlins is more wonderful
when the tact is considered that he has
a curvature Of the spine, which makes
him a cripple. On ordinary occasions
he apparently could hardly walk.
1lo cot out OF the walls somehow.
Nobody knows how he did it. When it
was discovered this morning that he had
escaped IT was not thought possible that
he could have gotten out 0! the walls,
Tor alter escaping from the prsOn he
was still in The yard, surrounded by
brick walls tTenty to thirty feet high.
But he got out. a thorough search was
made for HIM by all the force within the
yard. Every nook and corner was ex.
ahmed, but no jenkins was there. The
walls inside and out were looked over,
but there was nothing TO show where
the prisoner scaled them. The peniten.
tlary authorities arc therefore convinced
that jenkins has gOle.
superintendent Neal has sent men to
different railroad stations several miles
from the city and has notified the rail.
road authorities to k ep lookout for
him. The police in this city have been
asked to keep on the lookout as it ls
thought that possibly he may be hidden
somewhere in Columbia.
jenkins has never been made TO do
much work OWING to his alliiction. Col
cncl Neai only gave him light Jobs
about the yard. IIewas apparently the
mcekcst and most obedicnt prisoner IN
the whole lot and to look at him nobody
would suspect him OF harming a baby.
But he IS about the slckest negro in the
State.
He was first sent up from Edgeheld