The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-11
TUENELED THEIR WAY OUT.
The Long and Wearisome Work OF
the Escaped PenitentiarV ConVicts.

| The Long and Wesrisome Work OF
the Escaped Penitentiarv Convicts.
The recent escape from the Dade coal
mines Of some of the most desperate con-
victs in the state. among them James Lands
/ berg OF Savannah. and Horton, the Cen
/ trial railroad bridge burner, has aroused in
terest in Savannah to know how the escape
was effected. There has been a
ssS%9s was mystery C sR9u' Ctt " T Tbs
/ Chattanooga Times gives the following ac-
count Of it: "The prisoners did not escape
from the stOckade but from the mines.
What is more they effected their escape by
tunnelng fully 100 feet through earth and
stone, connecting the shaft in which they
were working with that Of an abandoned
mine.
THE tunnelinR, which was big and la
borious task. was done by one man and he
worked night and day to accomplish it.
The day Patrol Driver Russell took George
Lewis, the negro convict he captured at
the East Tennessee Manufacturing Com
pany's works, to Cole City, one Of the con-
Yicts at the mines were missing. This was
two weeks ago. The EebrAs had been at
work on the outside of the mines during
the day and it was thought that the miss
ing man had given them the slip. A thor
Cugh search was made of the surrounding
country but no trace of the convict. who
was known as Joe Black, could be found
He was put down as escaped" and a
reward was offered for his capture. But
Black had not escaped. He had slipped
into the mine and secreted himself. and
while the guards were securing the woods
for him he was working on the tunnel
which, when completed, would not only
liberRte himself, but eleven Of his fellow
prisoners.
THE twelve men who escaped were
among the most dangerous criminals in the
state Of Georgia. The smallest sentence
any Of the twelve prisoners had received
was five years. Three OF the men were
serving out life terms and three were in
for twenty-five years. The gang was
known as the long term squad, and were
worked apart from the other convicts and
more closely guarded.
1.-The method of escape was well planned
and most successfully carried out. During
the first night that Black was In the mines
he tunneled into the side of the main shaft
far enough to hide himself Then leaving
a small hole for ventilation he kept busily at
work. II he loose earth was carried out with
the refuse from the mine and occasioned no
suspicion among the guards stationed at
the entrance For food he had only such
scraps as his fellow convicts could Sc
crete about their persons and carry from
the stockade to him. His lamp was sup
piled with oil by taking little from each
of the lamps used by his fellow convicts.
After two weeks OF hard labor and many
privations his tunnel, which was Just
large enough to admit the body of a man,
reached the abandoned shaft He COM
mum Gated the result of his labor TO his
comrades They had only to wait until
no guards were in the mine to make the
break for liberty. This soon came, and
dropping their tools one by one they
passed through the tunnel into the shaft,
awaited the coming of darkness and
stepped out under the clear, cold skies
twelve free men, and twelve as dangerous
criminals as were ever turned loose upon a
community. They at once separated and
only two of the twelve have been re-
captured. Eight Of the escaped men were
Whiten