River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-04-20
ESCAPED FROM PRISON.
Some of the Most Extraordinary
Cases on Record.
The Ingenious Device Of Murderer Foy-
How Red Leary and siIiy Connors Got
Away-Sharkcy' Narrow Escape
from the Ciaiiows.

There are several criminals in the
United Sta,cs Of whom It has been said
that no Jail i strong enough To hold
them. Like all sweeping assertions.
this statement Is probably an eNaGgera-
ton. hut still it must be admitted that
the recorded cases of successful Jail
breaking have been 81 numerous and
50 szilifullv planned and executed a.
to a~tound the usually Self-cOnhdent
prison ufiiclals, some of hom an rare
eca>ions seem prepared 10 admit that
they have not secured monopoly OF
the intelligence and shrewdness of the
world
Martin Foy. confined in the county
iai, in EallSton, y. Y. walked out one
day and was not captured for a long
time lie probably never would have
been taken had ne not yielded 20 his
passion for attending horse races. At
some track in California he was recog-
nized bv a man who notified the police
Foy was taken back 10 Ballstou on
rcqui>ition and put into a steel cell lie
was very quit Tor some time. and no
one thought that the diminutfve tout
would ever dream of attempting to- es-
cape from such a place. Bun Foy
Is nothing If not ingenious. and he not
only tried to get ont. but succeeded.
Ono day when jail official APP
preached Fov's cell he was confronted
with particularly silvery looking pistol
in the hand OF Fov. who ordered the
terrified man 10 open the door of his
cage. This was done. Toy let him
self ont into the courthouse corridor,
where his pistol again aided HIM bv
fTirhtcasne a c,.5nty official IL turned
on; that Foy's dangerous weapon was
only piece OF soft wood which he
had whitfield into the shape of a pistol
amt covered with the tinfoil from his
cut chewing tobacco.
The escape Of Red Lcary. the notori-
Gus hank robber. from Ludlow street
Jail. where he was held Ia await eX-
tradition papers from Massachusetts
for the Northampton hank affair. when
&. 500. coo was taken. was sensational
and for some time nexpiicaDlc. In
veStigation however. showed that
l.carv had had the assistance OF expe-
rieuced accomplices on the outside. At
noon on the cveutful day, Nav :. 1879.
he was visited bv his wife. who acted
as the .'-o-bet ween." iearv's friends
had hired room in the house next
door to the Jail. and had picked their
wav through 10 a closet al the end of
the tniri tier of cells. the bricks and
mortar being taken out carefully and
plic,i in the fireplace IF their apart
ment-
Mrs. Leary notified her husband that
al was ready. and he crawled through
the hole Ia liberty. Leary was -
lowed The run of the corridor un;i
l5aIf-past ten o'clock, which was his
time for retiring. so that it was some
hours before his escape vs. dis
covered. lie accordingly had no trou-
bic IN eluding his pursuers. In 1851
Leary was recaptured on his return
from Europe.
Besides Red Leary there was another
OF the Northampton bank robbers who
managed 10 get out of Ludlow street
jail while awaiting addition. Billy
Couuors was the name of this worthy.
aud his escape Is perhaps the coolest
on record. lie contrived TO secure an
impression of the Jail lock. from which
hls friends on the outside made KEY.
Conuors. pulling his hat down over his
ewes, selected moment when none of