The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-06-06
FIVE FUC|T|VES.
They Break Jail in Sedalia and
Mysteriously Disappear
in the Night.
Iron Bars Sawed and a Breach
Made In a Brick
Wall.

Peltis county jail in this city.
AT about the same hour this morn.
ing, there were only fourteen of these
prisoners in the Jail. Five had taken
French leave sometime during the
night.
As usual, at six o'clock p. M, yes
terday, Al DYER, the faithful and eff
Gent colored cook. handed the nine
teen men their suppers. Something
more than an hour later he made the
rounds of the iron cage, and, as he
thought, locked all the prisoners in
their cells for the night.
In some mysterious manner, which
he cannot explain, Abe Emerson,
| Horace Umbles, George Patton. Levi
Patton and William Grub gave him
the slip and were not in their cells
when the KEY was turned.
Grubb. who is only Is years old
and who had been serving time since
April II. for burglary and larceny,
bad heen i'll for several days, and
Mrs. Porter, wife Of Sheriff John
Porter, had prepared dose of medi-
cine 10 he given him at the breakfast
hour.
When the main door was opened.
and the inmates counted. it was found
that the above named criminals had
made their escape.
An examination disclosed the fact
that an IRON rod, about IN inch in
diameter, had been sawed in two at
he base. in the northwest corner of
he cage which surrounds the cells
Another bar of the same size had
heen sawed from the south side of the
CAGE, making openings amply large
enough to pass mans body.
Once outside this cage and within
The corridor. an aperture about tree
feet long and nearly As deep was cut
in the brick wall. just beneath the
beet iron roof. Ii Is bard to tell just
how the fugitives reached the root in
order to do this work They had no
ladder, nor chairs, nor boxes to stand on.
Perhaps they mounted each others
shoulders. circus fashion.
They had taken several blankets
and made strong rope, with which
they let themselves TO the ground,
;hir.y feet below, on the outside. This
was near the northwest corner Of the
jail. This rope was left hanging from
the hole in the edge of the roof and
served it purpose excellently.
However, without this the
men could have dropped
themselves to the soft ground and not
have run any risk of being crippled.
A BAzoo representative was very
promptly at the scene this morning
and was kindly admitted by Mrs.
Porter, who had charge of affairs in
the temporary absence of her hus-
band.
The prisoners were questioned as to
whether they had had any intimation
of the intended escape, and all of
them stoutly declared they did not.
They say they failed to hear the saw
ing of the bars, but believed it bad
been done mostly in the day
time. This theory, however, Is
not very plausible one. Bud Wat
son and his associates also declare they
were asleep when the five men
went out through the wall. and ifthey
made any noise, it was not heard.
The flight of the iugitives was easily
followed by tracks in the muddy
ground fropl the time they alighted
until they reached Second street, at
the mouth of the alley running in the
rear of Sicher's hotel. There further
trace of them was lost
1t is not known what tools were
used in cutting the bars, but it is
thought pieces of steel from their shoe
soles may have been utilized on this,
as il has been ON 50 many former oc-
casions of this kind.
Abe Emerson, one of the fugitives
and who probably planned tie escape,
Is most notorious and desperate
character. 1t was he who, about a
month ago, stood of squad of
policemen in the western part
of town, ut the muzzle of re-
volver, and who surrendered only
when Winchester was brought
into play upon him at long range.
He is twenty-six years old and was
born in Nebraska.
George and Levi Patton are II and
rs years old, respectively. and were
awaiting the November term of the
criminal court, for burglarizing a store
at Green Ridge.
Horace Umbles is petty criminal
If much local notoriety and had been