Bridgeton pioneer., 1894-07-12
TRIED To ESCAPE FxOm JAIL,

tious However, and SIX Young
MEN are Now FeNst,Dg ON
Bread and Water IN Their
Cells.
Five prisoners In the county jail
made serious attempt Saturday
night to escape from prison.
Their plans had been skilIfully laid,
ard. 1t is not unlikely that murder
might have been done had not the
clever Jail Warden foiled their little
scheme.
A: present. In the jail, there are no
less than thirty.six prisoners. OF his
number, eighteen. just one half, are cen.
fined to the mems corridor.
Among the number are five vi o
have bad regulations, and who shon d
now be on their way to long terms In
the State Prison.
'Toodles'' Spencer, the half witted
young man, who recently escaped ;
Benz. Crawford, q colored man from
Port Elizabeth. and q chicken thief;
Barnard Riley, Vineland burglar;
VIM. McAllister, q wife deserter, were
the conspirstors.
Their plans were made Saturday
and the scheme was this; the five were
10 overpower Jail Warden George
Watkins, back him In a cell, take from
him his key, and escape by this means.
In their plans they cold bloodedly
conspired an assault upon the Jail
Warden, which might have resulted
In his being murdered.
There was strange, quiet about
the Jail all Saturday afternoon, and
Warden Watkins suspicioned some
thing wrong. but he could not learn
what the trouble was. For an hour in
the afternoon he kept his ear to the
wicket, but could hear nothing to un-
fold the dark schemes of the plotters.
Along about eight O'Clock. the usual
time for locking mp the prisoners In
their cells, the Jail Warden vent into
the prison as usual. Entering the
mems corridor, he did something
which he has never done before, and
that was walk along the east side of
the the ,sorrldors, the further point
from the cells. It was this action
which foiled the plotters. and saved
the Warden from serious II not fatal
injury.
At that moment when the warden
entered the corridor, Benj Crawford
was concealed in an open dungeon.
He grasped tightly heavy mop ham
die, which had upon 1t heavy iron
holder. It was his intention to strike
the warden powerful blow with the
weapon when he walked past. "Tood-
les" Spencer and VIM. McAllister were
near at hand, and as the warden was
to fall from the proposed blow, they
were to take from him his key, and
Patrick Manley, another burglar. was
to lock him In a cell. The jail was
then to be thrown open and the ca.
cape to be made. M
When Warden Watkins walked In
the jail and stepped as far as possible
from the cells he commanded every
prisoner to go to their respective cells.
But not man moved to obey him.
He demanded an explanation, when
Geo. Cook, prisoner, boldly spoke
out and gave the whole plot awas.
The jail warden immediately left the
prison and went out into the Office, Sc
cured a club and pistol, and returned
to exert his authority. This evidence
before the dangerous devils, they
quailed, and like all towards who
would strike in the dark, retreated to
their cells.
Clarence Kerins was asked about
the affair, and the travelling speak
easy impudently declared that while
he was not In the plot he would not
tell the warden because he did not like
him. He made a further spectacle of
himself and is now paying the penalty.
''Toodles" Spencer and Patrick Man.
ley are each occupying a dungeon,
while the others are all locked In their
cells, where they will remain for some
time. All the plotters are subsisting
upon dry bread and city water. and 1t
Is more than likely that this diet will
cause them to lose much of their fight
ing spirit.
Investigations showed that the plot
was meant to be carried out In all its
terrible details, several of the prisoners
telling all about 1t. They explained
they were afraid to tell of 1t before,
owing to che dangerous character of
the men.
The conspirators endesvored to per-
suade Geo. Cook to knock the Warden
down, but he refused to have any con-