The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-15
MORE bob DAVIS.
Three Prisoners Made Their
Escape From the
County Jail Yes
terday.
AN INSTANCE OF NEGLIGENCE
One of the Trio Recaptured in
New York Last Night by
Detective Smith.
AN INSTANCE OF NEGLIGENCE

While the prisoners IN Gne county jail we're
returning to their cells from their afternoons
exercises in the corridors, three prisoners
made q daring escape. They were George
Morrow, Frank Muller, alias Miller and
Harry Talbot, all of whom were to be taken
to State Prison in a day or so. The three
men were in the corridor, with the rest of
the prisoners, at the time the order came for
them to return to their cells. 1t is supposed
that while the guards were busy locking the
prisoners in their cells, the three men ran
along to the end of the hall, where they made
their escape, by forcing open a door that led
into a room which is used as a store room.
The door is made of wood n was locked
at the time with two large padlocks, the
heavy iron link of one of which is completely
broken off, while the other has evidently
been unlocked. 1t is a mystery to the Jail
officials how the men worked the locks, as
they left nc key or tool behind them, and
the lock is SO constructed that the key could
not be removed without locking it.
The store room is IA feet long, s feet wide
and about Is feet high. 1t was intended
originally for a padded cell, but was never
used as such, as it was deemed unsafe. 1t
contained at the time of the escape, several
paint pots, a barrel of sawdust, and an old
1OuI 1OOO obCRAdooSA- u h0S " ANA
on the side nearest the Court
House, Inc an opening in the mid
die of the ceiling for ventilation. The win
dows are securely barred with cross bars, but
the opening in the ceiling, which is four feet
long and three feet wide, has only four par
allel bars to it, and one of them had been
broken for some time. The men had broken
the one next to it and bent the bars upward,
making an opening of a foot and a half by
two feet to crawl through.
DROPPED FROM II SHEDS.
After reaching the roof it was an easy
matter for them to step on to the roof of the
boiler room and thence O. to the sheds adj
Joining the boiler room and three feet lower.
Once on these the men could either climb the
wall which separates the jail yard from the
private yard next door, and drop to the
ground, a distance of fifteen feet, or drop
from the sheds, a distance of eleven or twelve
feet, to the Court House yard, from which
they could easily reach Pavonia avenue.
If they had gone the latter way, they
would have run the risk of being seen by the
engineer; SO it is supposed by the guard, who
pursued them Immediately after their alb
sence had been discovered, that they scaled
the wall and went through the hallway of
the saloon next to the Jail, which would
bring them put on Newark avenue.
1t is probable, again, that they climbed
several fences and reached Willow Court,
BluS llldhllH bAO1 OCA6HO IO Noi otAHA OAN
less liable to discovery, as the street is a very
short one and very quiet.
At the time the prisoners escaped, it is
not supposed, they had any money with
them, as they never displayed any while in
Jail. Morrow, might have received some
from his mother in the early part of the af-
ternoon. when she called to see him, but
the other two never had any one
visit them while they were confined.
When Mrs. Morrow called to see her son
Yesterday she told Jailer Davis she had been
informed by some one that her son was go
ing to be taken away today. The Jailer said
to a News reporter last evening that he
would like to know how Mrs. Morrow knew
tina her son was to be taken away today,
when he hi nself did not know. He further
said:-
'sPrisoners are taken to State Prison from
two to fifteen days after they have been SEN
fenced, and the Sheriff. is the only one who
is supposed to know when the prisoners will
be taken. Morrow was sentenced last Thurs
day, and if Mrs. Morrow really did know
that her son was going to be taken to State
Prison today some one must have told her"
He did not say anything further, nor did
he intimate that Sheriff Totfey or any of his
men had said anything to Mrs. Morrow, but
there was a great deal of meaning in what
he did say, and he acted as if he would like
to have said something more. r
DESCRIPTION OF THE MEN.
Morrow registered as being twenty-five
years, but the police say he is an old timer,
whom they nave known for the past ten
years. He has served several short terms in
Trenton, they say, n must be at least thirty
years old. He is one of the conspirators
whom Folsom, the bicycle thief, warned
the taller about a short time ago, for going
to break jail while he was confined there.
When Folsom wrote Jailer Davis the warn
ing a special watch was placed upon Nor
row. He was changed from cell No. Z to
cell No, 4, while they searched No. z. No
tools or implements of any kind, however,
were discovered, and he was put back in his
old cell and the special watch taken off.
Morrow is 5 feet s inches high, has a
smooth face and a scar on the right side of
his cheek. At the time of his escape he wore
a snuff colored coat and drak trousers
He is a machinist by trade and
lived at Grove and Mercer streets.
He was arrested on October %, while he and
a confederate were attempting to break into
Henry Ranken's saloon ct Fourteenth and
Washington streets, Hoboken. Policeman
Whitlock discovered them and they fled.
Morrow's companion fired a shot at Whit
lock.
The policeman did not have his revolver
with him, and could not return the fire.
Morrow was indicted under the name of
Morrel for attempted burglary and for hav
ing burglars tools in his possession. The
law of New Jersey makes the possession of
burglars tools a more heinous crime than
burglary.
The prisoner was convicted on both indict-
ments and sentenced to State Prison for
fifteen years for having the tools in his pos
session, and five years for attempted burglary,
both terms to run together.
Muller, or Miller, is t~wenty-four years old
and resided in Union Hill. He is one of
three thieves who, on the night of December
Is, broke plate glass window of Edward
Fox's jewelry store in Bergenline avenue,
Union Hill, and seized a lot of watches and
iewelry. He was captured at the Fourteenth
street ferry in Hoboken. His sentence was
also two and a half years in State Prison.
He is rather a tall looking person, being
about five feet ten inches high, is quite stout,
has dark hair, moustache and complexion,
and wore a dark suit of clothes.
Talbot is twenty-five years of age, FIVE
feet seven and one-half inches tall, very
slim, sharp features, wears his hair quite
long, and at the time of his escape wore
dark clothes. He was a shoe machine OPP
orator, and was to AVE served a two IN a
half year sentence for ste aling a watch from
Alva johnson of Union Hill, on Deem
Der 8.
The police think that Morrow has not left
the city, and they feel snre that they will
have him before night.
A general alarm has been sent out all
over New York, New Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania.
MILLER CAUGHT.
Last night, about eleven o'clock, Detective
Smith caught Miller IN New York. Miller
remained IN hiding till dark and then made
=. NJ. WI [-4x. NO. ID M