The Portland daily press., 1895-11-07
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY.
Arthur G. Webster Gets Out Of
Jail.
A STIRRING CHASE AND RE-
CAPTURE.

COuuSel TO MAKE Jump from b"
dow-He Injuries Himself in jumping.
For about two hours last evening tnefe
was great stir in town, over the escape
of Arthur G. Webster from the jail.
Webster is the young man nineteen
years of age, who confessed to having
co-operated with Domicus E. Hanll
and George B. Morrow, in taking good
from the tore of Skillin, Hawkes. &Co.
Webster, with Morrow and Hamlin. has
been in jail awaiting the January term
of the Superior court
i The circumstances the escape are CIV
en- as follows: Sometime previous to .
p. m. Webster's counsel, Dennis A.
Meaher, ESQ.,, came to the Jail to see him
AS is customary in such cases. the pfls-
oner was brought into the guard room
and left with his counsel, while Turnkey
Grover remained in the corridor or that
vicinity. This guard room is really
sortTof parlor, or office in the front OF
the ia il building, at the left of the main
| entrance. The windows have never been
barred. There is a basement beneath,
so it is about twelve feet from the guard
room windows to the ground beneath.
The lower sash of the west window OF the
guard room can be raised short dis
lance, not over twelve or fifteen inches.
1t was about six o'clock when Mr.
Meaher.. finished his interview. Turnkey
Grover says he heard Mr.. Meaher as he
opened the door, from the guard roomsto
the hall, say "all right" The turnkey
at once stepped to the door. and was just
in time to see Webster's shoes disappear
| ing through the narrow opening made by
raising the lower sash. Mr. Meaher said
that after he had finished his interview
with Webster, he started to the door and
opened it to call the turnkey; and that
as he did SO he heard noise behind him
and turned in time to see Websters coat
tails vanishing out the window. Mr.
Meaher says that he shouted to the turn
key, who was at once on the spot.
Once out of the window, there was.
about a foot below a narrow ledge which
enabled the prisoner to drop the the
ground in such away as to strike on his
feet He had hardly lighted before Turn
| key Grover had run out the front door,
downsthe stpes, and was after him.
The closely pursued prisoner ran around
the corner of the Jail, across the yard,
/ and then jumped the fence Oh the side
| towards the dump. Turnkey Grover
vaulted the fence right after him, and
away the two went down to the dump.
When near the foot of Franklin street,
Mr.. Grover tripped and fell. This en-
abled Webster to vanish in the darnkess
There was at once great activity on
the part of the officials Sheriff Plum
mer at once detailed deputies to watch
the bridges and highwaysa leading from
tho city, informed the officials of nearby
and distant places, and got the aid OF
Marshal Tricky and the police force
The dump was searched faithfully and
infinitely. The officers crawled under
the lumber piles and mills, searched the
dust heaps, etc.
But nothing more was found of Web
ster until about half past nine o'clock,
when the fugitive was caught in Curl
Gus way.
Tt seems that about the time that Turn
key Grover lost sight of him, Webster ran
behind G. 8. Batess ice house, where
he found Edward Stevens's punt Into
this he jumped, and padded his way to the
government channel with piece of board.
Then he struck across to the flats which
lie east of the estates of Messrs. J. S.
Kicker and NJ. M. Bailey in Deering.
The shoals of the flats compelled him to
leave his boat and get ashore afoot.
He was forced to leave his boat be-
cause of the near pre- sence OF fishing
boat called the Ozark, 4" in which were
City Messenger Mcgowan, David Cal
boun Charles A. Rounds and Alfonzo
Sampson. He left his boat within
twenty feet of them, and they, seeing 1T,
got it and towed it back to its place.
They also saw the tracks of someone in
the mud where the boat was left. AS
soon as they heard of Websters escape
they mistrusted who had used the boat
After leaving the boat Door Webster
found his misery just begun. He had
to go mile across the Clark Hats, the
water varying from few inches to sever
al feet in depth. By wading and swim
ming he at last managed to reach the
shore wet and dispirited. He said that
when he got into the cold water he wish
ed himself back in Jail.
After landing he, struck the Portland
and Rochester track at Woodforis, ana
, started along. But he was so wet and
cold that when he got along to VII
sons stable he went in for shelter. lie
represented that he had been thrown out
and had hurt his knee; and wished to be
Esent in to Dr. Freeman e. SmalPs IN
the city. So team was hitched up and
he was driven into the city.
DR.. Small was ill., and Webster took
possession of his office, and wrote a note
to Mr.. Ross, the barber, asking tho lat
ter to send him suit of dry clothes.
Mr.. Ross directed the messenger TO take
the note to Mr.. George Rounds STEP
father of Webster. Young Edward Web
ster, brother of the fugitive, received the