The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-27


What are all the men going out OF
the city prison for asked a little boy
at 8 o'clock yesterday morning as he
| peped through the railing that sur
rounds the clerk s desk at police head
quarters.
How is that?" asked Jailor Beard.
What men" said Clerk Adams.
why a whole lot of men came out
of tn eprison and just scattered out
that way" said the little fellow.
Clerk Adams and Tailor Beard ran be-
low and the door of the pen and the
| outside door We're standing wide open.
\ hasty survey revealed the fact
that fourteen prisoners were gone and
ten men were sitting on the west side
1 Of the cages some of them playing cards
and when the officers came was the first
intimation that they had that the doors
were not locked.
OF the men that escaped two were ar
rested for burglary and twelve for
lettering, but some OF them were sus-
| pected of being dangerous characters.
Almost Immediately after the escape
Chief Massey drove up to the prison in
his buggy and little inquiry showed
that the men had run south all together
| the two cOlored men who were under
arrest for burglary in the lead.
The colored men made good time and
some of the trampS that always wore
a tired look ran until their coat tails
stood straight out or pointed a little
upwards.
Chief Massey and officer \. NJ. SUIT
ton started south in hot pursuit. When
the escaped men got a few blocks south
of the city prison they began To scatter
and by the time they reached the Wich-
tia and Western track each man was
going it alone.
Sutton kept right down Market street
and Massey with his horse on the run
began to make circuits to the eastward
and soon began to pick up the men.
As soon as he succeeded in picking up
two men ne would come in and hand
them over to Sutton and when the
officers reached Harry street Sutton
had eight men rounded up and two more
were captured at English park, making
ten in all.
Two buns succeeded in reaching the
timber and Chief Massey thinks they
are running yet. and have probably by
this time reached the territory.
Chief Massey said that the only
=
erinS and gave them an extra scare
when he concluded to give up tie chase.
The men had then ran about two miles
and Massey says their wind was still
good and that he has unbounded admi-
ration for the SpTinting ability of those
two men.
The two burglars were still at large
but after Chief Massey and officer SU--
ton returned To police headquarters
with their herd the tvs colored men
accused of burglary evidently concl'Id-
ed that escape was hopeless or that it
might go harder with them if captured
and they came in and surrendered.
Jailor Beard insists that he locked the
door but Chief Massey suspended him
pending an inVeStiga tion, and the po-
lice commissioners will make an in
VeStigation i'm order to ascertain whsth-
er Jailor Beard was negligent.
Jailor James Beard claims that when
he first went down stairs To the prison
after the escape and asked the men
who remained how the door was opened
that colored boy said they unlocked il
with wire but some of the men Jerck-
ed him back in the cell and then ne re-
fused t. say anything more about il.
\ reporter went down 10 the prison
after the prisoners were returned and
asked how they had escaped but they
refused to talk about il.
one young cOlored man begged for
tobacco and the reporter showed him a
pretty good twist of tobacco and offered
It 10 him if he would tell how the men
opened the door, but he refused. Clerk
Charles Adams held up a plug Of
''graVely'' tobacco temptinEly before
the young mans eyes. He looked long
ingly a the tobacco but refused to talk
about the escape.