The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-07-02
L o TO BREAK JAIL.
Pottsville Convicus Fooled In a Plan to
Escape.

lDere sre ABOUT ~ prisoners IN tine
Schuylkill county jail who expected to
celebrate the Fourth OF July on the outside
of the cold walls of the big bastiIe. Each
one had made preparations for a hurried
exit on the Fourth by forcing their W y to
liberty, hut their plans were discovered,
and they will continue a forced retirement
from the great outside, t%htobbing world.
Their confederates on the outside, who by
the way, are ex-iail birds aud burglars who
served long terms bad arranged to assist
them. hut their own pals betrayed hem in
the nick OF time. It was a bod, desperate
carried if Information bad not reached the
Jail officials of the proposed dash for lib
erty.
Dennis Slattery, of Shenandoah, who has
about four months to serve on a % year
sentence, for burglary was tine arch
conepirator in the bold ga ne. Stat.
terry vas to be a kind Of stool pigeon to aid
the others to escape while he remained be-
hind as ne has only a short time to serve.
1t was Slattery who conceived the ploo and
now Dennis is doomed to spend longer
term in jail than he expected for he Will
not receive the communication that prisoners
are entitled to, which means thre or four
u1uDbuo u his va C., DGuuloj IL VIII NC l6-
membered shipped yarn aud stockings to
persons outside the jail during the admin
i~stration of a former warden and his theft
was only discovered after be had carried on
the smuggling business for some time,
Charles Williams. alias ''Le0anon
Charley i" who is serving seven years for
burglary, and Fred Fitzmeyer and w. B.
Mccarthy, who got a year apiece for bur-
glarizing the 2. & R. depot at Gilnerton,
we're the CHIEF conspirators associated with
ConspiratOr Slattery. Several others were
in the plot but took no active part. Will
llams' home is at Lebanon where he is known
to the police as a desperate burglar. He
broke out of the Lebanon Jail twice and
when he has served his time in the Pot =
vile Jail the Lebanon authorities will take
charge of him. After Williams escaped he
came to this county and operated through
the Mahanoy Valley, where he was caught
red handed. His right name is not Will
liams. He is a Pennsylvania German,
about 33 years old and is wanted at Eas-
ton. FItzmeyer halls from Pottsville and
was arrested with Mccarthy. The latter
claims to be a pugilist and came here about
a year ago a stranger to arrange a boxing
match. He says his home is at Pittsburg,
That the Carlisle gang of burglars, which
several years ago, was broken up by the
POttsvIlle police, is not dead, is plainly to
be seen by the discoveries made in the past
few days. Some of the members of this
gang served long sentences, but several
escaped through the skylight aud are fugr-
tives from Justice. Fitzmeyer vas in COM
municatiou with one of this gang who was
to furnish saws and other tools to aid him
and the other prisoners to escape On the
glorious Fourth. Ten days ago Warden
Brewer lee ived information that this ex-
convict was to call at the Jail and deliver
the tools to his imprisoned pals. A close
watch was kept for this fellow and
sure enough he came. 1t was last
Wednesday afternoon when he presented
his pass at the door aud asked to see Fitz-
meyer. Another mar accompanied him.
After the doors closed on the pair Warden
Brewer asked this ex convict why he
wanted to see Fitzmeyer aud the reply wat
to "talk t. him. The fellow became i'm
pertinent and when the Warden com.
manded him to get out, he showed a dis.
position to be ugly. But he left, vowiup
to report the matter to the commissioner
which he did, nj he did not accomplish
ANYTHING by doing that. Then the plotting
c%onvicts were told of the discovery, aud
they were placed in separat7 cells IN soli'
tary confinement.
1t is customary on the Fourth of July tC
give the prisoners a lemonade and cake
treat in the yard. The celebration is con
fined to the south western corner of the
ward ia front of the Warden's office. Fitz
meyer aud the Others were to quietly leave
the crowd and once behind the wash hous,
nobody would see them. The plan was t.
saw one Of the iron bars On the windOS
Of the coal house, enter through the win
dow and climb the stairs leading to thu
apartments occupied by Deputy Warden
Carter and his family, ia the northeastern
portion of the jail Once in the Goa
house it was an easy matter to gain thr
Deputy's apartments and walk out into thI
free air of liberty. The Plan might hav,
worked but for its discovery. Iron clamp
have been placed on these bars and ever
though an effort should ever be made 4
saw them escape would be impossible.
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