The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-28
MAKES HIS ESCAPE
SEDGWICK COUNTY JAIL WOULDN'T
HOLD Mr.. HARRIS.
He Was Sick and Took Advantage of the
Tailor and Cut His Way Out-His Alb
sence Not Discovered Until Yesterday
Morning--Was Put in an Upstairs Cei'
and Removed the Brick in the Wall-He
Was United States Prisoner Held for
Fraudulent Use of the Mails-Ohicers
Not Blamed.

F. E. Harris United States prisoner
made his escape from the Sedgwick
county Jail night before last and his abb
sence was not discovered until daylight
| yesterday morning.
Harris had been quite sick and was
given a cell up stairs in the northeast
corner Of the building and from this
room he made his escape by removing
some brick next to the window from
which it was easy to swing TO the
I ground below.
The cell was not considered very Sc
/ cure hut owing to the state OF Harris
health it was not supposed that he
would try to make his escape. Dr.Hoff
man had reported Harris quite sick
some ime ago and advised the jailor 10
give him better cell. He was rapid
| ly improving but was not fully recov-
cred when he escaped.
! So far as could be learned yesterday
no blame was attached to Sheriff Royse
of Jailor Horner. The opinion seemed
! to prevail that under the circumstances
| the jailor was juStifiable in removing
| Harris from the rotary cells and CIV
! ing him a more. comfortable place.
/ Deputy Sheriff Hays said yesterday
and the the only way for him 10 avoid
| censure was to throw all feelings of hu-
mainly to the winds and store the pris-
/ oners away like so many wild beasts
/ and that he said was sometimes hard
thing for man who had any humanity
in him to do.
! f. E. Harris was arrested at Peabody
! on the 18th day of last December by
Postoffice Inspector W. Z. Cochran on
the charge of fraudulently using the
/ United States mails.
| Harris is considered an all round crook
and is called Harris because he gave
! that name when taken before United
I States Commissioner Sherman for
preliminary hearing. He has been
/ known by several names and the Uni
ted States authorities do not know what
| is his real name.
II is alleged that his scheme was this:
| He would go to a town and after re-
manning long enough to learn the names
of some prominent citizens he would
write to some manufacturer of medi-
cine telling him that he wished to ham
die the medicines which the man or
firm to whom he wrote was making
and would give the names of proml-
nent citizens as reference. The manu-
facturers We're I'm the habit of selling
medicines on time and they would send
the desired medicines to Harris who
WOULD dispose Ol anu 81 soiHC-
where else and repeat the operation.
Some OF these manufacturers OF
medicines thought they were losing too
much money and a comparison showed
that there was a remarkable reSemb-
lance in the hand writing of these men
who had been swindling them and
that perhaps one man was going from
place TO place and sending in orders
for goods.
The attention of PostofIlce Inspector
Cochran was called TO il and he ran
Harris down and finally captured him
at Peabody, as above stated.
When Harris was brought before
United States Commissioner Sherman
he waived his preliminary and his bond
was placed at 81 900 which he failed 10
give and was committed to the county
jail.
Sheriff Royse says he has offered 500
reward for the capture of Harris but
last night had heard nothing or MN:
The supposition is that Harris got out
of the city last night.