The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-18
WENDALL IS FREE.
sIXTY-DAY PRISONER ON THE
CHAIN GANG ESCAPES.
The Police Department Attempt to
Hush Up the Most Sensational
Affair of the Week-Bread and
Water Threatened With DiscIo-

The most sensational item in police
circles during the past week was the
escape from custody in the chain gang
at noon Friday, of Henry Wendall, a
sixty-day convict, sentenced for lar
ceny. The police department used
every means to stop any and ali leaks
that might betray the knowledge to
the public of this escape, as Wendal
was looked upon as a sort Of prize
prisoner.
Along about the 9Th to the 10th of
this month the police were notified
that some thief or thieves were MAX
ing wholesale raids on electric light
globes in various buildings about the
city. At one time every officer on the
force and all the night watchmen in
the large buildings were peeping on
tip-toe to discover who was swiping
these globes, and finally Officer Bur-
bidge located Wendall, who is a print
er by trade, and very smooth talker
as well as a much-traveled tourist,
who had an electric lamp in his pos
session when arrested on suspicion.
In the first trial given him Wendall
convinced the court that he was a
most unjustly suspected man; that he
had purchased the globe in his pos
session for his room, and was about
to be discharged when Prosecutor
James made a special request of the
court that Wendall be held another
day in order that the prosecutor might
bring in evidence that he could find
that would surely convict him. There
seemed little hope, but Wendau was
held for another twenty-four hours
and John James went out and did a
little sleuthing himself.
By the most kindly accident Prose
cutor James found a witness who could
identify the globe in Wendall's possess
sion. 1t was of peculiar make and
brand and fitted exactly in the place
from whence it was stolen. WendalI
was accordingly sentenced to sixty
days labor, more because he was so
smooth of tongue than the mere Of
Tense of stealing an electric globe. He
commenced his labors in durance vile
on the 18th, and was the most genial
and light-hearted among all the
twenty two men on the gang watched
and guarded by Officers Al MacOuar-
~, s. I. Smith and Joseph Raleigh.
Wendan SLips the Guards.
1t was at the noon luncheon on Fri
day that Wendall took his ticket of
leave. He had worked like a beaver
ali the morning on the new
street that is being cut through
from the new boulevard to the Site of
the new capitol on the hill. AS he
grubbed and picked and shoveled he
sang and whistled and incidentally
went from man to man, and in soft
whispers said goodbye None Of
the men could imagine how he was 60
ing to do it, but they all knew he had
SRhpn1G n 70 yTyt.
bided their time, and when they were
marched down to the gravel corral
ITO eat their lunch, Woodall was the
arst man to grab one side of the huge
water can and march off with his side
OF 1t along with the most sturdy man
on the gang. He walked all the way
to the quarry without changing hands
with his heavy load, and with it he
whistled and sang and made merry,
while the balance of the crew were
subdued to silence and unbearable
grief with the heat
When the gang and the guards were
all inside the City Creek canyon cor
raj, and were supposedly seated around
in circle at an imaginary festal
board and spread, Woodan had lodged
down behind the big water can, and
like an eel craWled under the gate and
then kept the cabin of Macquarry be-
tween him and the gaze of the guards
until he escaped up the canyon and
lost himself to all interest or care Of
the chain gang. His disappearance
was not noted by the three guards un-
til they were returning to jail after
the afternoons work. Then there was
howl from the guards, but nobody
knew anything. Every prisoner was
told to keep mum. or take bread and
water, and of course when the guards
informed Captain Donovan of what
had transpired they got verbal tat
too like the proverbial Paddy gave the
drum. Every officer was chided to 81
lence, but like any good thing pent I'D
1t is bound to get out, and as a news
item The Herald cites this exclusively
this morning.