The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1895-07-16
HOW BITTEL ESCAPED.


OF Tue -. Louis hep upilc scnus tue
following to the Republic relative to
the escape of Bittel:
The escape Of John T. Bttel the
Oklahoma c5unterfeitcr. from Deputy
Marshal viii O. Nix and Frank Mer
rick, territorial guard, on Thursday
night, has afforded quite rs much
amusement to the New York newspa
pers and the reading public as the re-
cent departure of the three post office
thieves from the Ludlow street Jail.
Bittels escape rivals in simplicity that
of Artemus Wards pirate. who, after
being confined for n years in 10 loath-
some dungeon. without foor or drink,
conceived the happy idea of opening
the window and getting out. The
facts, as they are recited by Frank
Merrick, are as follows "Bittel Is
we'll connected in Kansas City. lie
has n brother there who is said TO be
prominent and well-to-do business
man. John +. Bittel is the black sheep
OF the family Merrick says he is
natural born fool, but that is imma-
terial. Bittel turned up in Oklahoma
some months ago as a counterfeitcr,
and for time was successful. But
eventually he was run down in the
brush and caught He was tried at
Saltwater, and sentenced TO seven
years in the penitentiary. Il. d. Nix,
the United States marshal at Guthrie,
delegated his brother, who rs the chief
deputy, to conduct Bittel to Brooklyn
and lodge him in the Kings county
penitentiary AS an extra precaution
Frank Merrck was given guards
commission and instructed to accom-
pany Bittel and win Nix.
Neither Nix nor Merrick have ever
been east The former concluded TO
bring Mrs Nix along to see the sights
in New York The party started from
Guthrie on Monday last and arrived in
New York at 9:l5 o'clock Thursday
night. On the recommendation OF
friends Nix went TO the Cosmopolitan
hotel, intending to leave Mrs Nix be
fore proce eding 20 Kings county peni
tentiary. Bittel had been Well treated
enroute.
"We took the handouts aud chains
off in the daytime said Merrick in
telling the story, lin order not to hu-
initiate John any more than possible
At night we chained him to the rail
road seat When we went into the
dining car we took him with MS, and
whenever he wanted drink we
brought it to him"
In fact the Deputy Marshal and
Merrick treated Bttel like a "real gen
tleman." When they reached the Cos.
mopolitan Hotel the clerk assigned
them TO rooms on the second floor.
Bittel was hungry and 50 were the
Others in the party, so Deputy Nix de
cided TO order light meal for all
hands before taking his prisoner to
brooklyn. Nix, Mrs. Nix. Bittel and
Merrick were on the way to the din
ing room when the couuterfeiter es
capped. There is a turn in the stairway
leading from the second hoor To the
corridor Mrs. Nix was in front and
had Just made the turn. Bittcl came
next, with Nix Immediately behind.
MerrielS brought up the rear. Merrick
turned back to try the door OF his
room. Nix turned TO see what had be
come Of Merriek. lie says that his
head could not have been turned more
than cen seconds. When he ,and Mer-
rick looked around Bittel was nowhere
to be seen. They rushed into the din
ing.room, expecting TO find him there,
but the bird had flown. There are a
number of ways in which the counter
feiter might have escaped. lie could
have walked down the stairway aud
ont TO the street He could have en-
tered the elevator, and IN this way
reach the basement A third exit was
through the open court way in the
middle of the hotel The main fact,
however, is unchanged, lie escaped,
and is still at large Nix reported the
matter to Chief Conlin at once, and a
Bcueidl dlhIin WAS sent out, Win
full description of the prisoner
Merriek called at the Republic Bu-
reat this evening and told the story of
the escape as it really occurred. lie
said Nix and he felt badly over losing
Bettel but at the sa me time they had
nothing TO blame themselves for
Merriek is enjoying the notoriety occa-
stoned by the escape. The newspapers
today describe him as "a typical west
erner, with long curvlinear legs. that
look as II they had been moulded over
the back OF a broncho," and "a fair
type Of the western cowboy, who wears
wide expanse Of felt on his head and
leather suspenders. and several Of the
dailies publish dialect interviews with
Merrick, which he repudiates. As a
matter Of fact, young Merrick bears
little resemblance 20 a COW boy lie is
fair haired, neatly dressed young
fellow, who affects yellow shoes and