The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-23
THIS TAKES THE BUN
A Most Remarkable Case of a Most
Mysterious Disappearance.
THE CHAIN GANG Is SHORT
Where the Half Dozen Prisoners
Are or How In Butte They Man
aged to Escape Is a vex-
atIous Question.
THE CHAIN GANG is SHORT

Another most remarkable case of
mysterious disappearance was reported
In Butte yesterday and the strangest
part of IL is that three or four or per-
haps greater number of men vanish
ed so suddenly and completely that no
trace OF them can be found, and even
their names and their identity has not
been positively established, although
several deputy sheriffs have been
working diligently on the case for sew
eral days. But the men are missing
There Is no doubt about that though
every effort has been made TO keep the
matter quiet and the facts from the
public. The missing men were men,
bers of the county chain gang and for
a week or more have been breaking
rock in the Thompson stockade in East
Granite street Every morning, noon
and night a band of about 30 of them
have been marched to and fro from the
county Jail to the stockade in charge of
two guards. one of whom is more than
six feet tall and always carries a dou-
BILE barreled shotgun almost as big as
himself.
On Tuesday the usual number were
taken out, but when they were brought
back to Jail in the evening, they would
not check off correctly. They were
counted several times, but they only
came within three of the necessary
number. Three men were missing. but
what had become of them no one could
say. The remaining prisoners tried to
convince the guards that they had
made a mistake in counting the men
when they were taken to the stoclxade
but the officers knew better and an
instant search was made for the miss
ing men. Every closet and nook and
corner of the court house was searched,
but no hide or hair could be found
~ ~
or dropped into the earth, no one could
tell, but something had happened to
them. The prisoners guyed the guards
and one suggested that the men had
fallen by the wayside. but another said
that was improbable, as the guards
would have fallen over them and thus
discovered them. But the three are
missing and one of the chain gang
men told a reporter last night that
one or two others had escaped a few
days previous.
The officers in charge of the men re-
fused to talk about the mysterious af-
fair, saying they had orders not to say
anything. Under Sheriff Young was
equally uncommunicative. but denied
that five men were missing. He would
not say how many the chain gang was
short. but he said there were not so
many as FIVE. He could not, or would
not, say how they got away. but some
of them did disappear in some most
mysterious manner. He would not say
who the missing men were. but he
probably did not know.
One of the prisoners said last even
ing that one of the men was known as
Slim" and that he had been sent up
for II months and still had about nine
months to serve. According to the
prisoners story Slim was his part
ner In the chain gang when they were
returning from the stocKade on Tues
day evening. They marched close to
a passing street car and slim" simply
slipped his handcuff and stepped on
the car unobserved by the guards and
took ride over to the west side and
he has not been seen since. How the
other two got away no one seems to
know. !
The strange disappearance suggested
to the sheriff's officers the advisability
of making a thorough search of the
county jail for jail-preaking imple-
ments and the search was made yes
terday morning, but nothing was dis
covered. The escape of the men from
the chain gang was just what Sheriff
Reynolds had anticipated when the
commissioners ordered MIN to'work the
county prisoners, for the men are gen
orally too daring and desperate class
for a few inexperienced guards to ham
die, and the fact that they did escape
is no reflection upon the sheriff or his
off