The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-30
PREFERS TO BE IN PRISON..
AN ESCAPED CONVICT FROM IOWA
SURRENDERs HERE.

G. J.. Howard, Alias Thos McGuire'
Alias o'NeiII, Says lie Escaped
From the Iowa Pcnitentiary mt
AnamOsa a Year AgO-Was Serving
2O-Year Sentence For burglary,
He snys-TeIIS an Interesting
story of His Escape.
A white man, who gave his name as
Thos. Mcclure, alias O'Neir, but who says
his real name is C. J. Howard, walked
into the police barracks yesterday morn
ing and surrendered himself 10 Lieut..
owen Reilly.
Howard said that he was an escaped con-
Wet from the Iowa state penitentiary,
having been sentenced there for burglary
for twenty years and having escaped
last fall. He explained his surrender by
saying that he preferred returning TO the
penitentiary to wandering around the
country and leading the existence which
he has led since his escape. The strangest
part about it is that he says that he is
not guilty CT the crime for which he was
convicted.
Howard further said that there was a
reward Of $50 for his arrest.
After questioning the man. Lieut.. Reilly
became satisfied that he was telling the
truth and locked him up.
He then telegraphed the warden Of the
penltentiaTy, P. W. Medden whose name
was given him by Howard inquirlng II
he wanted Thomas Mcclure, a convict,
who escaped in September 1885. He re-
ceived reply saying that no convict by
that name had escaped from the peniten
tiary. Lieut.. Reilly showed this to How
ard, who said that he was probably on the
books by the name Of O'Neill, one of his
assumed names. Lieut.. Reilly again tele-
graphed the warden and gave the names
OF two other men, Burns and Davis, whom
he said, escaped with him.
Howard, as he says his name is, told
an interesting story to a Morning News
reporter. He is AZ years old, he says,
looks worn and haggard and is very
poorly clad.
"a store was burglarized in Dubuque.
Iowa, in the spring Of 1894" he said, "and
a quantity of silks stolen, about $4,000
worth. A policeman, who chased the
gang as they were leaving the place.
was shot, but did not die. 1 was not i'm
the burglary, but happened to be with
the gang when the arrests were made.
Five other men were arrested. We were
all sentenced to twenty years and were
sent to the state penitentiary in Ana
mosa-
Il remained at the penitentiary for little
more than year and then escaped |
with two other men, Burns and Davis. |
Burns was in for burglary and Davis for !
highway robbery. They had a cell to- |
gether on the top floor and managed to |
cut a hole through the ceiling |
by saving through the soft limestone. The |
prisoners were allowed to have small saws /
and tools with which to make fancy arti- |
Giles in their leisure hours TO sell to visitors.
On holidays we were allowed TO be togeth- |
er in the yard.
Burns and Davis proposed their plan /
to me there. I was a sort of a trusty and /
was allowed more liberty than the other
prisoners. was to go on the sick list the 1
next day and then when the prisoners /
went to work, instead of going to the hos
pital, l was to slip back into the building /
to the cell occupied by Burns and Davis,
push up the block of stone they had sawed |
out and left in place. get up into the cell
ing and drop the block back in place. They /
were to supply me with food.
I'VE carried out this plan. 1t took me /
three days to cut through the iron roof. /
Then we all got out on top the building, |
climbed down the wall and escap- |
ed. The block of stone was
slipped back in place and It was some
time before they discovered how we had |
managed to escape. 1t was supposed that
had escaped from the yard three days /
before. We got clothes from an ex-con-
Wet in the town, and caught freight |
train for Clinton, Ia, where we separated. |
II have been all over the country since, /
and have been back TO Anamosa twice in |
the night time. / was on my way to |
Southern Florida, but concluded to give |
up this sort Of life and go back TO the PEN
itentiary. The reason 1 am willing to go |
back, is that have been informed by /
my friends that evidence has been Sc
cured to prove that / was not connected |
with the burglary, and that a pardon will /
be granted me-
Towards story is a very plausible one |
and he is evidently familiar with the pen
itentlary life at Anamosa. There was |
some suspicion, however that he mightbe |
only putting up a game for the purpose Of |
getting back to Iowa at the expense of |
the state.
He says there is a standing reward Of /
$50 for the recapture of each escaped con-
Wet, In addition to which, he says, the |
warden offered a reward of 500 and the /
governor an additional 500 for the return |
OF each OF the three men TO the peniten-
tiary who escaped as described by him.