The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-17

The news contained in The Herald
special of yesterday to the effect that
VIII Edison had escaped from the
county Jail caused intense excitement
in Ogden. Scores of citizens visited the
court house during the day to see the
manner in which the prisoners effected
their escape. but went away with
opinions as varied as could well exist.
That the three prisoners escaped from
the corridor by breaking hole through
the ceiling and crawling out through
it into the hallway there is no doubt
From this hallway they escaped by
wrenching a transom from over the
door and climbing out through the
exit thus made. But how did the pris-
oners escape from the Jail proper into
the corridor, or rather how did they
get the door of the cells unlocked
That is the mysterious and mooted
question.
Jailor E. II Wright asserts positively
that he double locked the door at $40
o'clock He remembers the time so well
because Edison called out to him to tell
him the time Wright had not locked
the cell door before because Deputy
Sullivan had the keys.
The prisoners are kept in the steel
cells over night. but are frequently al
lowed in the corridor during the day.
They are not locked in individual cells,
but can pass in and out of each other s
doors To get out of the pen, as the
row of cells is called, there is but one
door. and this door is kept doubly
locked. In the first place a steel fiange
projects out over the edge of the door
and can only be thrown off by working
a lever which is outside on the end
wall of the row of cells. The lever is
within solid steel box locked with a
com bination safe lock of five tum blers.
Beside this the door is locked with a
huge paddock known as the bull lock.
This is opened by means of a thin
metal key having IL distinct notches.
This lock could not. be unlocked, from
the inside, even if prisoner had the
key. So. if the door was locked the
person doing so must have been on the
outside in the corridor. Jailor Wright
says il was locked.
The only prisoner in the corridor was
a man giving his name as Thomas
Johnson. He was cripple run in the
evening before on suspicion of being a
sneak thief
He says he knew nothing of the es-
cane until he heard the racket. He
also said that he had been in the
town but a few days; was from Seattle
about two months ago. He was not
searched when put in by Deputy Sui
Ivan. The first to hear the racket eX-
cept the prisoner were Janitor Connell
and his wife. John ChipD, who was
sleeping in an adjoining room, was
awakened soon after. In breaking
through the ceiling the wires connect
ing the batteries of the electric bell
system were encountered and the hc--
teries fell from a shelf with a crash.
The lath and plaster showed plainly
that the breaking had been from
within.
About o'clock in the morning Jani-
tor Council was reused from his sleep
by noises which sounded like some one
scuffiing. He arose and began to inves-
tigate. When he descended to the base
ment everything was quiet in Jail, and
coming upstairs he again heard the
noise, and thought it was in the room
OF County Superintendent of Schools
Hail. That room, however. was in
darkness. He again descended to the
jail, ana as he was descending the
stairs Edison was just opening the door
leading into the alley. Edison walked to
the northeast corner of the building,
and then made a dash for liberty, i'm
mediately disappearing in the dark
ness.
The following postal card circular has
been sent out:
The officers sent out kilograms and
two of the deputies went out on the
trail, but returned at 4 D. m. without
having found any clue. Sheriff Wright
is absent in Idaho. and was also absent
when the previous attempt to break
jail was made.
with Edison. was captured early yester-
day morning by Policeman Eggleston
near the depot. Eggleston did not
know the man, but owing to his sus-
picious movements. held him until
deputy came and identified him. He
had Edson's hat on and was clean
shaver, the removal of his beard max
ing quite a change in his appearance.
Earlswart shaved him between 8 and 10
o'clock. Earlswart is still at large He
was being held for trial for pilfering
at George 4 loves establishment.
We'll was one of the two men who
worked a confidence game with the adj
Vertising contract scheme. He SAYS
he was asleep about o'clock when
others woke him up. telling him he
might go if he chose. John Peterson,
recently from the Industrial school.
says that Earlscourt had learned OF
the combination and told the cripple
on the outside how to unlock the door
On the previous day he had unlocked
il several times. Not much credence is
to be placed in the story. as he had
told different ones to other parties
1t is thought Edison must have had
friends or the outside. Since he has
been in jail he has frequently boosted
that he would not be there long.
II is thought that at the time of the
other delivery he was only deferred
from going out by the getting of John
Chip. then trusty in the jail Since
then, Chip has been released. but was
sleeping in a room adjoining the cells
and has worked as roustabout. He
went out to the officers, soon after the
janitoT.
Deputy Sullivan. who is acting
sheriff. went to Provo yesterday to
take down an insane man. and after
wards took the trail
Sheriff Wright is expected back to-
day.
FSca0ed