The evening times., 1896-10-28
SAWED IRON BARS AND FLED
Murderer Jacques Escapes
From White Plains Jail.
NOT A DIFFICULT VENTURE
None of His Visitors Vas Ever
Searched, and He Had Freedom of
Corridors-Unguard for Twenty
Minutes Every Evening-Made Use
of Time to Get Away.

New York, Oct. 2S.-Eddie Jacques, alias
reter James, one of the Bedford Station
Burglars, and who has been confined In
the county Jail at White Plains for two
months on a charge OF completely in the
murder OF Walker Adams, escaped last
night by saving the bars of one OF the win
COWS, forcing them aside and crawling
through the opening made. on jumping
to the ground and scaling the fence sur
rounding the jall he was driven away by u
confederate who was in walung.
Duuug the beufcru station affair jacques
was badly wounded, AMI placed i'll the
jan hospital, where DR.. Birch, the coro-
nef, attended him.
Since jacques Indictment he has been
WATCHED night ana day, by order of the
sheriff. Several times recently the sheriff
has asked lnat the man be sent TO the old
jan, which is stronger than the new addi-
ton, and has its windows GOuble-barred.
DR.. Birch always advised against the re-
moval, and claimed that his patient was
too weak TO be transferred. jacques was
uugualded for Il half 10 threC-quarterS of
an hour each night, owing to Il faulty ar
rangement III the change uf guards.
JdiIer William .CLHsun sad last night
that jacques cell was never searched. al
though he was visited frequently by friends
ana hy his VIE ami uhuSittcr, neither were
the women searched, he said. as there was
NO matron at the jail. II was therefore an
easy matter IL convey to the burglar the
tools necessary for lis escape. In view Cf
tie desperate character Of the prisoner, the
means taken to prevent an escape seem to
have been very poor.
ESCAPED IN FIFTEEN MINUTES.
At 5:i5 last night, following the usual
custom, Jailcr William johnson. who is
brother OF Sheriff addison johnson. went
to the jail and let Day Waterman Robbins
out TO catch his JTaln. At $50 the .ailer
again opened the outside door and allowed
a keeper to take in jacques supper IL was
q O'Clock, or 6.U5, when the keeper came
out, and the door was again locked
At GEO young BrecSc arrived ana was
let into tie Jail for the night. He pro-
ceedcd 10 the second tier, where jacques
Cell is lcca ed, and found the door OF the
Cell open and his prisoner gone He sprang
at once TO the electric bell connecting the
sheriff's office and Jail and rang 1T fu-
riously
\ buried investigation showed tnat the
cell door had been pried open by mcans OF
bar or Jimmy, thus giving the prisoner
the liberty of the corridor. The lock on
the cell door is poorly fitted to stand the
assaults Of u burglar of the ability OF
Jacques. II is said that the cell door was
not even locked. and that Jacques was
corn dor.
it the east end of the corridor IS Win
dow about fourteen IRShes wide and ten
feet high. This window was secured hy
three iron bars three-qt a-tcrs OF an inch
in diameter and crossed by three Stats to
prevent them from be ing bent. Twoof these
bars had been saved off and forced out.
The " ire netting outside the bars was torn
from ITS faStenings and forced out.
Directly in front of the window is an
electric arc light, which was burning
brightly at the tiIue. The bar from which
il is suspended offered an easy step and
means OF making the fiftecn-foot drop
from the window to the ground below.
once outside the Jail only a tcn-foOt board
fence was between the prisoner and III"
street. \ recently constructed coal box and
shed furnished an excellent ladder. which
jacques used. and in a moment cleared
the fence and sprang into a buggy that
was waiting for him,
Benia,nin ki"ly, a gardener employed ut
the Rlgomiugdale Asylum. Is the only per
son known to hare witnessed the escape
lie was passing along MARITIME avenue, which
is back Of the jail and within fifteen feet
OF the building. When he was within two
hundred feet uf tn. gail be saw a man
jump to the ground from the window and
quickly appear over the fence.
He saw the waiting buggy and its &C
cupant. having passed bot moment be
fore. He observed the driver and thinks he
could identify him if lie saw him again.
FAVORED BY CHANCE.
At this time he did not realize the i'm
purt3nce of the sight he had witnessed,
and did not inform tie authorities OF tie
facts until after tie escape had been dis
covered h. them.
AT the time the escape took place
Strange coincidence, a Republican Cluh from
iorucnesIer. nIarcHcd through IN" village
by way of Railroad avenue, in front OF the
courthouse and Jail buildings. The music,
lights and fireworks attracted the atten-
ton Of everybody. and gave jacques an ex-
cellent opportunity to make his escape.
The driver of the horse and buggy has
been seen driving up and down MARITIME
avenue for several nights past, no doubt
waiting for Jacques 10 appear over the
fence. Certain it is that he could not
have accomplished the work in the twenty
minutes he was allowed TO care for himself
With a day and night watch it seems
hard to believe that the bars could have
been sawed while the watchmcn were on
duty.
Dropped the Duvall Case.