The record-union., 1897-08-22
He PLAYED IN HARD LUCK.
HITTELL ALMOST ESCAPED
FROM THE CITY PRISON.
But Patrol Driver Fitzgerald's q
Sharp Ears Detected the
Noise He Made.

The City Jail came near being the
scene of an escape last night.
About a quarter past Patrol Driver
Fitzgerald, who was sitting in the office
of the Captain OF Police, heard the
noise OF hanrnering, and went to see
what WAS the cause. AS he stepped
into the back yard he saw a man in
what is known as the female ceL'
at work IN the circular window,
through which air and light are ad-
Enitted to the cell.
He immediately notified Night Jailer
Plunkett, and they proceeded to the
cell, which was occupied by Charles
d. HifteH, the man arrested by Officer
Talbot for breaking into a maa car,
and l.. E. Reed, who was arrested for
hirn-fiamrning several saloon-keepers
with the change racket" AT first
glance everything appeared all right
and the men were lying ON their hunks.
An examination OF the window, how
ever, disclosed the fact that an hour or
two more OF uninterrupted work
would have enabled both the
prisoners to escape. Hittell had been
at work with a couple of pieces or
galvanized iron, digging the mortar and
bricks out of the wall, and had made
hole about eighteen inches deep in the
middle part of 1t, through which he
could eventually have dropped the
grating down, and both could have
crawled out to liberty.
He had first taken out the piece OF
sheet iron that lined the window, and
which was loosened by Sid Frost in his
attempt to escape some months ago.
and had then dug down into the center
of the thick brick wall into the new
mortar and bricks that had been put
IN after Frost's attempt. The mortar
he had carefully taken care OF by tuck
ing 1t under the mattress OF the DUNK
on which he stood while working, while
the sheet iron and bricks had been evil
dertly passed down to his cell-mate
and tucked away out Of sight In
lower berth. Reed denied all compile
ity in the attempt but gave no ex-
cuse for not giving the alarm except
that ''he thought the officers would
hear AHittell at work.
They we're removed to different cells
and Hiteell was searched, but nothing
was found on him He displayed con-
Siderable bravado, and informed the
officers that he had beaten number of
1aifs, and that only last Saturday night
he. had broken jail at Ogden, where he
had been arrested for breaking into
nnaaF.car. He said-he did the work IN
fhas, case with q piece of iewsharp and,
thesHwo pieces OF galvanized iron.
Chief Drew, when the attempt was
discovered, sasd he was not at all sur
prfsed> He had shown the window to
nearby all the Board OF Trustees after
Frosst's attempt to escape, and had
asked TO 1xawe It fixed, and they had
all promised IL should be done, but
no<naGg had been done, and he did not
know that anything would be until
some prisoners had escaped through
the .wfrrdow.
HSt4ssn is al snooth-faced young fell
TbEr. OF aAbout 135 pounds weight and
rather below medium hight The Of
fcers~rhsnk he is wanted elsewhere Ter
surne crfmes as they have discovered
that his hair has been dyed red, and
herarss no hesitation in acknowledging
thzst IRE is an ord offender. 1T may De
that some Eastern Sheriff would be
glad to get hold of him.
About 9 O'Clock Reeds wife came
down to the Jail with a vest, shirt col
lar and necldtie for him. The officers
examined thern, and in the vest pock-
ct they found a bogus check on D. O.
Mklls' bank for S107. It is evident that
Reed expected to escape with HitteH,
and proposed to get his clothes and
something to start in business with
again after he got out, but he Will have
to wait a while.
II was learned later from Hitten that
Reed, the bunco sharp, "bossed the
lob" though he did not handle any OF
the bricks, for fear the officers would
see the stains on his hands when taken
from the cell to see his wife, whom he
was expecting to call.
HittelI says that Reed told him to
make the hole good and big, so that he,
too, could get through it