Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-07-09
TIE SCHEME
 FRUSTRATED,
PRISONERS ATTEMPT TO SAW THEIR WAY TO FREEDOM
 FROM THE COUNTY JAIL.
The Vigilance of Jailor Gibson Puts a Stop to the Work After One Bar Had Been
 Sawed Through.

EdWCA HI uAS H.
 Ii is, doubtless, due to the vigilance of Jailor Gibson that the six desper- a te murderers and one rape fiend, be- sides the other criminals of minor importance confined in the Jefferson county jail, are now behind prison bars, and not at liberty to prey upon the public.
 Three weeks ago Mr. Gibson dis covered that some of the prisoners were making an attempt to saw their way to liberty through the chilled steel bars of the jail. He, feel ing sure that he was master of the situa ton, kept the matter quiet and placed the most desperate characters in separate cells, where they have since been confined. At the time Mr. Gibson made the discovery that the prisoners were making an attempt to saw their way to freedom, he made a search of the jail from top to bottom, and this search resulted in his finding three pieces of soft iron broken from a bed slat in one of the cells. These pieces gave evidence that attempts had been made with them to saw the bars of the cell, but the iailor was convinced that some one of the prisoners had a more effective tool with which to saw, as one of the hard. chilled steel bars had been cut through.
 On yesterday MT. Gibson notified Sheriff Triplett of the attempt of his prisoners, and asked him to allow Robert Johnson to aid him in mak- ing another search of the prisoners and the jail. The search was made, and resulted in three pieces Of shoe sp"ing Ga piece of hard steel from the sole of q shoe) being found. One piece was in q cell occupied by Fluke Flemming, another in the cell of Fred Cloud and the third piece in the cell ot Jack Thomas, three of the most desperate criminals in the jail This morning a GRAPHIC reporter visited the jail, interviewed MT. Gib- son and was shown the damage done by the prisoners and the articles with which they had at tempted to cut out of jail, and it is simply amazing that such work could be done. and shows how much can be done with patience and time.
 In speaking of the work of his prisoners, Mr. Gibson said:
 "Fluke Flemmlng, a rapist, occupi- ed cell No. , up stairs. Next to him in cell No. } was Fred Cloud, who killed the woman in the Barraque street house of ill fame. On the same floor was Jack Thompson. mur- derer from Arkansas county sent here for safe keeping, who being sick and on account of good behavior and the advice of his attorney, l allowed the priveleee of the "bull run" Cell No. 1, a back, right hand corner cell, was vacant, not having been occupied since January. l al- lowed the three prisoners to exercise i'll this cell, and it was in there that they attempted to saw out. Their work was done during the day for l locked them in their cells al- ways before dark. They proposed to saw through the bars, seize me and make their escape. Since lock ing them up, three weeks ago not a scratch has been made on the bars, and the search yesterday, l am sure, resulted in us finding all the pieces of steel which they used in cutting the bar. 1 realize the grave responsibili- ty which rests on me, having now in jail six murderers, and one rapist, to say notbing of the others for larceny, assaults, etc, confined here, and 1 am using the utmost caution to pre- vent any of the criminals from escap- ing.'
 Y. M. c. A. Notes.