The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-15
EXCITING NHH-HUHT
T.
.0tt-r+f=se
SOME DIVERSION IN THE GRIND AT
THE SALTWATER PRISON
YESTERDAY.
SAM BALTIMoRE,s ESCAPE
IS THE SENSATION OF A FEW
HOURS FOR HABITUEs AND
~ VISITORS ALIKE.
COMMISSION PUT IN A BIG DAY,
..- 49,
Holding Evening Session In n
Vain Attempt to Close Up
% the Testimony.


sam OdlllI1OGe was TIE HleleOIlC Sle1I
Z In the sensational revelations of the
state prison at Saltwater yesterday.
N Sam Baltimore is a negro who, when
! he was the coachman for no less i'm
: posing a public character than Health
9 Commissioner A.. ]. Stone, of this city,
' was accounted one of the most lah-
5 de-dah cullud gents" on the hill. But
one day Sam let his anger rise at enc
? of the white servants in the family
and he beat her with cane, for which
y he was sent to the Saltwater prison
= for eight years, which term of service
= began Nov. II, 1895.
Sam, perhaps, has the racial failing
= Of carelessness at figures, for he fig
ured that yesterday morning was the
last morning Of his service. By dtnt
z of good behavior while in the prison
walls Sam had passed from the sec
, Ond grade into the first, and he was so
far trusted by the warden that he was
! made a trusty and permitted to take
; care of the prison horses, which are
, kept in a barn in the rear Of the war
-den's residence just outside the prison
walls. To take care of these horses
I Baltimore has been wont to rise early,
that the equines might be we'll fed be-
n fore the days work for ordinary work
a-day creatures should begin That
= means. at@th4s season Of the year that
; Sam had to rise by early candle light.
: Sans usual smile was on his face
/ when he saluted the turnkey yester-
! day morning, preparatory to going out,
as was supposed, to feed the horses,
but and why. for had he not stopped
at the kitchen complaining that he
was not feeling well and "conned" the
ont of q Of T1iP Tea
But behind that black mask of kindli-
ness and merriment there lurked a
base design Baltimore was going to
run away from prison, and that, too,
without his breakfast. The ties of
trust were to be rudely sundered, no
more would affectionate horses tug
~ endearingly at the collar of the gray
suit that appeared at the manger every
breakfast time; no more would the
bland Good mo'nin', sab" Of society's
once pampered favorite greet the early
rising villager.
When daylight broke upon the war
dens lawn Washington, who swept
off the walks usually, was not to be
seen. A hasty search revealed no trace
Of him except in pen and ink. In five
minutes Saltwater was excited as never
before in years. In a quarter of an
hour guards were hurrying through the
county to proclaim to all the people
that a state. reward of $50 awaited
him who would. return the fugitive to
the somber castle by the St. Croi2.a But
over hill and dale Sam Baltimore was
seurrying, hoping to find shelter in
Minnesota street before his departure
should be publicly known.
In an hour Washington county was
In no Of
as those Of slavery days. Citizens gath
cred: in the postoffice and waited with
! bated breath the latest news from the
pursuing posses. Ayaricious brakemen
anXiously scanned the broad fields for
q happy black face and a suit of Con-
federate gray. Guard Parker, who has
been pictured in the early prison tes-
timony as nagger of helpless con-
ViCts into suicide and the brutal bruis-
er of inOffensive prisoners, appeared in
the chase in a buffalo coat and plat
form wagon, while less noted prison at
taches flew hitheP and thither over the
farmsteads of Lily lake and White
Bear
Philanthropic commissioners listened
1nterestedly to the narrative of Balti-
mores informal leave-taking, and men
tally pictured the cruelties that might
the prison bloodhounds should have
hunted him ruthlessly to his lair.
But the excitement lasted but a few
hours When the st. Paul & Duluth
train arrived at 315 and slowed up in
front of the prison portal who should
drop out of the baggage car but Sam
Baltimore
Behind him were four young men.
g., three. of,whQm We're armed with terri
ble-looking shot guns, while the fourth
toted behind him on a piece of clothes
line a water spaniel who acted as
though he was utterly sick and tired
of his farce-comedy bloodhound role,
and wanted to go right back to Wild
wood for alduck hunt. A rat terrier.
with more spirit than dignity, gambol-
ed breezily at the heels of the still
thorough composed Baltimore who.
with hands thrust unconcernedly in
his trousers pockets, looked puzzled
as TO whether he had made fool of
himself OF a hero.
What does this mean, Baltimore
asked the warden as the fugitive
lounged lazily up the steps.
oh, 1 was just out TO stroll" re-
piled. Baltimore. and the heavy gates
changed behind him again.
e->se Ten minutes later his neat trusty
costume of gray had been DOTTED, and
IN its place were the felon's stripes.
In another ten minutes Otto and
Max krauSe, and David KleiSe and
- Frank Dornfeldt,- the young farmers
who had brought Baltimore back. were
hurRying away with S12.50 each in their
jeans, and the Baltimore incident was
closed
The n2an-hunt was ended, and Still
water could sleep in peace again.
1t was welcome relief in a n-hour
desert of endless denials which consti-
tuted the general tenor Of the defen-
sve testimony. Over a score Of wit
nesses were examined largely to i'm
peach the accusative testimony, and
the only news that developed was
sbraught. out by the. comm ssioners. them
selves 1t appears that during their Sc
.cret session the commissioners got into
some hot leads" and the case of John
Reed. the man whose finger Is said to
have been broken in an assault COM
nnttted while he was manacled in the
solitary, is being subjected to an eX-
haustiye inquiry by the commissioners
The case of Lee, who was in the sol-
tary for row in the dining room the
morning the commission first inspected
the prison. is also being inquired into
by the commission, as is a previously
unheard of incident about one P. K.
Larson. who it seems, is said to have
been beaten in the solitary one night in
September. 1895. The star witnesses of
the defense, with the exception of De-
putty Lemon himself, were very largely
disposed of yesterday, the commission
sitting until nearly p. m, in a vain
endeaVor to finish the case last night.
1t was then decided to meet again to-
morrow morning at the capitol to con-