The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-14
THEN CLIMBED DOWN A TH1R-
TY-FOOT CHAIN.
A NEGRO MAN WAS GUARDING THEM
He Denies That He Went to Sleep, But He
Has Been Dismissed Boodhounds
Now On the Track of the
Fugitiyes.

day.
The missing men were all negroes, and
all new men except one; and he is life
prisoner. who has been in the peniten-
4iary about three years. Their names
are:
JOHN JOHNSON, convicted of bur-
glary in Buncombe county, and sent up
for ten years; had been IN the penleeh-
tiary three months.
John HALLIBURTON, convicted
of burglary in second degree IN 1redell
county and sent up for life; had been
in the penitentiary since Nov. %, 1894.
JOHN RICHARDSON, convicted of
larceny in Rockingham county, and sent
up for one year; had been in the peniten-
tiary about two months.
YAOHE SIMMONS, convicted of
larceny IN New Hanover county and sent
up for one your; had bee IN the peniten-
tiary only a month.
RUFUS GIBSON, convicted of at
tempting to rape a negro girl in Guilford
county and sent up for seven years; had
been in the penitentiary three months.
An iron rod cut from the grating of a
second story window in the main build
A0g, chain HdHSlHS oub anu tAtChNihS
within three feet of the ground; a lad
der against the stockade; hurried tracks
without the wall-these told only too
well the story of why these FIVE men
were not present.
And this is about all that the peniten-
tiary authorities knew of the matter
when i called there at 10 o'clock yester-
day morning. The FIVE men, with two
other eenviets-little negro boys-were
confined in a second story room in the
southeastern corner of the main build
ing. They were put here by themselves
because they had the itch, which is con-
tagious.
A negro, named Smith, from East Raj
eigh, was guarding them Thursday night.
He knew nothing of the escape, but
Miss Hampton, an inmate of the GRIMM
al insane department, which is in this
end of the building, says she saw the five
men run off in the moonlight, between
IL and IL o'clock. Two of them, she
says. went for the ladder, while the
others hurried toward the wall.
Smith, the negro guard, denies that he
was asleep, but this did not keep him
from being discharged yesterday morn
ing 1t was his duty to walk up and
down the. hall in front of the room
where these men were confined. There
was brilliant electric light burning
within and he could easily have looked
through the large grated door and seen
shat the birds had flown. But he didn't
see it.
The cenvicts feared, though that he
might happen to come along and glance
in, so the fellow who slept nearest the
door fixed his bed clothes in the shape of
a sleeping man and then took a spitton,
about the color of a negro's head, and
placed it in the head of the bed. 1t was
a poor arrangement, it is true, but it
was sufficient to fool negro guard or
else he was too dead fast asleep to come
every now and then and look in as was
his duty.
The window through which the men
escaped was one opening into bath
room. The doors to this should have
been locked, but they were not. The
eonvicts knew they ought to be locked
and so, during the day, they prepared
for it's being done by taking one of them
almost entirely off it's hinges, leaving it
hanging by part Of a top hinge only.
But SO eeverly was it done that it
could not be detected unless one pulled
at the door when it was open.
But such precaution on the part of
the conspirators was unnecessary. The
doors were not locked. So as soon as
all was quiet the men slipped into the
bath room and began work. They had
sharp steel saw made from spring tax
en- from an old fly fan. They had been
using it in making rings and other trim
kets. With it one can cut through an
iron rod, an inch in diameter, in half an
hour, and make very little noise while
at it. Having cut the rod at the bottom
they pulled it back, leaving a small OPEN
ing large enough for a man to squeeze
through. But it is hard to imagine how
a man the size OF John Hanyburton, who
weighs $50 pounds, could have gone
through 1T.
From the window to the ground is
some 80 feet or more. But in the room
was a chain just about that length. 1t
had been used in combining two violently
insane men and then was left there by the
authorities most inexcusable over
sight. This chain was attached to the
iron grating and the men climbed safely
down il to the ground.
The two negro boys in the room say
they were asleep and knew nothing of
the escape of the men.
As soon as it was discovered that they
were gone, early yesterday morning, the
two young blood-hounds that are being
trained to run convicts, were put upon
their track. They went about two miles
and then lost the trail completely. Yes
terday afternoon, however, telephone
message came from Morrisville saying
that three of the convicts had just passed
through that place. Two men with the
blood-hounds at once took the train
for Morrisville.
Nothing has since been heard from
them. The authorities believe they will
capture the men within the next forty
eight hours.