Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-05-21
LUKE BRADSHAW OF BoNDv111E

An Attempt to Escape from Renn,np-
ton jail I'm which lie May Have Rsen
the Le"der---An Interesting ReveIn-
uon in His Case at His Home In Win.
hail.
well planned, but carefully concealed
attempt to escape on the part of the
prisoners in Bennington Jail, was discov-
cred last Friday by States Attorney Bates
and Deputies Nash and Godfrey of Rem
nington and Sheriff Wilson of Arlington.
just who the ringleader in the attempt
was has not yet been determined. but
the job has been attributed, naturally
enough, to Luke Bradshaw, the Bondville
negro, who was committed to Bennington
Jail last fall in default of $1,000 bail. charged
with breaking and entering the house of
DIR. L. A. Flandreau of Bondville. The
story OF Bradshaw's arrest and of his nm
6ridled lust, revealed by the story of his
own stepdaughter, was told in detail in
The Phoenix of Jan. S.
The attempt of the prisoners to escape
was brought to light in a letter which
Sheriff Wilson received several DAYS ago
from Thompson Niles of Windsor, in which
1t was stated that an attempt had been
made to break jail and telling about where
in the Jail wall, the place where the at
tempt was made would be found Niles
also stated that some of the tools used in
the work had been drawn in through the
window with string, and that he knew
VINO furnished them. He also stated in
his letter that he had reason to believe
that Bradshaw was the one who made the
attempt, and that he had sent to his
| uh I,.;11 60 1,
revolver and a box of cartridges, saving
that he would use them before he would
go to state prison.
The letter was turned over to the states
attorney who, with the officers named,
made an investigation Friday afternoon.
Before beginning the search, Bradshaw,
upon whom suspicion at once fell, was
| locked in cell. The other prisoners were
then questioned in the matter. At first
they denied all knowledge of any attempt,
but finally one of them told the whole
story.
Removing a piece of cloth that had been
pasted upon one of the brick walls and
them whitewashed over, the prisoner dis
closed a space 81 inches long and inches
high from which brick had been removed
and then replaced. The prisoners had
succeeded in getting through two courses
of brick, but a sheet of boiler iron, which
interviewed, prevented further operation in
that direction. Five other places were
found where work had been begun, but
had to be stopped because of the boiler
iron. The mortar, chips and dirt had
been disposed Of The work was done
with two iron braces which had been taken
out of chairs and flattened by the use of a
file which was found, with the braces,
about Bradshaw's bed.
Under the stairs leading to the upper
tier of cells was found belt, and one OF
the last things revealed was knife. 1t is
thought that these things may have been
Struggled into the Jail by Bradshaw
mother who has visited Bradshaw in the
Jail, twice going to Bennington on foot.
An inquiry sent to Jailer Reed at Ben.
nington ELECTS the statement that, what.
ever others believe, it is his belief that
Bradshaw was not the guilty person. Mr.
Reed says that Bradshaw has conducted
himself in proper manner, has never had
a discordant word with any of the prison.
ers, and that the jailer could not ask fol
a better prisoner" On the other hand
Niles, who was in the jail week after be
ing sentenced to five years in Windsor
"has made more trouble than any prisoner
that has been in the Jail during the last
seven years. Mr.. Reed believes tina
Niles is the one who led the attempt anC
that, being unable to escape or hang him
SELF as he afterward tried to do, he is max
ing bid for Communication of his sen
tence by disclosing" on Bradshaw.
In connection with Bradshaw's career il
Bondville and Winhall it is said that wis
and beard of long white hair have beer
found in the hay in Bradshaw's barn by
members of his family. With them was
sponge whose office is apparent when it i;
remembered that Bradshaw's favorit
method of overcoming his victims is claim
ed to have been by the use of chloroform
At the time Florence Newton was chloro
formed, as told in The Phoenix story il
January, member of the Newton fami
stated that the person who carried the gil
out of the house was an old man with Ion
white hair and a white beard.