The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-09-03
ESCAPED-CAPTURED.
Four White Men Break Out of Jail and a
COlOred Man Walks Away.

About 7.3O on Friday night Of last week
four white men escaped from the Carroll
| County Jail, viz:-Harry Stotf1e, Clarence
Arbaugh, James Cook and Morris Mott.
Sheriff Hanes and his deputy, VIM. Wilson,
were both absent, but Mrs. Haines gave the
alarm and City Constable, John Mitten, i'm
mediately responded. Sheriff Haines was
telephoned to and he telegraphed all points
on the railroad and to the several sheriffs to
| keep lookout for the men. George HILL
the colOred man, went away in the afternoon,
he having had permission to do some work
| around the yard.
The manner of their escape was planned
and carried out with much ingenuity. They
were not locked in their cells during the day
and had access to each others compartments
One of these is in the upper tiers on the right
| hand side of the building. Above this cell is
a small low space or garnet. The main joists
| above the cell are about three feet apart, but
| the space between some of them is entirely
filled with broader joists of less height In
other spaces there are only one or two of
these broader joists and the widest space be-
tween them is six inches.
The prisoners operated in the cell referred
to and tried the ceiling in several places until
they struck this space. They tore off the
ceiling, but found the space, which was sew
eral feet long, too narrow to get their bodies
through. With knife they enlarged it to
seven inches wide, Il length of MAE and
quarter inches. Then small as the space was
they forced their way up through it 10 the
little garnet above from which there was no
outlet, but which was separated from the attic
OF the sheriff 5 residence portion OF the Jail
by Il thin partition of laths and plastering
This they broke through and then made their
way to corner window in the front of the
building, passed through to the roof, and
along that to the branches of locust tree
standing within two feet of the corner of the
Jail. They then descended the tree without
difficulty and fed into the darkness. Two Of
them were gone before their attempt to es-
cape was discovered.
Mrs Haines was engaged in some domestic
duty when she heard the noise of their move
ments and tried to stop them. She took hold
of one Of them, but he struck her severe
blow on the arm and forced her to let him go.
BY daylight Sheriff Haines had Mott in Jail,
he having been captured on a freight train of
the Western Maryland Railroad, at Bruce
vile, while on his way to Emmittsburg, it is
supposed, from which place he formerly came.
Stofle was caught at Mt Airy, by Mr.. Charles
Wampler, as he was boarding train on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Sheriff Haines and Sheriff NJ. Finley Sci.
bert, of Washington county, arrived at Mar
tinsburg, West Virginia, Saturday morning III
pursuit of Clarence Arbaugh and james Cook.
Shortly after the SheritfS arrived there NJ. ).
Taber, deputy sheriff at Berkeley county,
and J. Russler, constable Of that city, sue
ceeded in getting both Of the men at the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad. They resisted
arrest. and it was necessary for the deputy to
knock one Of them down before they were
landed in iail Sheriff Hanes brought the
prisoners to this city on Saturday evening.
Sheriff Haines deserves the thanks OF the
community for the promptness and energy
displayed in capturing the prisoners, and the
public can rest assured that they will remain
until tried and convicted.
CONFESSION OF THEIR PLOTS TO ESCAPE.
Since the capture Stoffle has confessed to
the Sheriff that they had made three plans of
escape. One was to seize him when he went
into the Jail to lock up for the night, another
to escape over the Jail wall by steps and IL
rope made from bed clothing. and by the way
which they adopted. If the County Commits
sioners do not have the ceiling Of the jail
covered with extra hard steel, the sheriff will
be compelled to hobble each prisoner, and
not allow them to recreate i'll the corridors
except under a strong guard.
WHAT THE MEN WERE CHARGED WITH.
The men who escaped were confined under
the following charges
Clarence Arbaugh and James Cook, charged
with assaultng and robbing Capt. Miller, of
HAMPSTEAD; Morris Knott, charged with steal
ing ii horse from Mr.. Witherow, Il tenant on
the farm of Hon. Harry NJ. Clabaugh; Harry
Stoffle, charged with burglarious entry of
the residence of Ezra Brown, near Meadow
Branch.