Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-08-10
A THRILLING ESCAPE.
REMARKABLE BREAK FOR LIBERTY
BY WAY OF A FLYWHEEL BELT

of all the larger cities OF the United
States and Canada, which occurred at
Milwaukee recently, there were rem-
iniscences Without number of remark
able captures and of escapes which
bordered closely upon the miraculous.
Tones of criminal history were taken
from the shelves of momory and
opened at chapters of thrilling inter-
est by tho men who had been them
selves the principal actors. History?
Yes, that is the proper word, but most
men would pronounce it romance
''The most remarkable escape from
prison thlt can recall, said William
/, 4. Pinkerton to a group of chiefs and
superintendent, "was that of Frank
Steadman from the San Quentin prison,
But I'll not tell you about it, for here
is John Glass, who caught Steadman
and sent him back to San Quentin
Chief Glass slaughtered his six
feet three inches, and pSnched the
brown imperial on hts under lip re-
fectively for 4 moment before he re-
sponded TO the looks of inquiry bent
upon him by those not familiar with
the story.
'The escape to which you refer,
Pinkerton, was made after I sent
Steadman to San Quentin, and not be-
fore. I was net the fortunate one to
get him after that last wonderful
break, And, to tell the truth I have
never taken to myself much credit for
taking him the time did, for it was
to considerable degree a matter of
COED fortune. You see, we were just
at that time keeping our eyes ci;en for
q bank robber by the mime of Barnes,
who had gone Tito one of the banks
out there, covered the one man who
happened to be alone in the place at
the time, locked him up in the vault,
and then coolly walked out of tho
bank and out of sight with ell the
funds he could get his hands on:
zone day man answering closely
the description, we had Of Barnes
stepped off the train Ut Los Angeles.
We took him in Tow at once, but found
we did net nave the bird we were after.
However we managed to hold him
long enough to find out that he was
Frank Steadman, who had become ne"
torious even at that time "a Il Success
| full Jail breaker. He had four Or FIVE
escapes from prison in southern Indi-
ana creditedto him, had got away from
| Joliet, and had still seven years to do
at the Illinois prison, had also been
at San QueMtin, and had escaped from
there with five years unfinished.
"Stcadman was a-machiuist by pro-
fession, and burglar by inclination:
When he was sent back 10 San Quentin
to finish his time lie WIS put to work
with other eonYIcts in the engineroom.
1t was here that an idea came into his
brain that for absolute daring and
fearlessness was typical of the min:
He had noticed thot every evening at
the time the men working iii the en-
gine room we're lined UP to be marched
away the machinery was stopped at
exactly the same moment. He had
observed as we'll that window lead
ing to ar. adjacent roof was not far
from the top of the big driving belt
of the engine. From that roof it was
possible to reach the outer wall of the
prison. Beyond the wall was free
dom. He had escaped SO many times
that his mind fevertedagain and again
to the window high up on the wall Of
the engine room. Apparently it was
beyond nil possibility of being reached.
No ladder was to be obtained. Had
such thing been even standing in
place against the wall, to break from
the line and scale it with catlike dex-
terity, although the work of but a few
seconds, he we'll knew would be futile,
possibly fatal. Bullets travel faster
than legs, and the guards were not
bad shots. But desperate deeds de-
mand desperate means, Some minds
may work with an ingenuity born of
despair, but Steadman's was of diff
ferent calibre. His plans were the
outgrowth OF steadfast optimism. He
never ceased to scheme, as he never
ceased to hope for liberty.
Zone day there came to him, rs if
by inspiration, the thought that the
big belt might be the means OF carry
ing him to his goal. He found that it
was impossible to count the revolu-
tions of the driving wheel, but there
were lacings in the broad belt, which
he was able to distinguish as a sort of
blur as it passed given point. For
days and days he counted, and in his
cell at night he spent his time i'll cal
culations. He discovered the exact
| number of revolutions the wheel made
per minute. He learned also, by con-
slant observation, just how many times
the belt went round after the engine
was shut down.
Zone evening, when the line had
been formed as usual at the close of
the days work, and as the big wheel
began to lose its momentum, suddenly
convict sprang from the le, leaped
to the belt, with outstretched arms
graphing both edges of the broad
leather. He had calculated we'll the
strength that would be required, for
the terrific wrench did not loosen his
grasp. Outward and upward he swung
until he reached the topmost point of
the circumference. The nicely of his
calculation had reaped its reward. The
belt stopped. He leaped to his feet,
sprang through the window, and was
gonsa before convicts or guards had
reed bred from their astonishment.
He caught up guards coat and hat,
dropped from the wall aud got away in
| the dusk of the evening. I am in
clined to believe that as mathemat-
.ical proposition that was about as per-
feet piece of work as any man ever
accomplished
"And did he getaway without recap