The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-19
HE DUG HIS WAY OUT
Young Montgomery Escapes
From His Prison Cell.
HE LOOSENED TIE BRICKS
Found His Way Through a Man Hole
In the Sidewalk-His Flight Was
Not Discovered Until in
the Morning.

John Williams, alias Montgomery,
the 16-year-old boy arrested by Police
officer league, night before last, on
the supposition that he was an escape
from the State Reform school, MADE
his escape from the city jail some time
before daylight yesterday morning. The
manner in which the tough youth
effected his escape, proves him to be
clever young rogue When Montgom-
cry was taken to the city prison the
cells were full of tough citizens and
Night Jailer Sol Levy thinking it best
to keep the boy out of their company,
locked him up in the cell which is used
as a dungeon, when one is required
The cell has an electric light, and is
only a dark cell when the light is not
allowed to be used. Otherwise 1t Is MT
ted like the other cells and IS just as
comfortable. In view of this fact, and
as stated, considering it better to keep
the boy absent from the other prisoners
than TO allow him to mingle with
them, he was placed in the cell.
A year or SO ago, three prisoners who
had been locked in the cell, which is on
the Broadway side of the city hall
building with barred window opening
into the vacant space under the side
walk where coal is stored, effected
their escape by digging through the
brick wall over the window and climb
ing up through the manhole in the
sidewalk. The bricks those prisoners
removed, it is claimed. had never been
properly replaced, and young Mont
gomery seems to have been aware OF
the fact or to have remembered the
escape of the other prisoners, for he
was not long in finding the defect in
the wall He had been permitted the
use of the electric light and. drawing
| the iron bed up to the window, he
climbed up on the headrail and by SO
| doing was able to reach the spot
where the other prisoners had dug the
hole. The bricks must have been loose,
| as there are no evidences of the youthful
prisoner having had anything to work
| with. At all events he succeeded in
| removing a brick or two, and then IL
| was no difficult matter to take oul
| enough more to make a hole big
enough to crowd through. Succeeding
in this he got through the hole ano
| dropped to a pile of rubbish, from
which he stepped to the ground. Crop
ing around in the dark he found pole
with which he poked the cover off the
manhole in the walk from its place ano
climbing up the stone wall reached the
manhole and made his escape.
Some time after 6 o'clock Officer
Walsh came along and found the man
hole open and supposing the firemer
! had been doing some work and care
lessly left the hole open. he closed j
up, and thought nothing more of th'
matter ana there was no suspicion o
| anything amiss until about O'Clock
| when Chief Mulholland, who had beef
| informed of Montgomery arrest ant
that he was wanted as an escape iron
the reform school, went to the jail t
talk with the boy with the intention o
satisfying himself he was the bo.
wanted, and, If so, OF telegfaphlnS q
Miles City.
Upon unlocking the cell door, Chic
Mulholland was astonished at what h
saw, and quickly sent word to all tn
patrolmen to be on the lookout for tn
boy, but he has not yet been found.
1t appears that Montgomery is no
really an escape from the reform
school, but that was no fault of his
About two years ago. he and anothe
tough youth from Butte got int
trouble at Melrose for committing
theft, and were sentenced to the re
form school in the district court i
Beaverhead county. The sheriff of tn
county started for Miles City with tn
youthful prisoner. and on the wa
went to sleep while waiting in a ran
way station for train. Young Mont
| BofflSTy toOk MS gun awe s iiCiai iiii
and together the two boys made the
escape an6 were never captured
Police Officer league, when he SAL
7 Montgomery on the street. being cog
infant of the facts and supposing n
was still wanted took him into Gus
toby From the fact that Montgomer
had a lot of skeleton keys in his pos
session, the .police are of the opinio
that he has had hand in the numel
/ hi a,sia hnt "a
ported of late.