Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-12-27

49, Isnrtari's .i'oiai. where Giue Was
Temporarily Abandoned ) Meter
niined Hen Take up the chase At
Tor she, Goid- Hooded Murderer,
Who sns several iaour* start.
~ Yesterday morning at the early hour
8 of 4 Walter Cotton, the cold-blooded
8 murderer of Mr.: Charles Wyatt, under,
& sentence to die on the gallows Friday,
january 18th, cut his way from his
Il prison cell to freedom, and SO crafty
Y has he been in his flight that Tom.
a the thoroughbred bloodhound of "Hur-5
i8rlcane" Branch has been bafllcd in the
pursuit OF this vicious criminal.
Cotton has shown by his escape from
Il the City Jail to have possessed more
cunning and capacity, more deep
1 thought, than he was given credit for,
las zone for a moment thought there
Il waslSa possible chance Tor Cotton to
ssagain breathe the pure air of freedom
and nothing was more remote to the
than the idea that he would
q ever escape; but heJ has, nevertheless,
4 and the story of 1T is one of unusual
interest.
sss The public is fully aware of the mean.
81 surly, vicious temper exhibited at all
u times by Cotton, which kept away from
q him those who would have otherwise
d sympathiEed with him and given him
e consolation but in the light of the
Fl event just happened, 1, e., his escape.
s. IT. is obvious 10 all that there was a,
( deal of method and thought in his
4 every action. He was evidently all of
& the time planning a means OF escape,
and to have too many people about him
would, In all probability, have frustrat-
u ed those plans. so he adopted the tao
\ ties spoken of. and With what success
r. his escape speaks in stronger terms
\ than language can express.
a DESPERATE CRIMINAL.
Since Cottnn's conviction guards have
"a been placed over hinl--one for day duty
q and one to watch him at night. This
has been kept up unremittlngly, Mr..
Is Jesse Hodges doing the work by day
f land Mr.. james Sanders sitting at his
a cell door by night. .s&
fSsS Several times have Deputy Sheriff
II Abbott and Police Officer Jesse Hoof-
& nagle found It necessary to threaten to
s do bodily harm to the murderer be-
Il fore he would condcscend to DO what
K was required of him; and of the guards
a Cotton would sneak in contemptuous
3 tones. md often opened the Walls of his
wrath unon them, using such strong
II and l EXPRESSIVE language that the
81 guards-and in fact other officers
q found 1t extremely hard to exercise dis
4.
Cotton hos often said that lie would
gSltill some one else before he shufIied off
this mortal coil, and he has dared the
T: ofticers to shoot him. using the vilest
possible, and threatening to
& Kill thenlsif they came close enough to
( him.
THE GUARD. ASLEEP.
Gai But to the escape one of tho most
* remarkable on record when the fact
us taken into consideration that the
Sfgunrd appointed to watch him WAS in
his accustomed place, a few feet only
q from aCotton's cell: Morphcus the
Goddess OF Sleep. had fastened her.
s. strong and loving arms about him, aud
fahe was III fnr-away dreamland while a
A condemned murderer WAS very wide
Is awake. working with the strength of n
n Sampson to obtain that most precious
3 boom liberty. Cotton cut two. bars
y from his cell, making an opening about
s:l2X20 Inches. through which he crawled.
AFTER getting, into the corridor where
slept the guard Mr.. j. Sanders he
8 coolly possessed himself OF Mr.. Sanders,
q nat and coat opened the corridor door,
4 descended the steps, opened thc streat
4 door and disappeared.
Va Mr. Sanders slept on for a half hour
IS pr more, and awakening he found to
a mis- consternati ton that Cotton had nm
g;ceremoniously left him. He then noti-
I med Mr.. Abbott, who lost no time in
WHAT 1aQ naDDenel TO
81 the proper parties, putting plans OH foot
Il 70 CAPTURE the escaped murderer. and
q doing everything else that was possible
{. to get on his track at the earliest
Il moment. ~
Sanders was asked, while standing
gaping at the aperture through which.
his charge had escaped, how II hans
.pened and his reply was that he
~ guessed he must have been asleep."
:Y;B But the fact Is Mr. Sanders did not
& q awake at Of his own accord, a white
s stranger, noticing Cotton's empty cell
q arousing him from his sleep.
}sftg BLOODHOUND USED.
t2st a messenger was sent out to Sheriff
s. Smith and Deputy Sheriff "Hurrjcaneo
i 4 Branch. in Suffolk, was called up by
n telephone and asked to bring his blood
hound immediately. Branch arrived
e at $3.50 with one dog, and in the mean
time parties secured the whole country
Il between Pig Point and Deep Creek
4 without finding any trace OF Cotton.
5@ii5 When Branch took his dog to Cotton,s
cell the animal was given n piece of
q Cctton's clothing to get the scent. The
Wdos Immediately started for the pas
4 sage, went down stairs, out 10 the mid
y die of Water street and started south.
LIT worked around into County street