The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-10-04
Four Prisoners Htt6mpt to
Do It Last Sunday
Evening.
Gut a Biz Hole in the South
Wall OF the GOuntu
Jail.

A big Jail break had been care
fully planned and was almost on the
verge of being carried out in the
Redwood county Jail last Sunday
night, and was nipped in the bud
just in time by Jailor Doc. Byram
ordering the men to their cells
about nine O o'clock that night.
The intended delivery was planned
by four of the five prisoners on the
first floor of the jail. The four were
Gus. Collier, aged %, who is in
from Lyon county to await the ac-
tion of the grand jury of that coun-
ty for burglary of the Great North
ern depot at Marshall; Andrew
Walden, aged "a, sent over from
Sanborn on the charge of highway
robbery; Robert Boyd, aged "a and
Charles Ryan, aged 80, both sent
over from Renville county to await
the action of the grand jury of that
county on the charge of grand lar
ceny.
There was one other prisoner on
this aoor-George Todd, who was
doing short term sentence for
having assaulted girl in Lamber-
ton, but the four men were careful
to keep his attention on some other
subject, mostly card playing, while
they were at work carrying out the
plan, which originated between the
four men on Saturday, but the exc
cution of which was not commenced
until after Jailer Byram unlocked
the cells to give the prisoners the
use of the corridors on Sunday
morning.
Immediately after the prisoners
were given their breakfast they
commenced to work. One of the
number, Ryan, was ordered to play
cards with Todd, while the other
three went to work. The latter had
a case knife, given to them while
eating ther meals, an old jack knife
and an iron rod, half an inch thick
and about Is inches long, the latter
two weapons probably showed in to
them from the outside by all assist
ant. With these weapons they scut
hole about foot and half square
on the south side of the Jail wall,
and about a foot from the bottom of
the inside. The work was slow and
continued at intervals, according to
the statement of Todd, who now
sees into the whole matter, through
out the whole day. The broken
brick, as they were removed, were
placed on top of the steel Jail cells.
and when the prisoners cut through
to the last course of brick, they
fixed so that all that would be nee
essary would be to push these out
and make their escape. This work
was finished about six o'clock at
night, and the plan was to escape
between dark and nine o'clock,
whenever the best opportunity
offered.
But it appears that Sunday night
is a bad time for Jail breakers in
that vicinity, owing to the fact that
people are continually going past
the south side OF the Jail to and from
church, and this constant stream of
people kept the four men from at
tempting to make their escape. At
nine o'clock, the usual hour for the
prisoners to repair to their cells,
Jailor Byram performed that duty,
and turned the combination that
locks all of the cells at one time.
But before this was done the pris-
oners had placed two chairs in front
of the hole they had made, and
placed two blankets over the chairs,
obstructing the view of the hole en-
tirely.
It was shortly after six o'clock
Monday morning that the attempted