Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-02-08
TWO MEN BREAK JAIL
Unlock the Door in the Absence of
the Turnkey.
SHERIFF OFFERS A REWARD OF $50

0HEAlfF UFFEhO a KEW AID VI X0U
s. @. Masterson. Wanted In Oklahoma
on the Charge of Rape, and George
D. Rand. Held ON Charge of
Grand Larceny, the Men.
A well planned and successful Jail
delivery took place at the county Jail
last evening about 1880 o'clock, during
brief absence of Turnkey Anderson,
| in which S. G. Masterson, wanted in
Saltwater, Oklahoma, on the charge of
rape, and George ID. Rand, bound over
to await the action of the grand jury
on the charge of larceny, escaped
from the clutches of the law. Rand
was recaptured this morning at Agen-
cy by Constable Springer, of that
place, and was broght to the city this
afternoon, but Masterson is still at lib
erty, with but little probability of his
recapture as he was at one time an
officer and is pretty well acquainted
with their methods. 1t is probable
that they had outside assistance altho
there is nothing to confirm this fact
other than that they vanished COM
pletely in very short space of time
Sheriff SHUTS. Immediately posted a
reward of $50 for the men or $25 for
either of them.
About 4:3O o'clock last evening the
two men, Masterson and Rand, con-
ceived the idea that they wanted some
| butter and calling the turnkey re-
quested that he get it for them. They
gave him the money with which to
purchase the butter and the turnkey
left the building expecting to be gone
but few moments. On the second
floor of the Jail is located the steel
cages recently erected by the board of
supervisors for the safer detention of
prisoners. The prisoners were not con-
fined in the cages but were given the
freedom of that part of the second
| floor where the cages are. A stairway
leads down to the office at the bottom
| of which is wooden door locked with
an ordinary lock. Once in the office
no locked doors intervene between it
and liberty. No one saw the men
| leave the building but it is supposed
! that the desire for butter was merely
ruse to get the turnkey away, and
| that soon after he was out of sight
they quietly went to the bottom of
| the stairway and unlocked the door
with a skeleton key which they had
either made themselves OF had been
| furnished with by confederate. One
of the men had visitor, yesterday at
ternoon, but Mrs. Anderson who I'M
locked the door and let him go up
stairs, does not remember ever having
seen him before. Turnkey Anderson
was gone but fifteen minutes and came
back to the Jail. He did not at once
go upstairs and deliver the butter bu,
went into the kitchen and other parts
of the house, and as nearly as he can
now recollect, it was perhaps twenty
minutes from the time he left the
building until he again visited the sec
ond floor. He found the men gone
and Immediately notifying the sheriff
started in pursuit. Sheriff SHUTS a,
once put his deputies out aud tele,
phoned the neighboring towns bu1
without success.
Masterson was large fellow and
would weigh probably ITS or zoe
pounds; had brown eyes, wore an ul.
ster, which he took with him from the
Jail, and was a good looking fellow
with nothing about him that would
/ give person the idea that he was a
criminal. He is wanted in Saltwater
Oklahoma, on the charge of rape and
was captured in Eldon last November
by Constable Jacob Roberts. He was
brought to this city pending the ar.
rival of Oklahoma officers and placed
in the Wapello county janl. The Ok
lahoma officers arrived but Mastersor
would not go back withour extraditior
papers. These were procured but fol
some reason Masterson began to figh,
eXtradition. He procured the service:
of Jaques & Jaques, who went before
Judge Eichelberger to test the suffi
cheney of the documents. The cour,
held that the proceedings We're regu
lar and ordered the return of Master
son. The lawyers did not give up the
fight, however, and took an appea
from the ruling of the judge to the
supreme court, filing an appeal bond
and getting an order restraining the
Wapello county sheriff from releasing
and the Oklahoma sheriff from receiv
ing him. The matter is still in the
supreme court, that tribunal having
not yet passed upon it.
i The other man, George d. Rand, i.
about rs years of age, is crippled, tina
is one leg is shorter than the other
is well dressed, and was in Jail, having
been bound over to await the actor
of the grand jury on the charge O
grand larceny. 1t will be remembered
that Rand, a few weeks ago, went t.
the livery stable of Ed. Daggett
Sons, on West Second street, and rep
resenting that he had some collecting
to do, hired a horse and phaeton. The
horse was Nabbie g., an animal o
!, some local reputation as race horse
). Hitched to her was one of the new
rubber tired phaetons recently pur
chased by the firm. Rand had hiret
the outfia few days before, had pait
his bill and had treated the horse well
so Mr.. Daggett had no hesitancy il
letting him have the rig. He took TIL
outfit to Eddyville, where it is sal,
he tried to sell it for $40. Constabl
Clyde Mosby telephoned the facts t,
Mr.. Daggett who instructed him t,
arrest Rand, which he did, bringin.
him to this city. The rig was recoy