The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-09-04
TOP EKA JOE
AGAIN .i:I''.. AT LARGE / {.
Escaped From the City Jail By Scaling
the Wall.
DEFlED LOCKS AND WALLS u $.
DEFIED LOCKS AND WALLS.

The Notorious Criminal Was He'd;
Here for Safe Keeping for the Vii IL
liamsburs Authoritics-Uscd
.. Wooden Key.
The notorious criminal Topeka Joe,'
| who was being held in the city jail here
Tor the Williamsburg authorities, on the
charge of breaking into the bank at that
!! place some months ago, ESCAPED from the
| jail early yesterday morning.
Unusual care had been taken by the
guards and deputies at the Jail, for it
was we'll known that Joe" was des-
perate character and needed TO be watch
cd at all hours
The most elaborate, at the same time
| SIMPLE preparations were made by the
man TO provide for his escape. He had
manufactured alone and unassisted, SO Tar
as can be learned a wooden key, with
which ne opened his cell door; a climbing
claw. with which he scaled the inside OF
the prison walls and a rope, with Which
he lowered himself to the ground on the
outside
While these devices were quite simple,
the making of them must have required
considerable time or very rapid workman
ship.
The key was cut from the handle of a
| broom; the climbing claw was made
with broom handle, a lot<of Wire, and q
number of strong iron hooks. The rope
was perhaps, so feet long and was made
Of blankets and bed-tckng, torn in strips
and wound together as tightly as posi-
be.
Topeka Joe had been confined in cell
No. 4, on the grCund-ioor OF the jail.
This cell is believed to be the safest in
the jail, and is directly in line with
the big Jail light 50 that at night, as wei:
as day, an eye can be kept upon it.
Special watch was kept upon Joe, by
direction Of Sergeant Smith, and at
the suggestion of Detective Iomlinson.
who declared that Joe would make an at
tempt to break jail.
AT O'Clock yesterday morning Guards
William Collins and NJ. ]. Roach made
their rounds, and everything was, ap-
parenty, in good shape.
At 2:15 another round was made. Mr..
Roach took in the colored side of the
jail, and Mr.. Collins the white. When
the latter reached the cell that had been
occupied by Joe he found it ajar,
with the wooden key in the lock. He at
once ran to the sleeping apartment OF
Deputy Taylor, who had retired at 1
o'clock and aroused him.
Mr.. Taylor hurriedly examined the
cell, and found that Joe had evidently
been busy. The blanket and the ticking
of the mattress were gone, ard in one
corner of the cell, a pile OF chips cut
from q broom handle, were hardly con-
cealed. The chips were freshly cut,
Indicating that the key had recently been
made
Mr. Taylor then went up to the resi-
dence of Chief Deputy Johnson No. 105
East Clay Street, and notified him of the
circumstances. Mr.. johnson hurried to
the jail In the meantime, a message
had been sent to the First Police Station,
which was repeated to the other two sta
ions.
When Mr.. Johnson reached the jail
another search was made. He, in com
pany with his assistants, went through
the Corridors, got on the roof, and found
hanging from The east vail the rope, by
means Of which the crook had made mis-
escape into the street. The rope reached
from the top of the Jail to the roof of
the stable and from there it was an easy
matter to get into Marshall Street at
the bottom, of the stable the ground and
weeds were considerably diSarranged, and
footprints were plainly discernib!e AT
that point all traces of the man were lost
Deputy johnson then went to the Lex
ineton Hotel, and got in loEg-dlstance tele-.
phonic communication with washington
and Baltimore, and informed them of the
escape and requested them to look out Tor
the escaped man.
kilograms were sent to the police at Nor
folk, Petersburg, Danvil!e, Gordonsvllle,
Charlottesville and Williamsburg, and
message was sent to the Pinkertons at
New York
None of the prisoners at the jail would
say that they knev anything about the
escape. They were apparently in ignorance
of the movements of Topeka Joe re
was q quiet man, and kept his own couh-
sci.
The cell in which he had been confined
was the che occupied by Shaw, Parker and
other notorious criminals.
Joe was brought TO the jail on August
9Th On the 18Th he was taken to Wlllia1ns-
burg for a hearing, and was returned that
evening None of his friends had ever
visited MIN, and the only package that he
had received was one from New York,
containing two suits OF underwear and
some socks He had wired to his brother
in Billings, Montana, to send him $50, but
ne had received no reply and appeared
worried over the incident.
He was. apparently, without funds. and
had borrowed small sums from fellow
prisoners. He said he had two brothers in
Montana-one of them in a railroad office,
the other a sporting man. He had en-
deavored to secure the services of Mr.. L.
o. Wendenburg as his counsel, but the
matter had never been closed.
He has been through many rough and
tumble experiences. and carries several
marks upon his person. In the middle of
his forehead is bad hole. the result OF
an encounter with a negro's club about
two years ago in Lynchburg; in his right
arm bullet now reposes, and there are
shot wounds in his back
A short while ago. in conversation with
a Times reporter Joe said that the wound
in his forehead would be his death 1t
panied him all the time and was grad
ualy eating into his head.
) He said ne did not expect to live in the
natural course of things more than two
years. and thought the police should let
him alone. He declared he had nothing to
do with the Williamsburg robbery.
he was committed to Jail under the name
of Joseph B. Evans with the aliases of
Harry Miller, Joe Rapey and Topeka
joe He was arrested after a long chase
by Pinkerton men in Montana.
This is the first escape from the jail !
since negro named Buster Meade"
made his escape about four years ago.