Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-09
THE NEWS OF NEW CASTLE.

lfiE NEWS Uf NEW GAS Ii.
STAFF Correspondence Of Gazette and Journal.
New Castle, Aug. 2.-George Gray
Knowles has purchased the handsome
steam yacht Ola, 65 feet in length, A
trip was taken down the river, yester-
day, James q. Knowles, Mr. aud Mrs.
George Gray Knowles, John Ries, Capt
Chauncey p. Holoomb and Capt. Leslie
Truss comprising the party. The yacht
will make ID knots per hour.
RaTph Palmer, son of Officer Palmer,
was kicked in the stomach by colt
owned by Thomas Ryan, yesterday, and
severely injured. lie was thrown
distance OF 10 feet by the blow.
Alfred Doris, aged 3 years, son Of
| Mr.. and Mrs. John Doris of Chestnut
| street near Third, was Eadly bitten on
his right cheek, yesterday, by a bull
dog. The child was taken TO Ferris
pharmacy. where the wounds were
cauterized .n. '#
New Castle, Aug. 4.-The arrest of
two negro highwaymen, William Pratt
and Joseph Coppage, yesterday, by
Constable Van Horn, may be the means
of breaking up the bold gang Of high
way robbers that have been working
| through this county for several months.
The highwaymen were four in number,
but two escaped. There ale hopes,
however, Of yet SECURING them, as they
have been particularly described.
Yesterday morning, while driving to
Townsend, Georges II. Connolly was
held up on the roadway by four men,
but before they were able to complete
their act of vandalism another team
hove in sight and they were compelled
to desist. Mr.. Connolly gave Corpage
stinging blow with the butt Of his
whip as the negro attempted to PULL
him out of the wagon. Pratt was at
the horse's head, but ran away. Mr..
Connolly drove to Townsend, met Con-
stable Van Horn and related the fact.
The constable Immediately went out on
horseback in chase of the men and he
discovered them. They separated. but
he chased Pratt and Coppage into a
mill pond, where they waded In mud
and water waist deep. Van Horn fol-
lowed and with pointed revolver
brought them both out and took them
before Magistrate Bratton. The men
were given hearing and positively
identified They were committed in
default OF bal for the grand jury.
Pratt has been wanted by the authors
ties since last January, when be was
caught red handed with fowls in q
hennery, but escape from the officer
New Castle, Aug 6. Yesterday NOM
ing about q. 40 O'Clock Chief Warden
Bowers discovered u hook on the inside
of the Earapet of the jail wall. Further
, investigation showed that John Mullin,
George Walsh and Charles McAteer,
, occupants of cell No. SO, were missing,
while Edward Leary and Frank Luke,
: the ether occupants of the cell, re-
! manned. Why the latter did not leave
cannot be learned. Luke is said to be
nearly blind.
Mullin is credited with being des-
perate character and, with the others,
, was being held for the September term
, of court, charged with the attempted
murder Of James 7. Reilly and also the
theft Of a crate Of eggs He had been
: an inmate of the Jail since June 18th.
. Walsh and McAteer are charged with
the larceny of rs pounds of copper bond
wire, taken from the tracks of the
Biandywine Springs railway. Walsh
, was committed on May 3lst and Nc,
, Ateer on June 25th. Luke Is charged
! with toying with a female child and
was placed in Jail June 9Th. Leary is
charged with larceny and was committed
July 9th. He has been removed te
' cell No. 38.
5 During Saturday many persons en-,
: tered the Jail, as is customary on visit
8 ing days, and two of these visitors cal
, ried saws to the men in cell No. 36,
j which they dsed id saving their way
3 to freedom. They sawed bar of iror
t at the window l1a inches ip diameter.
, Two boards were taken from the flool
5 and made into scaffold reaching Out
: over the window sill, the ends inside
t being held down by the two men who
: remained. The cell being on the upper
: corridor, il was an easy matter for the
men to reach the roof. They had 9
3 rope ladder, formed from blankets TORI
! into strips and fastened together. Once
{ on the roof the rest was easy. A hook
r on one end Of the rope ladder was at
j tached to the coping of the parapet ant
the ladder swung down. The men slit
a to the ground. it IL evident that ONT
J of them had n drop as the ladder parted
t about half way up the wall, q distance
i of nearly Is feet from the ground.
t The men were attlred in their prison
stripes, but 1T is likely they had ac
1 completes On the outside who supplied
: them with other clothes. The time n
8 their departure is not known, but it il
8 thought they left about O'clock.
J The Jail wardens were about the cool
Q room from midnight until about 2, Ii
] O'Clock, and prepared their midnigh
j meal and washed the dishes. The cool
: room is almost beneath the cell from
: which the men escaped. Sheriff Tay lo
n was in the Jail at IL. AS p M. and al
appeared well at that time. He Offer
/. SO reward for the arrest of each Of tn,
escaped men. These are the first es
! | oapes that have taken place sine,
+ Charles Bowers has been the chic
o warden. He has at all times guarded
the Jail with care. Chief Warder
l Bowers stated that the night warden'
8 had complained on numerous occasions
o Of the light going out in the yard abou
a.3O or 3 O'CLOCK in the morning ant
b claims that this is due to the carbon
Il not being properly trimmed.
No visitors were admitted to the iai
r yesterday. The Sunday Afternoon
Q service was conducted as usual
e The New Castle baseball team had NJ
It difficulty In defeating the Wynnewoo,
team on Saturday The statement b,
Il Capt, Newloye several days ago that th