The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-18
SHEETS ESCAPED.
LEFT NO eIux

y lit7 sheets, uHfIer sentence Of death
f0r tie bruial mnras- Of Augustus t3.s-,-
ner. ana irwin Walker, chsrgsd With the
iAEesny of . heifer from L. w. ysunea,
and other Oftenses. made their eseaD.
rom the county jail about rs o'clocs
InnrsdAy night Their escape wssesrs-
iniiy planned aud up ustiI this time No
trace Of them hss been learned. They
had not leit the prison yard before tbe.,
escape was discovered and an alarm
raised.
One Of Sheriff saylor's daughters was
IN the kitehei, the north window Of
whsea oosnHards afaH visx OF the szs.
side OF the jail, and when she saw the
iofia Of man slldiDg quickly down the
water escape pipe sac knew instantly
that adj was not right in the jaii. aad
hassening - the SAsriuss ofties screamed
ne pTisonsrs have escaped - at the TOD
o. her voice Several OF her sisters and
Deputy-Sherid Baker took np the erv.
while jAsitor James wooley ran 10 The
court house and tolled the court beI.
A hasty examination Of the jail showed
that Sheets aud Walker had fed, having
escaped through the rear east corner
window Tie bars IN front Of tbs win
dow had beeu sawed awaz. oace out Of
the window it was an easy matter 10 gro
hold OF the stroug water conductor lsat
leafs from the roof 70 the ground and
slip down 70 freedom
The people OF S0rnerset we're thrown
into a Wild state Of excitement By the
t0lling Of the court beli-the local nre
alArm-and nearly every man, woman
and child in town rushed into the streets
snxiousiy inGuiring the location Of sne
supposed fire. The IRE compznie. re-
sPonded promptly to the alarm and the
ding dong Of their hose carriages added
10 the general din and Confusion. Per-
haps ten minutes passed before il became
known tnAt there had been = jail delivery
and thsf Sheets and Walker had escaped.
Then there was Wild rush through the
darkness towards the prison. No person,
except Miss SAylor. had seen Sheets after
be escaped, bat Mrs Harry Pile. whose
home Is a. the corner OF North street
and Court alley heard the foot falls of
two men As they dsshed down the slley
ia northerly direction.
Sheriff SAyl0r was in Berlin and in re-
sponse 70 = telephone message made
forced drive from there 70 Somerset in 43
minutes. As soon as be reached home, =
few minutes before > o'clock he started
number Of men through the country TO
spread the alarm and t0,noiify the ;Jsople
70 be on the lookout for Sheets. Before
midnight nearly every farmer living
along the public roads between here and
Jenners bad been aroused and told of
Sheets's dxring break. Other parties were
sent in ali directions 70 make the news
known 70 the people. Sheriff SSylor re-
turned 70 town az o'clock Friday morn
ing and as soon as be bad fresh team
hitched up len with George L Davis for
sheep Ridge. word having come from
Listie that Sheets had been saaa crossing
the Ridge. This ramor turue1 out % be
uufoundsd.
Messages were sent Thursday night to
J0hnstown, Ligonier, Mt Pleasant,
Greesburg and other places requesting
officers OF the law 70 keep sharp lookout
for Sheets.
The first an5-senersl impression was
that Walker would. and he perhaps has.
conducted Sheets 70 the mountain back
OF JennertoNB, where he Is familiar with
every road and by path aud with many
secret hiding places
A few people adhere 70 the theory that
Sheets and Walker. ss-soon - they heard
the court bell ring. knew that the Jail
officials aud the pablo lad lezrned Of
their escape. and at oacs broke for cover,
secrsting themselves in a barn or stable
where they remained hidden until the
following night when they msde their
way to the home OF some one OF their
friends, where they are now being mar
bored
The two remaining inmates Of the jail
plead ignorance OF any plzns that Sheets
and " Iker may have made. They Insist
that the window bars must have beea
sawed from ahe outside, claiming that II
Sheets and Walker had done The work
they would have known Oft. They also
insist that they did not know that Sheets
aud Walker hzd escaped until they were
informed Of the fact by the deputy
sheriff. Notwithstanding tts profsssed
ignorance of the men now oonfned in Jail
everything goes 70 show that the escape
had been carefully planned, snd il quite
probable that Shasls and Walker wers
prepared 70 leave day. beEore. but post
poued action until the most favorable
~. IL
fuse from the electric light connection in
order that the corridor aud their cells
wOuld be IN darkness Thursday night.
Deputy Sheriff Baker believes that had
he gone intn the prison, which be would
have been obliged 70 do a few minutes
aster the escape. for the purpose Of lock-
i1g tie prisoners in their cells, Sheets
ans Walkss would have assaulted him.
o wing to the frequent recent rains it Is
i'm possible TO form any positive opinion
a. 70 when the window bars were sawed.
a,8 Il Is impossible 70 tell whether they
were sawed froua the outside or inside,
Il the m1st reasonable deduction j. that
the WORK was done fror1 the outside.
TIE escape OF Sheets and Walker Is the
fissh or sixth delivery from tue eOdnty
iaH since il Was erected ten years ago.
7 1e first pers0us 70 escape were the
Nicely boys aad = prisoner named Qaser.
r u NiceIys. 1t viii be remembered bath
su Tered severe injuries BY falling from
the eorniee 70 The ground. the rope which
III - had prepared 10 slip doSn on hav-
ing broken. They were reesptured two
or three d xys later in barns close 70 town.
oaeer. who followed AFTER them. also
falling from the cornies TO the ground,
dssd from the Effects OF the fall.
sheriff SSyIor has and j. making every
10 ssibie eG0rt to run down both Sheets
aud Walker, bat up uatiI this time bas
bsea unable 70 secure any clue a. 10 he
whersaboats OF either Of ihem- Il is not
believed that Sheets can Glade che vigil
s,nee Of the officers for any considerable
time. although Is j. known that he has a
number OF friends in varion= parts Of this !
equity and state who would probably |
render him every ASSISTANCE % get oa. Of
the country. Hsis known by sight % a
large nun Der OF Pc pie throughout the
ooanty. especially along the rSilroai. and |
he i therefore likely u f0Iios the N Jst |
isolated and o5scsre roafs-
Sbsess Is daring All reckless fellow
sud will N axe q desperate rssistAnce be-
fore be Is .aken-
His attorneys are nov preparing the |
Necessary papers prepAr1tory 70 Prsseaf-