The age-herald., 1901-01-03
They Were Within a Few Feet
 of Liberty PLANS F0|LED BY NEGRO BCY Succeed in Breaking Out of the Ma n Prison, But zee LauJht
 While Scaling the
 Outer Wall

Fate and fate alone yesterday afternoon thwarted the most daring jail delivery ever attempted in the State of Alabama and pre- vented the escape of four of the most des- perate criminals that have ever been con- fined in the Jefferson County jail.
 Within few feet of liberty and in the very act of sealing the outer wall of the jail yard, Frank Miller, alias Dutch HeMy,' under sentence of death; Frank Duncan, under sentence of life imprison- ment in connection with the murder of Police Officers Adams and Kirkley, and Frank Edwards and John b. West, all members of the famous gang of crooks who operated around Birmingham last spring, were discovered at 9:15 o'clock by a negro boy, who after desperate struggle gave the alarm that successfully blocked their plan and gave them back to prison walls.
 The four men who came so near regain ing their liberty are all white men of intel ligence as their well-arranged and cleverly- conceived plan of escape indicates. This plan was the result of months of careful thought and proves the cunning with which they have been credited. During this time they had not only arranged their plan Ol 6SCdpSp DQt IldQ iustluldClulSQ III IH6H cells dusing the dead of night the ropes and grappling irons necessary to scale the wall. In some way, probably through out side help, they had obtained a file to saw through the prison bars and a thirty eight calibre pistol, which was found on West when they were recaptured The file used by the men has not been recovered, all though thorough search has been made.
 Description of the Jail.
 To give clear idea of the plan of es- cape adopted by the men some descrip- tion of the prison is necessary. The coun- ty jail is divided into two large compart- ments, one for negro criminals and one for white. The division for white prisoners Is a large square hall, inside of which are built iron cages. There are two tiers of these one above the other, with passage way like hall down the center of each tier, on which the doors of the various cells open. The cells are all made of iron lattice work to allow free ventilation and inspection from the outside. In other words, 1t is an iron cage within stone jail, and between the two on all four sides are corridors about five feet wide. At the northern end of the passageway through the upper ter or cells IS a uttle Iron pal cony which hangs over the corridor below and is within a few feet of the north wall of the jail proper and within arms reach of the iron grating of a window through which the four men made their escape. The door to the jail Is at the south side and here the prisoners all congregate to look through the iron grating and see what is going on outside through the outer dor. The high walls around the jail build ing prevent anything outside from being seen, and thus the north end or Fourth aveue side of the jail is generally deserted.
 Miller, Duncan, Edwards and West oc- cupied two adjoining cells. They were confined in these cells from p. m. to a. m., but during the day to promote their health they were let out and allowed to walk around the corridors with the other prisoners They therefore knew thai -if