Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-08-15
ATTEMPT To
BREAK JAIL
London Jack" Grange and Horse
Thieves EndeavOr to Escape
PLANS Fooled BY TIMELY DISCOVERY
Prisoners Reduced to Bread and Water in
Order to Secure the Tools.

A well laid plot was unearthed
Wednesday of last week, which, if
carried out successfully, would have
given freedom to three inmates in the
county Jail. The three culprits who
intended to bid adieu to confinement
are Jack Cranage, commonly known
as ''London Jack, :" and the two Bos-
cobel horse thieves captured near
. Glen Haven in the early spring. The
trio are awaiting prison sentence, all
of whom having confessed to the
crime to which they are charged.
Walter Dickinson, son of the sheriff,
had noticed the past few weeks that
Cranage yassed considerable of his
time near the northwest window of
the jail To satisfy his curiosity
the young man gained access to the
aperture from the outside Wednesday
evening and to his surprise found
one bar sawed entirely out while the
one running PARALLEL was sawed over
half way into both at the top and bot
tom. The bars are of iron and two
inches in diameter. The cracks made
in saving had been dexterously filled
with tar soap to remove all signs OF
having been tempered with.
Sheriff Dickinson and Under Sheriff
McMahon were both absent at the
time, the former being at British Hol-
low and the latter enroute to Waupun
\ with Lewis Beitz. Mrs. Dickinson
I. entered the Jail corridor and ordered
he prisoners to retire to their cells.
but they did not comply and so Mar
lhal Budworth was sent for. His de-
Aands were acceded to and the Jail
l'eakers were once more in safe Gus
ldy.
sSherig Dickinson arrived later in
.e evening and on the following
lrning instituted a thorough inves-
ation The inner or corridor bars
ad been sawed completely off and
we're removed without trouble when
ever the prisoners desired to work at
the outer or window bars. These in
ner bars are painted white and ivory
soap had been used in filling up the
cracks to remove any tell tale signs.
The birds refused to give up the saws
and a razor which they were allowed
the use of and Sheriff Dickinson on
Saturday informed them that until
the instruments were produced their
diet would be bread and water only.
Throughout the entire day Sunday
and Monday did they stubbornly re-
fuse to comply with thu sheriff's re-
quest and their diet was water and
bread Really, they subsisted entire
" on water, refusing to eat the bread
at all.
Forty-eight hours was sufficient to
weaken one OF the horse thieves and
he was willing to accede. Grange
and the other thief soon came to terms
q 50 and to Under Sheriff McMahon
= he tools were handed over Monday
I evening
u Ii is the belief of the officials that
the saws were left secreted in the jail
Aby the Montfort bank robbers at the
time Of their incarceration last win
ter. 0EdHd8ts VIII was SCI NlH- ItlhC
for petty offense. then an inmate,
being informed as to their location by
the robbers before they left the jail
on their Journey to Waupun in Feb.
ruarv. Cranage became talkahve
after the pangs Of disappointment
had partly passed away and IN CONVEX
sation with Under Sheriff Mcmahon
stated that the saving had been in
operation since July 10th and that
had their plans not been interfered
with that one more nights work
would have completed their job ano
liberty would have been theirs. He
said one Of them sawed each night
ana that nothing could be done until
after y D. M. On numerous occa-
sions their work would be interrupted
bv passersby but saving would soon
be resumed Hearing il stated thai
his sentence would be fifteen years OF
more Cranage stated that had hs
Gained his freedom Il at 1t would have
been o life and death struggle before
he would have surrendered again to
be returned to custody. and that be
shld have committed something
more than assault IN MS desperation.
At the adjourned term Of circuit
court last week these three prisoners
were given re opportunity Of Plead