New-York tribune., 1901-09-25
TWO WOMEN SCALE A WALL
PRISONERS IN RAYMOND STREET JAIL
MAKE A DARING ESCAPE.
MADE FROM THEIR SKIRTS THEY
MAKE A DASH FOR LIBERTY

MADE FROM THEIR SKIRTS IHEl
MAKE A DASH FOR LIBERTY.
Two women made their escape in daring fashion
from the Raymond Street Jail, Brooklyn. in the
early hours yesterday morning. After getting out
onto the fire escape by breaking through tenn
porary wooden door in way which demonstrates
conclusively the necessity for new women S
prison. the womer made their way into a courtyard
and lowered themselves down thirty-foot wall by
means of a rope made from their skirts Half
dozen detectives out hunting for the fugtives
last night.
Irene Clements. twenty-five years old, of Coney
Island and Nellie Williams. twenty-seven years
old. who arrested at Coney Island and gave her
address No. 213 West Forty-sixth-st.. Manhattan
are tho two who causing end of
worry to Sheriff Walton his subordinates. District
Attorney Clarke and Captain Reynolds. of the De-
tective Bureau who has been called In to recapture
the missing prisoners.
The womens part of the raymond Street jail is
older, more rickety and less suited the purposes
of prison than the mems iaiI--which is saying
much. Each successive grand jury for three years
has urgently recommended the erection of new
prison. but the Board of Estimate has not fit
TO grant any money for that purpose. and nothing
has been done to improve the conditions. Only one
thing has from the repeated criticisms of the
jail-fire escapes-and it this improvement
which enabled the women to escape yesterday
morning. The prison is crowded that many
women are kept in dormtory like the
InTu moor Recently the Building Department,
yielding to repeated demands the part Of the
prison inspectors and grand iuries. ordered FIRE
escapes placed the building. They put on
the Raymond-st. side. Entrances the platforms
were made by breaking through the walls.
Temporary wooden doors fastened with an
ordinary hssp and paddock. deemed sufficient
security against any escape. The possibilities in
the weak protection offered by the doors did not
long escape the notice of the Clements woman, who
was sent to RAYMOND Street Jail on Sunday. She
had visitor on that day. and Monday received
package of clothing. 1t is believed that she got a
screw driver concealed in the clothing.
After the matron had made her midnight round
on Monday Irene unfolded her plan to the Villa
woman The hasp on the door was unscrcwed.
and in few minutes the two women the
the prisoners scaled ten-foot wall the Will
loughby-st. side hy means of breaks in the
sonry. To the street from the top of the wall is
distance OF thirty feet. From strips of their skirts
long. This tied TO the hasp of the door. which
had been carried along, and which, with the aid
or the screw driver. had been securely fastened
into niche In the wall. That the crude apparatus
did not give way seemed marvel the keepers
who saw 1t many hours after the women had made
1t was o clock when the matron of the women Z
prison discovered that two of her charges had dis
appeared. The wooden door stood open offering
an easy means of escape to the other prisoners in
the room: but most Of them asleep and the
others evidently had not dared attempt the walls
consulted District Attorney Clarke and Captain
Reynolds 1t decided that the escape should
be kept a profound secret, and all refused say
anything about it, but the facts leaked out.