Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-02-14
A WOMAN'S ExPEDIENT.
Clever Scheme to Enable Prisoner to
Cut His Way Out of Jail

Clever Scheme to Enable n Prisoner to
Cut His Way Out of Jail.
Whenever l see that particular
brand of canned peaches" said New
Orleans grocer, indicating a row of
tins on the top shelf, Il am reminded
of something very queer that hap.
pened here several years ago. One
day in the summer of 90, if remem-
Der rightly, refined looking woman
of about 80. dressed in deep mourn
ing, came into the store and bought
a couple of cans of California peaches
of the brand have Just pointed out.
She had a cab and took them with her,
and | thought no more of the incident
until she returned next day, carrying
the tins in her hand. 81 have a sick
brother at -" she said, naming a
small town in Alabama, and was in.
tending to send him these peaches,
with bundle of other things, yester.
day. But, on second thought. I be.
lieve l will buy few more delicacies
and get you to ship them separately.
There was nothing peculiar about the
request and l assured her l would be
glad to attend to the matter. She or.
dered four or five dollars worth of
different articles-jellies, olives. mar.
malade and so on-paid the bill and
gave me her brothers. name, directing
the things to be sent to him in care
of captain somebody or other, at the
Alabama town which she mentioned
before. AS soon as she left, | got out
a box and began to pack up the con.
signment; but as soon as l came to
the peaches l noticed that the two cans
which she had returned were both
slightly blown as we call it in the
trade. In other words. the tops buig.
ed outward trifle, indicating that a
little fermentation had been going on.
Not wishing to send sick man any.
thing but the best, l set them aside
and put in two fresh cans from the
shelf. The box was shipped by the
first express.
NEARLY six months after this epi.
sode," continued the grocer, with
twinkling eyes, eve were cleaning
out our old stock and ran across those
two cans of peaches. l picked up one
of them carelessly, and, my hand be-
ing wet, a piece of the label came off
You may imagine my surprise TO see
lot of small saws soldered to the
side of the tin. and on further exami.
nation we found that they completely
encircled the can. and that the other
was. in exactly the same condition.
At that l began to have a faint ink
ling of the truth and lost no time max.
ing few inquiries. l found that the
Alabama captain was the sheriff of
his county and the invalid brother had
been one of his official guests. He
was a burglar and had since been sent
to prison for ten years. The scheme
was pretty shrewd. In the first place.
the sheriff would not be apt to be
suspicious of a package of goods com.
I ing direct from a reputable business
house, and, even if he opened the cans
before giving them to the prisoner,
there would be nothing wrong inside,
The crook must have been bitterly
| disappointed when he examined the
substitutes that sent. The saws, as
we afterward found out. were highly
| tempered and could cut stell bar like
| yellow pine. Who was the woman in
| black, did you ask? l have no idea;
| probably a sister, or wife, or sweet.
heart. never laid eyes on her after.
ward."-The New Orleans Times.
! Dau.ncrac