The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-03
BURNT HIS WAY OUT
RIRGLAR sMALL's ESCAPE FROM
POLICE STATION EXPLAINED.
SLIPPED BY THE TURNKEY.
o,KEEFE FAILED TO LOCK THE
OUTSIDE DOOR.

SmaII's story of His Escape and His
Wanderings After He Left savan-
pah-Burned the Nails Out of the
TransOm over the "Big Room"
Door-Watched Turnkey 0Keefe
Ger HALF an Hour BEFORE He Could
Reach the 'Street-Ofhcer Went in
Adjoining Building and Left Door
UnIocked--A Carefully Guarded
Prisoner in the Charleston Jail.
Escape Yesterday.
The escape of Jim Small, the notorious
burglar and second-story worker, from
the Savannah police station Feb. 8, was a
mystery in the police department until
Yesterday when the negro himself told of
his daring escape.
Small is held a prisoner in Charleston
and was seen at the Jail in that city by a
Morning News reporter, to whom he told
the story of his escape.
The case was investigated by Mayor
Myers and Turkeys O'Keefe and Brant-
ley were each fined So for allowing Small
to get away. 1t was never determined on
whose watch the prisoner escaped.
Small says that he left the station house
at o'clock Sunday morning when
O'Keefe was on duty He denies that he
stole the officers revolver, and the man
first time.
Small was arrested on Saturday night
Feb. 2 by Detectives Murphy and Wall,
and was sent to police headquarters on a
charge of burglary. A week before Blum
enthals pawnshop on Jefferson street had
been burglarized in a daring manner.
large amount of jewelry was taken from
the loan office and Small was endeavorng
to pawn a watch when made captive.
There was an epidemic of robberies in
Savannah at that time and the detectives
were quite certain that Small was re-
sponsible for the greater portion of them.
The prisoner was placed in the big room"
on the second floor of the prison. He was
shut off from the other prisoners, the
work hands and visitors, and orders were
given that no one be permitted to see him.
The detectives wanted to work him, :"
and wanted no outside communication.
turnkey O'Keefe was on duty, and at
o'clock in the morning was relieved by
Brantley Two hours later ID was
discovered that Small had burned
his way out of the Dig
room and careful search, in which the
entire police department was engaged,
failed to disclose his hiding place
Small stated 20 the representative of
the Morning News that he had only been
in the room a minute when he decided to
make his escape. The sound of the Of
ficers' footsteps had not died out before
the prisoner began piling benches and
bod oil 4l,r.as
at the transom over the door. The escape
was daring and the manner in which he
opened the transom displayed the cum
ming for which he is noted.
The transom was nailed down, and to
have broken the glass would necessarily
have attracted the attention of the turn
key on the floor below. Small took in the
situation at a glance and feeling in his
pockets, he found two matches. The first
one that he struck flickered and went
out and the burglar became nervous. lie
was more careful with his last one, and
managed to ignite some of the bed clothes
IN the ROOM In this way he burned the
Wood from around the three nails that
ned the transom down. 1t was a tedious
9op and Small says that it occupied fully
Two hours The last splinter burned in
nan and the transom was pushed open
j ne negro crawled through the opening
ana dropped lightly to the floor without
afouslng the turnkey. Small says that he
cIaWled noiselessly to the head OF the
steps and looked down stairs. OKeef4
was on the alert. and was walking up
ana down, between the cells. The burgla'
nae gotten out of the room, but was still
smut off from liberty by the four walls
OF the prison. He was concealed by dark
ness and watched every move made by
.le turnkey. He remained al
me head of the stairs fol-
mar an hour and was about to give
up when something happened that made
escape an easy matter. The turnkey left
me station house proper and went into
me new building adjoining it. Small was
watching closely and when the officer
neslected to snap the lock behind him
tle prisoner saw his chance. There were
onIy few feet between him and liberty
ana the burglar lost no time in getting
tn'oush the iron door and into the street
As the police have always believed. Small
went direct to his house, near Laurel