The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-04
is EASY
FOUR PRISONERS AT FORT sNEI
LING GAIN LIBERTY WITH
OUT TROUBLE
NO TRACE OF THEM Is FOUND
Men Broke the Prison Bars and
Made Their Flight While Com
pany Was Preparing
to Leave

Fort Smelling was treated to another
sensation by the successful escape of
four prisoners, who broke out of the
guard house unebserve1 Tuesday even
ing. The escape is shrouGed in mystery
and no one at the fort seems able to tell
just exactly how it happened The de-
livery took place shortly before o'clock
In the evening, while the garrison was
hned up for parade, prior to the de-
parture of Company C for Fort Mis-
soula
The escaped prisoners evidently must
have planned their daring fight some
time ago and picked cut this time, when
Company c was going away, as an OPP
perfume time to make a break fer lib
erty.
The names of the men who got away
are Private Ashton, Company L, Eighth
infantry; Private Ottlie and Private
Rocks, of the First cavalry Ashton had
only about forty days more to serve, and
1t is thought very queer that he should
make a break for liberty. The other
two, however had ne arly two years each
to serve yet All three are considered
desperate characters and had records that
were none too good, according to what
was said about the post
Sergeant ManIey and Corporal Rath
were in charge of the prisoners at the
time, and they were both placed under
arrest. This, however, is customary, and
it is not likely that they will be punish
ed, as it is not thought they were inn
pHcated in the deal
ESCAPE WAS DARING.
AS near as could be learned at the post
yesterday afternoon, the escape was
most daring one, especially as at the time
1t was perpetrated it was not yet Clark
and there was a number of armed guards
about. The superstition IS that the
prisoners got hold of key to TT the
lock of the inner iron cage and unlocked
it when no one was looking. Next they
cut panel out of an outer wooden door,
on the side Of the building This was
just prior to the time when the extra
night guard is put on, so that the man
must have figured pretty closely as to the
time
Shortly after the prisoners escaped they
We're observed crossing the RIVER to Men
dota A general alarm was sounded
throughout the post and the guard was
soon in pursuit. The prisoners escaped
in the woods. however, and have not been
recaptured.
AT the time the men made their fight
Sergeant Manley, who was in charge Of
the guard house was said to be taking a
nap, and had handed over the keys to
Corporal Rath, whom he left in charge.
it was also stated at the post yesterday
that when Corporal Rath discovered lat
the men had gone he ran after them and
sent few bullets in pursuit. The keys
to the guard house rooms were lost dur
ing the excitement, and it is claimed
that they had to break the locks N or
der to gain entrance to all parts of the
guard house.
Ottlie and Ashton are the same ones
who attemDtad pSpana la St and
were tracked to the bottoms near the
boom of the st. Paul Boom company
Rocks is the man that made an attempt
to escape some time ago when Charles
Kartak attempted to stop him near the
east end of the bridge He gave Kartak
vicious kick in the stomach and do
rated several other blows in the scuff1e.
No trace of the fugitives has been Sc
cured