The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-04
BURNED WAY OUT
BURGLAR JAMES SMALL ESCAPED
FROM POLICE STATION.
CLIMBED THROUGH A TRANS0M
DISCOVERY OF THE ESCAPE WAS
MADE AT BREAKFAST HOUR.

Was Locked in Room Used for
SpeciaI Cases-TrausOm Had Been
Nailed Dovn-4e Used His Cloth
ing 10 Burn wood From Around
the NaiIs-Waited His Chance Be-
fore Leaving the station House.
More of the Thiefs Plumber Re-
covered by Detectives, but Much
JeweIry still MisstnE-Omcial IA
Nestigatiop VIII BE Made.
James Small. the notorious negro bur
giar mention of whose arrest was made
in the Mornings News. escaped from the
police station probably early yesterday
morning, ana has not been caught. The
discovery was not made until O'Clock,
when the door of the room, in which the
prisoner mad been placed the night be
fore. was opened to give the man his
breakfast. Small could not be found, ana
It was seen that he had escaped from the
place by crawling through the transom.
How he got out of the station house prop
er, seems to be something of a mystery
and will probab bly, never be known, unless
the negro is re-arrested and tells the story
himself
Small was taken to the station house, and
was relieved at o'clock yesterday morn
ing by Turnkey Brantley. O'Keefe re-
ported everything all right, and. without
visiting Smalls room Brantley signed for
the number of prisoners said by the night
man to be on hand. At that time it was
not suspected that the prisoner had made
his escape, and much surprise was man
sfested when the discovery was made by
Brantley TWO hours later
The entire police force and the city de-
fectives were notified Of the escape of
Small but diligent search by the ofll-
GERS failed to disclose his hiding place.
The detectives have every reason to be-
lieve that the burglar left the city short
ly after getting away and have but lit
tie hope of finding him soon. When
SmaHs home near Laurel Grove Gene
terry, was searched by the detectives Sat
urday night. the prisoners wife asked
permission to see her husband at II
O'Clock yesterday morning and was told
TO meet the officers at headquarters at
that hour. She stated her intention of
taking him some breakfast, and asked
the officers not to fail to meet her. The
woman did not show up at all, and the
detectives are quite certain that Small
went from the police station to his home
and put his wife next"
The negro's escape was daring, and the
manner in which he opened the transom
displayed the cunning for which he is
noted. The big ROOM" as the place in
which Small confined is known, has
held many desperate criminals whom the
detectives wished to shut off from all out
side communication. The windows are
barred in the ordinary cells. the only
difference being that a wooden door shuts
the big room from the corridor on the
second floor. In this manner a prisoner
that the officers wish to work cannot be
seen or communicated with by other pris-
oners or the work hands around head
quarters. There is a transom over the
door. but this had been nailed down. and
breaking the glass would necessarily have
attracted the attention of the turnkey on
the floor below. The male work hands
formerly used the room for sleeping quar-
tiers. and il was discovered that one of
the number had habit, after hours, of
crawling through the transom and visiting
other work hands in a similar room on
the same floor. 1t was at this time thai
the transom nailed down.
Small evidently took in the situation
as soon as he had been placed in the
room and Immediately began to formu-
late some plan whereby he could secure
his freedom. The officers, he knew, had
a sure case of burglary against him
which meant a long term in the penten-
ate chances to regain his freedom He
piled the benches and bed clothing near
the door and found that, by standing on
the heap, he could easily work at the
transom. The negro was without tools,
and he realized that to force the tran
som open would arouse the turnkey and
spoil his chances of regaining his liberty.
He burned the wood from around the
three nails that held 1t fast and in this
manner got into the corridor. The detec-
tives are of the opinion that he used his
clothing in burning the'wood from around
the nails and Sergt. Fleming is sure that
he smelled burning cloth when he left
headquarters at II O'Clock Saturday night
Burned clothes were found on the floor,
and il is quite likely that Small opened
the transom in that way.
How he got out of the station house Is
matter of conjecture, and Small is
the only man who can explain away the
mystery. In some quarters It is thought
that he walled until a prisoner was
brought in, or the door was left open for
a moment, and then slipped out. other
officers think that he managed % pass out
with the work hands when they were re-
LEASED at o'clock, the hour at which
they begin their work.
All of the plumber taken from Blumer-
thals pawn shop was not recovered by
the detectives, when they searched Small S
house. A pistol and box of cartridges
could not be found by the officers As
will be recalled. in most of the recent bur
glaries. only money was taken, and the
only hope of putting the crimes at the
door of Small was to obtain confessions
from him. IL was seldom that the negro
stole property that could be identified,
which gives rise to the belief that he Yves
hard up when he robbed Blumenthal
loen office. He is known to the police as
an inveterate gambler, and the money
stolen probably went in the dives. The
police will leave no stone unturned 10 ap
prehend Small, but it is not believed that
they will be successful for some time.
An official investigation of the escape
OF the burglar will be held and an effort
will be made to fix the responsibility.
The matter will be thoroughly probed, and
both turnkeys will appear before Super
intendent Screven. Turnkey Brantley
Will be asked to tell why he did not
count the prisoners on hand when he
,Iyn..