Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1901-12-06

growing threats of lynching that were
being made.
| The sheriff exercised diplomacy in
talking with the leaders Of the lynching
movement and appealed to the enraged
populacc not to Wrcak summary ven
geance on the prisoner. but to let the
law take its course. stating firmly at the
same time that he was in duty bound to
protect the accused from mob violence
and would do 81 al all hazards.
The inquest occupied all day Saturday
and was not concluded until about il
O'clock that night, when verdict was
rendered to the effect that Davidson
came to his death at the hands Of Bilant.
Tbcrcupon the sheriff again took his
prisoner To Hanley's saloon for safe
keeping for the night Fully impressed
with the importance Of the duty that
dcvolved upon him in preventing his
prisoner from escaping and from being
summarily dealt with, the sheriff, though
having been up night and day for over
forty hours, determined to exercise per
sonal surveillance over the man, not car
even his trusted deputy OF a special
officer.
Along about 2 o'clock in the morning
IIanlcy closed the saloon and retired in
one of the sleeping rooms in the rear of
J the building. Having previously shack
Z led and leg-ironcd the prisoner and
) placed him in an adjoining room, Sheriff
, Potter lay down on the bed in such II
/ position that he could see the prisoner.
/, In this way he Watched him until about
s 4;3O in the morning, when. through sheer
j. exhaustion and lack OF sleep, nc fell into
< slumber. not awakening until about 6
G o'clock. On opening his eyes he dis
1 covered that tho Austrian was not IN
e the room. Calling to Hanley, he bound
g ed from the bed and found that his
4 shackled prisoner had escaped. Invest
Z. igation revealed the fact that he had
G gotten out Of the saloon by pulling down
j the catch from the the top and pulling
Il up the catch from the bottom Of the sta
tionary door. These being the only fast
d enings, it was an easy matter for tho
n Austrian to open both doors. In going
e out he took the precauton to close thu
D. doors after him, and also had the fore
le thought to take with him a bottle Of gin
IS The alarm was Immediately given ant
it q systematic search instituted for thu
d escaping fugitive. The sheriff tracked
le him up toward the mine and told Super
is intendent Dixon that he believed TIL
Austrian had gone down the slope, but
ly careful search of the underground work
" ings failed to disclose any trace OF tn
IS fugitive. The citizens of Bridgcr turne'
ne out enmasse to aid the sheriff in running
as the Austrian to earth but though th
1g country was thoroughly secured 70
,s- miles around, the direction the Austria
lr- had taken could not be discovered.
on number Of tracks and cleWs were 10
re lowed which ultimately proved to b
RS false. Ia the meantime, while In
Fl. posses were out in all directions, Supel
in, intendent Dixon went into the mlne
I'd perform his accustomed duties and at
yas o'clock Monday afternoon accldent
ad located the fugitive in one OF the vacal
nd rooms of an abandoned portion OF II
tly workings. a dinner pail had been >
ler down close to the opening OF sm;
asst room and the superintendent, some lit
,sc. distance away, lit his pipe and was res
or ing for moment. His attention W
he attracted by noise proceeding from u
small room and it developed afterwa
vac that this noise was made by the fugltl
no in an endeavor to get hold OF the dl
re ner bucket. The superintendent call
ra- out to know who was in there. II
div Austrian made some sort OF reply al
yas the superintendent, throwing the ag
80 of his miners lamp in the direction fre
Of which the sound emanated, discover
the that the fellow had on pair OF t