Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-22
4 :
WOULDN'T HOLD THEN.
Three Jail Birds Cut Their Way
to the Open Air But Are
Caught.
Get Out Of Solitary in Mysterious
Manner and Cut Holes
Thru the Roof.
Driven Back BY Sheriff Shoe.
makers Bullets just as They
Saw Freedom.

Sheriff Shoemaker foiled desperate
attempt at Jail delivery this morning at
o'clock. Three prisoners-Murphy,
held for highway robbery, and Mcclure
and Sanford, each charged with bur
glary, aided by Charlie. Wilson, the 10
year-old burglar recently held to await
disposal of his case by the courts, broke
out of the solitary cell, where they were
confined, and had nearly effected an ex-
1t thru the roof when they were de-
tected.
Murphy has been malngering for the
past few days and physician had been
called to attend him. 1t is thought that
perhaps the doctor forgot to securely
lock the solitary door when he came
away Wednesday morning or that the
men had concealed about them a skele-
ton key. 1t is possible that the key, IL
they had one, was handed to thief by
young Wilson, who has been favored by
the sheriff in response to the pleadings
of his parents and has not been confined
as closely as he would had he been old
er. AT any rate the men, Murphy, Nc
CURE and Sanford, managed to unlock
the solitary and escape into the outside
room. They locked the solitary after
them The Wilson boy furnished them
with e-eighths-inch iron rod torn
from an iron bedstead. They also had
q razor. With these implements they
lad broken thru the roof of the Jail.
when the noise attracted Mrs. Shoemak-
er's attention. She was suffering from
tootk-ache and had risen to treat the
trouble. She turned to the sheriff and
said: Tom. there's some one oil the
roof" Mr. Shoemaker seized his re-
volver and ran outside with the idea
that outsiders We're attempting res
cue. After locating the noise he fired
shot from his pistol, The noise ceased,
but he sent another bullet after the first.
He then could hear the party skurrying
down from the roof. and he fired a third
shot, which brought the police to the
scene. and while they guarded the out
side the sheriff entered the Jail to Sc
cure his prisoners. He found them In the
solitary, quiet and ready to deny any
attempt at jailbreaking. The evidence
of their guilt, however, was patent in
the broken ceiling of the room where
they had made an entrance to the attic
ana the torn ROOT ABOVE. Ihey We're
who had betrayed the trust placed in
who had betrayed the trust placed in
| him on account of parental solicitation
that he might not be closely confined
After the prisoners were locked se-
curely in their cell Sheriff Shoemaker
stripped them and made a careful
search for skeleton keys. but found
none. He is therefore convinced that the
physician who attended Sanford on
"Wednesday failed to securely lock the
cell when he left.
The prisoners were shackled and
handcuffed together for the balance of
the night, and when the sheriff carried
them their breakfast this morning they
asked him to release their hands to en-
able them to eat conveniently. This the
officer refused to do. but when he re-
turned some time later for the dishes
the three pairs of handouts We're handed
out to him much to his surprise. How
the men got them off is "a mystery.
There is a smooth individual among the
trio and they will therefore be careful
ly guarded until their cases are finally
disposed of.