The age-herald., 1901-01-04
PRISONERS TELL
 PLANS OF ESCAPE Give Details as to How They
 Got Out THE FILE IS NOT YET FOUND West, Duncan, Edwards and Fay Talk to an Age-Herald Reporter-MiI- Ter is Sulky and Refuses to
 be Interviewed.

The attempted escape of Miller, Duncan | Edwards and West was the absorbing top
 ic of conversation at the jail yesterday and | the Age -Heradd's account was eagerly read l by all the prisoners.
 Every cell in the jail was thoroughly | searched yesterday for the missing file, but l like the missing link it haS>not been found. l West, one of the men who attempted to l escape, stated to an Age-Herald reporter that the file was not in the jail but had | been sent out previous to their attempted escape.
 Sheriff A. W. Burgin was seen by re- porter and asked if he had discovered any evidence of outside aid, and whether any clues had been found. q am working the case," said the sheriff, "but just at present 1t would be inadvisable for me to say anything. I think there will be some developments in a day or two"
 Frank Miller, who was also seen by the reporter, was as surly and uncommunica- | tive as ever. He was lying on his bunk when seen and when asked if there was anything he would like to say replied No. don't want to talk to you''
 John D. West, who occupies an adjoin- l ill6 CCll lO hllleT WdS dShtu II uo CdISu | to make any additional statement to what he made Wednesday.
 'I will say this,'' he said, "that the &C., count fin todays Age-Herald Is correct ex- cept as to the attack on the negro. What the negro told about being hit was not so. We never got within 200 feet of him, and nobody pointed a pistol at him" Asked to give further details of their es- cape he said: Tt only took us about a minute to get out of the jail window and we were not out two minutes before we were captured. I can't, of course say where we got the pistol-it would not be fair. have always been under the impress sion that prisoners had the privilege of trying to escape. I am tired of staying in jail day and night without knowing what am charged with.
 Details of Plans.
 "We had flat file, with which we cut the window. I won't say how we got 1t, but 1t is not in the jail. It went out before we did. We had no one outside to assist us in escaping. We never thought about keep ing together or scattering when when we got out. We intended to do the best we
 could The nigger who said we knocked him
 
 died on the Winslow the time Ensign Bag ley was killed-he was simply scared to death We first made our plan to go over the wall about a month ago. We found out by degrees it's position. We had the file with us and from that time on l worked on the bar when I got a chance. It only took one blanket to make the ropes. The piece of iron pipe out of which we made the hook we found in the jail. The ropes were made last Sunday night between and | g o'clock. I never communicated with any one on the outside. I only get letters from my family. live at Richmond, Va" West has promised Jailor Suddeth to tell him some time where he got the file. Duncan Talks.
 Frank Duncan was also seen and asked | if he wished to say anything. "Yes," he said, 'I am not guilty ard am absolutely l innocent of killing Policemen Kirkey and | Adams. I never saw Kirkley and only | saw Adams on his death-bed. I am satis- | fled Chief Austin, Officers Disheroon and | Bodiker know that I am innocent As to l our escape and recapture the account in | todays Age-Herald is correct. I under stand that the public is down on us' He would not tell anything about the file. Asked how Miller got through such | small hole in the window he said that a | fellow could go out a very small hole if l he goes at 1t right especially through l something rigid like iron window bars l where he can brace himself. "Once out | side the wall," he continued, i've intended l to give them run for their money. We 1 did not have any particular plans, but in- | tended to do the best we could I have | been sick here all summer with chills and | got disgusted ,and felt that if only got | chance to run and could feel the grit
 under my feet once more I didn't care l whether I was shot or not"
 1 Edwards Story.
 l Frank Edwards. who occupies an adjon-
 ing cell to Duncan, didn't seem to mind the l solitary confinement which the men are un-
 dergoing. T have stood 1t four months and
 a half." he said, "and can stand 1t a little longer. The Age-Herald's story was all l right, except that we never hit the negro. I don't know where the file and pistol were obtained. We were only out three or four
 minutes before we were caught Since we
 have been in Jail about twenty-five or l thirty witnesses have been here from the
 Standard Oil Company to identify me, but
 none of them could do 1t. We never got l any outside assistance and had no plans | but to get away. There Is a lot more
 might say, but don't think 1t advisable" | Fay Was Not In 1t.
 l Thomas Fay said: q have been in here | long time, and ought to have a trial I
 knew nothing about the plan to escape and had nothing to do with 1t I had no place | to go to if I got out, unless went home, and they could have caught me there. am 23 years old, and my home is In Ken lucky. All these people knew had noth- | ing to do with any of 1t. I don't know what
 I am charged with, as have had no indict- l ment or trial. The first knew of the four l men having escaped was when I saw them