Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1902-12-17
Kid Royals and His Side Partner
Caught Preparing to Take French
Leave Of the Cascade Court.
AN OLD TRICK OF ROYALS
Saws Made Too Much Noise and the
Jsiler Detected the conspirators
and Found the Tools.

/ ~ hdllhk iii
for the wholesale escape Of prisoners
from the county Jail was frustrated
yesterday morning by Jailer Sol
Yates. and Kid" Royals and James
Evans, two Of the most desperate
men confined within the walls OF the
county b%astile, were prevented from
gaining their liberty.
1t was about II O'Clock in the morn.
ing, shortly after the members of the
Salvation Army had left the Jail af.
ter conducting religious services, that
Mr., Yates heard a grating sound ema.
mating from one of the corridors.
Carefully raising the wicket on the
second floor of the residence portion
of the jail sufficiently to permit him
to view the upper tier of cells, he de-
tected one Of the prisoners working
industrfously on the bars. Mr.. Yates
could o see the prisoners face. but
W va NlOAlAIH hAh lH' NOIOl vi Ills
shirt sleeves ii vas evident that Roy
ais was one of the men trying to saw
his way to liberty. Royals was per-
mitted to continue at his work for
a few moments, and then another
prisoner, identified by his clothing as
James Evans. was seen to rub some
thing into the bars and carefully
smooth the place over.
SummOning Sheriff Benner, Under
sheriff Fitzgerald and Deputies Hogan
and Emerson to his aid, Mr.. Yates
made a search OF the corridor and
cells. The oars on which Royals had
been detected at work We're easily To-
Gated, and il vas found that four OF
tae bars, each designating a corner
Oi the square which Was to be taken
out, haU been sawn into 10 a depth
OF about an eighth OF an inch. The
work had been neatly covered up BY
pressing soap into the spaces left by
the saw. and all had been b~lackened
10 conform with the general appear
anCc OF the bars.
The search Tor the saw used in the
work was Tor a time ruthless. though
the cells were each examined separ
atcly, the prisoners being locked in
other cells during the time occupied,
and the personal effects OF all the in.
mates OF the corridor were carefully
inspected. Nothing developed. The
corridor itself was then examined
and every possible Crevice was search
ed. The search was finally rewarded
by finding two table knives secreted
behind a small board which partially
covered up a water pipe in the rear
of the corridor. The knives were care
fully buried beneath the dirt, accum.
ulated during many years, and there
was noting to indicate that it had
been disturbed.
The knives were ordinary steel
table knives. the edges of which had
been hacked into teeth. II might
nave taken the prisoners several days
Ia complete the work of saving
through the bars, had they not been
detected. They could nave worked
only during the daytime. however.
as all the prisoners are locked in
their cells at night. After gaining
their liberty to the main portion of
the jail In which the cages are built,
the prisoners could either have made
their escape To the roof Of the build.
ing through the skylight. which is
covered merely with AN ordinary wire
netting. or they might have attempt
ed 10 make a hole through the brick
wall. In either ease the matter of
escape would have been a hard one.
hut by such desperate men MS Roy
ais and Evans il might have been &C.
compliShod without detection.
1t is not definitely nnown to the
Jail officials how the prisoners came
into possession Of the knives, but II
Is presumed they were passed into
them by friends who have visited
,nem since the incarceration of Roy.
ais during the latter part of Novem.
Der. and it is firmly believed that they
were delivered to Royals during the
past few days. II is certain, however,
that they were not in the Jail prior
to the Goth of last month. as about
that time one of the periodical search.
es of the cells and corridors had been
made.
AS a rule everything brought to
prisoners in the county Jail is thor
oughly inspected before being given
to the prisoners. but at any time II
would not be a hard matter to pass
such a thing as a table knife in the
act of bidding farewell.
kid" Royals. the most desperate
of the two men involved in the at.
tempted jail break. has a reputation
lor escaping from confinement which
is scarcely equaled by any man in
the west. His last escape from jail
was at Glasgow last June, where he
had been placed after arrest on
charge of stealing the horses involved
in the case now on trial and in which
he and Jan Swager are the defend.
ants. lie vas arrested at his ranch
on Poplar creek, 80 miles from Cul.
bortson. Shortly after being placed
Ia safI 81 rla-,nV. H. n.aI. IL. o..