Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-03-06
JAIL DELIVERY AT EASTON
Men Who Escaped Saturday
Have Been Recaptured.
EXCITING PURSUIT OF FUGITIVES
Were Overtaken at Oxford and
Bellevue.
t. John Thompson, One of the Pursuing
onncers, Was Shot Down when the Fugi-
tives Were Cornsretl A Coroner's Jury
Is Investigating the Tragedy.

Easton, Md, March 4. One of the
most exciting incidents occurring in
Easton in long while was the escalc
of Lewis Green, colored, and five other
prisoners from the Talbot County Jail
Saturday night, which was followed
Sunday morning by the killing Of L.
John Thompson, one of the deputies in
the pursuit of the fugitives. Lewis
Green is the negro who killed his para
mour, Carrie Price, at Oxford. February
4th, and then shot himself. He was in
Jail recovering from his wounds which,
at the time of the self-iniliction, were
considered serious, if not fatal. But
when the chance for escape presented
itself it was found that he WINS in con
dition to travel as far as Bellevue,
where several members of his family
were colonized in u negro settlements.
Here Lewis Green, the chief object of
tho sheritf's solicitude, was traced and
Deputy Thompson was fired upon and
killed
The escape from the Jail, it is thought,
was effected through the instrument
tality of n white prisoner, charged with
stealing watch, who made key TO
unlock the door for the prisoners to got
away through coal hole.
the pursuit of the fugitives was
very exciting affair. Many men an
gagged in the hunt, and after the re
capture others swarmed into town, some
OF them armed. Tho killing If the
deputy added to the excitement. Many
people drove from miles around to tle
scene of the murder. When the prisoners
were brought to Easton, large crowds
Of people were congregated about the
Court House and Jail, but the prisoners
were not molnsted in the least. There
were IL prisoners confined in the iail
at the time of the outbreak, but only
SIX awaited themselves of the orpor-
tunity to escape The whole Of the
family to which Lewis Green belonged
are under arrest. 1t is not believed
that Lewis killed the officer, for it is
thought he was too much used up by
his tramp in tie night so soon after
being dangerously wounded to do the
shooting. He simply went into hiding
in the house, where he was concealed by
his relatives, until hauled out from
between beds by the officers. Who did
the shooting is the question a jury of
inquest is trying to find out. The deed
was done in the dark. One of the men
in the negro house jumped from an
upper window and escaped TO the woods
under fire from tho revolver of G.. Mil
ton Soulshy, the fpllow-deptuty of the
officer who was killed The escape of
this man and the shooting of Thomp-
son were occurrences happening almost
Two Of the brothers
of Lewis Green are under suspicion,
and evidence was brought out in the
inquest indicating plot to murder the
deputy or both of them, and it is
thought before the inquest is over that
more than one of the negroes of the
Green family will be implicated in the
homicide.
Six prisoners broke Jail and escaped
about 5 o'clock Saturday night. They
are Michael Diminish, white, and
Lewis Green, George Stirling, Carroll
Gibson, Percy Brunes and Anthony
Dashiell, colored. Green is the man
who killed the woman Price in Oxford
a few weeks ago. The others were in
prison for various offences and held for
the action of the May grand Jury.
Sheriff Alexander G. Mortimer was in
Baltimore Saturday. When he returned
about O'Clock the prisoners were all
in place. Half an hour afterward he
discovered that six of them were gone
He immediately summoned posse of
deputy sheriffs to hunt the fugitives
Green was the man they were after
particularly. The sheriff and Deputy
John H. McHale went to Oxford, where
Green last lived. Deputies T. John
Thompson and G. NJ. 4. Soulsby went
to Bellevue, on the opposite side of
the Tired Avon River, where Green
formerly lived and where he had
house and relatives. The deputies
received Information that Green was in
a house in the outskirts of Bellevue,
where his brothers and sister, Louisa
Gibson, lived. Thompson went to the
front door and Soulsby to the back
door. Soulsby says he heard several
pistol shots in quick succession and
then cry from Thompson - 0 Soulsby,
come here!" He rushed to the front
and found Thompson lying on the
ground, dead. This was at 2 O'Clock
Sunday morning 1t was quite dark.
Soulspy heard the sound of footsteps
running toward the woods and fired his
pistol in that direction. Later in the
morning Sheriff Mortimer arrived at
Bellevue and arrested Lewis Green,
who was found between two mattresses
on bed in the house where Thompson
was killed. The prisoners brothers,
George w. Green and Lloyd b. Green,
and his nepheWs Clarence Gibson,
Llyod H. Green and Albert Green, were
also arrested. All of them except
Albert Green were in the house when
Thompson was killed, but had left
and gone into other houses and were
located by Louisa Gibson. They were
brought to Easton and lodged in
jail.
Thompson's body was brought to
lIaston and placed in Mason IS under
taking rooms about 10 O'Clock Sunday
morning. Justice John b. Fairbanks,
acting coroner, summoned the follow
ing jury of inquest George H.. Hadda-
way, foreman; William q. Ball, N. Il.
Clark, w. j. II. Wooters, A. G. Pas
cault, George w. Mobray, Garrison r.
Collins, Willis Flowers, Frank A.
Shannahan, r. s. Fountain, Ii. G..
Council and S. Harry Shannahan.
After viewing and identifying the
body, the inquest adjourned until yes
teEday. Drs. Trippe, Council and
Merritt examined the body. Two bullet
wounds were found-one in the left
side under the heart and one in the
left leg.
The jury continued its session yester-
day afternoon, and at 6 o'clock ad.
iourned until 2 o'clock this afternoon
to get more witnesses.
Drs. Trippe, .Counciel and Merritt
testified that Thompson was killed by
32-calibre pistol bullet, which entered
his left side below the heart and cut a
big artery, causing almost instant
death. The whole Green family Of
Bellevue and Oxford are under arrest.
Richard Green, nephew, and William
Green, brother of Lewis Green, who
| killed the Price woman. testifed