The Forrest City times., 1902-01-24
REVEN DESPERATE MEN.
They Make a Clever Escape From the United States Prison on
 McNeil's Island, Wash.
THE GUARDS WERE NEATLY HOODWINKED
It is Believed. From the Character or the Men, that Their Uecapture Will Involve Some Desperate Fighting, Particularly if They Succeed in Securing some Arms.

 Tacoma. Wash, Jan. 21.-Eleven of the most desperate prisoners in the united States penitentiary on Me NeiFs island made their escape be- tween one and two o'clock Sunday afternoon.
 1t was the most daring and success iul jail break ever attempted in this state, and the character of the men implicated makes it doubtful wheth- CT they will be retaken without Il loss of life. The men are:
 W. D. Snyder, sent up from Idaho for robbery.
 James Campbell, Nome; pickpocket.
 Thomas Morton, Nome. burglary. Frank Ainsworth. Nome; larceny.
 Mike Williams, Spokane; counter feiter.
 Harry Davis, Nome, Alaska. Frank Morton, true name Ed O'Neil, Spokane; counterfeiter
 James Morarity, Spokane; counter feiter.
 ]. P. Stewart, Idaho; counterfeiter.
 Bruce kenwright, Nome; man. slaughter.
 James Carroll, Alaska; murder.
 X Ledger reporter who visited the island, Sunday night, brings the fol 1 lowing particulars of the escape: A hole in the brick wall of Cell No. 10, occupied by conyicts Synder and 1 Davis, reveals the method of escape
 The wall is about a foot in thick ness, covered with concrete.
 The tunnel was dug al the junction of the floor and the wall, sloping out. wardly until it formed a connection with the air chamber about two feet below and a foot outwardly from the corridor wall of the cell Through this air chamber the prisoners crawled about forty feet to where it 1 opened into the boiler room, the | opening being covered by an iron l grating. This obstacle was overcome l by the use of saws, and the prisoners | had then only to walk out of the back l door of the boiler room, across the yard and scale the board fence. A few yards from the prison grounds and the dense growth of timber af- | forded them, temporarily, safe re- l treat.
 The prisoners took advantage of | the latitude allowed them during the dinner hour to consummate their | ,,lo A,. | signed and boldly executed. The | guards, with the exception of two, | who were on duty on the wall over | looking the corridor, were eating dinner in the dining room. The tables were being spread in the corridor for the prisoners dinner, it being GUS | tomary to serve them immediately on | the conclusion of the guards repast 1 \ dinner gang was at work putting | the tables in order and the other con victs had the privilege of the cor | riders. One by one the men slipped into cell No. 10 and crawled through l the hole unnoticed. When the | guards came out and lined the pris- oners up for dinner, II were missing l | hole in the wall, and the guards at once ran to the boiler room where | the steel door swung on it's hinges, | showing that the men had already | flown.
 Warden Palmer has not had time to make a thorough investigation but is unable to realize how the work nn,l1 T ...l | tion.
 We inspect the cells regularly once each week." said the warden ''The last inspection was made Sat urday, and l ordered the guards who made the inspection to make a care ful examination. They reported ev- erything all right The work must have occupied several days, and how they could have concealed the brick and dirt which they took from the wall until they had reached the air chamber is more than l can under stand"
 The plan which it is most feared will be pursued by the convicts will be to raid some of the numerous farmhouses on the island, secure guns, clothes and a boat and thep row to the mainland. Among the es- capped prisoners are many desperate characters, who would not hesitate at murder to accomplish their pur- pose. With so many at large the farmers would be at their mercy, and should they once get possession 4 Sc. cers of the prison that they will fight to the death before they are captured.