The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-08-29
A WESTERN MAN HUNT.
Chase After Tracy Recalls Daring Els.
cape from Prison in Cali
fornia.

The long chase after Tracy, the Ore
gon convict, recalls to the writer the sem
sational and ingenious escape from the
county Jail at Eureka, Humboldt county.
of Charles Russell, bicycle thief. 1t
occurred about eight years ago. and al
though not SO sensational or thrilling as
Iracys adventure, formed u very inter-
csting criminal chapter.
Russell was Observation-Disclosures
Outside of stealing bicycles and parts of
bicycles he had 10 other criminal record.
When his loot was discovered, hidden UNI
der an old mill on an island opposite
Eureka, it was found to consist OF sew
era bicycles, and Of all parts of BICYCLES
from tires down to cork handles. He
WAS arrested, and soon made himself L
favorte with the Jail atteEdants-such Il
favorite, in fact, that be was given un-
usual liberty, and on the day set for
his trial he made his escape. lie was cap
tured with little trouble within a day or
two, and when he was taken back to
jail an Oregon boot" ring OF steel
weighing nearly twenty pounds, was put
around one of his legs.
Russell became very docile. but began
laying plans for another eScape-anl
the way he made it was daring and
clever.
The county jail Of Eureka consists OF
a large room, in which the prisoners are
allowed to congregate during the day,
and along the side and across one end
is an IL" showed row of steel cells, eX
tending partly, to the ceiling. Russell
!! was confined III the one nearest the door
opening into one of the courthouse COR
ridors.
On the night Russell intended to es-
cape he made paper funnel, which ne
put on TOD of his cell. Then he took Off
his shoes and attached to them string,
Ls1h ho 70 ha ton, Of ha Tn!1
Then he climbed on top just before the
jailer came in to lock up the prisoners.
1t was the jailer's habit to begin at
| the cell nearest the door. He liked Rus
sell, and always stopped to talk to him.
On the night in question, when he came
| along, Russell answered him slcepk'
through the paper tube he had made,
making his voice sound as though conlin:;
from his cell; and to heighten the inn
| preston that he was preparing for bed
| he ratified his shoes on the floor b.
means Of the string he had attached TO
them. The jailer bade him good night,
and passed on to the other cells:
jaiier had closed the door behind him
when he came in. So Russell lay on top
OF the steel bars Of his cell all night.
| " hen the iailer came in the next morn
ing he passed to the further cells,
around the corllcr OF the a. in oy1ei,
! as was his custom. to unlock the ct!!S
farthest from the door first. He cart
Iessly left the main door open, and Rus
sell, slipping from his hiding place, made
| his escape.
His absence was discovered within
fifteen minutes, but he had completely
disappeared-Or boot and all. Con-
sternation reigned in the Jail, and depu-
ties were sent securing the town. That
Russell could go through town of 1000
in broad daylight with steel ring on
his leg, without attracting attention, is
most ren,arka Bile. Be de did it, and
was not heard Of for two days-then he
} was sJkp out on ranch over twenty
miles from Eureka. Word was sent and
the man-huAt began. much as in Tracy $
| case. 1t continued for two weeks. Rus
sell did not attempt to shoot any of his
purs,1ers, combining all his energies TO
running-and he ran like Il deer. 4 bull
let brought him down at last in the
Mendocina woods. over 100 miles from
Eureka. He was badly wounded, but
finally recovered, was tried and sent to
San Quentin for several years.
The Oregon boot was absent when he
was captured, and he told that he got
rid of it By putting one side of the ring
against 4 rock and pounding the other
side with an AK. until he disintegrated
it. The job took him nearly 9 whole day.
For two days he wore the boot holding
it up by means Of cord.-San Francisco
|