The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1902-01-25
ELEVEN DESPERATE MEN.
They Make a Clever Escape From
the United States Prison on
McNeirs Island, Wash.
THE GUARDS WERE NEATLY HOODWINKED
II H. Relieved, From the Character
OF the Men. thnt Their nccapture
VIII Involve somr Desperate
Fighting, farticuinrts II They
Succeed In SccurinE some Arms,

Fighting. rnrticuInris If They
Succeed In scourinR somc Arms,
Toeama. Wash, Jan. 20. Eleven of
the most desperate prisoners in the
United States penitentiary ON Me
Ncil's island made their escape be
tween sone and two o'clock Sunday
afternoon.
II was the most daring and success
ful jail break ever attempted In this
state. nnd the character of the men
implicated makes IT doubtful wheth-
er they will be retalSen without n
loss of life The men are.
w. d. SNYDER, sent up from Idaho
for robbery.
james Campbell Nome; piekpocket.
Thomas Morton. Nome, burglary.
Frank Ainsworth. Nome, larceny.
Mike Williams, spokane. counter
fciter.
Harry Davis, Nome, Alaska.
Frank Morton. true name Ed O'Nen.
| Spokane. couuterfeitcr.
james MoraritY, spokane, counter
fciter.
j. z. stewart, Idaho; eountcrfciter.
Bruce Kcnwright, Nome, man-
slaughter.
James Carroll. Alaska; murder.
\ Ledger reporter who visited the
island, Sunday night. brings the fol,
loving particulars Of the escape:
= \ hole in the brick wall Of Cell NJ.
10. occupied by eonyicts Syndcr and
Davis. reveals the method of escape.
The wall is about foot in thick
ness. covered with concrete
The tunnel was dug ut the junction
of the floor and the wall, sloping out
wardly until 1t formed a connection
| with the air chamber about two feet
below aud a foot oHtwnrdly from the
corridor wall of the cell Through
this air chamber the prisoners
erawled about forty feet &c where IL
| opened into the boiler room, the
opening being covered by an iron
grating. This obstacle wns overcome
10y the use Of Saws, and the prisoners
had then only TO walk ont of the back
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, "A safe re-
treat.
The prisoners took advantage OF
the latitude allowed them during the
dinner hour to consummatc their
/ s..I e. Il
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 fol
the prisoners dinner, il being Gus
tomary to serve them Immediately or
the conclusion of the guards repast
A dinner gang was at work putting
the tables in order and the other con
victs had the privilege Of the cor
ridors. One by one the men slipped
into cell No. 30 and crawled through
the hole unnoticed. When tn
guards came out and lined the pris
oners up for dinner, / were missing
A brief search resulted in finding th.
hole in the wall, and the guards n
once ran TO the boiler room wher
the steel door swung on its hinges
showing. that the men had alread,
flown.
Warden Palmer has not had tim
20 make n thorough investigation
but Is unable to realize how the worl
could have been done without detee
tiOn.
eve inspect the cells regularl
once each week." said the wardeI
"1he lnst inspection was made Sal
urday, and / ordered the guards wh
made the inspection 10 make car,
full examination. They reported e.
erything all right. The work mus
have occupied several days, and hoi
they could have concealed the brio
and dirt which they took from I'll
wall until they had reached the al
chamber is more than | can unde
stand"
The plan which II is most feare
will be pursued by the eonyicts wi
be to raid some Of the numerot
farmhouses on the island, seeuI
guns, clothes and "A boat and the
row TO the mainland. Among the ei
capped prisoners are many desperat
characters, who would not hesitat
at murder to accomplish their pun
pose. With 50 many at large tn
farmers would be at their mercy
and should they once get possession
of weapons it Is believed by the Off
GERS Of the prison that they wli
fight 10 the death before they arr
captured.
m. Ne. who Recovered Asferofd.