Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1902-06-20
Slippery Prisoner Finds County Bastile an
Easy Problem fer
Second Time.
PULLED OFF THE LOCK
Ends a Bath With Call for Soap and a
Dash for Liberty Posses Search
in Vain for Him.

For the second time in his career |
Lauren N. Ringer has escaped from the
Carbon county Jail. His second success
full effort against locks and keys was
effected last Saturday afternoon between
2:3O and 3 o'clock, when the slippery
gentleman with charge Of assault in
the first degree hanging over him, pried
off the lock Of the outside door and
quietly hied himself away.
Ringer, for the first time in six weeks,
was Saturday afternoon allowed the lib
erty Of the front part Of the jail. II was
customary for him, the only prisoner,
to prepare his meals iii this portion OF
the Jail, but always in the presence
Of Under Sheriff Gcbo, who, after the
meal had been made ready, had Ringer
spread his table just outside his cell.
On Saturday Ringer expressed the de
sire to do some washing and to take q
bath. Accordingly u fire, was built il
the stove in the front room of the jail
and Ringer went to work. Tie asked
the under sheriff if he would get him
some tar soap, and Officer Gebo comply
ing with his request, came down town,
bought the soap and returned to the
4 iail after an absence ct about twenty
minutes. He found the outside door
open and his prisoner gone. Hardly
waiting to see how Ringer had effected
his escape, the deputy rushed back down
town and gave the alarm. In much less
than an hour from the time Of the es-
cape posses were securing for the jail
breaker in all directions. Sheriff Potter
hurried up the creek with one crowd,
while Under Sheriff Gebo soon had a
posse to prosecute search along the
brush of the stream and in the vicinity
Of the coal mine. At the time Of the
prisoners escape it was raining and
there were few people out OF doors and
everything favored Ringer in his hasty
exit and his speedy run for cover. How.
ever, Frank Flaherty, a son Of John Fla
herty, living in the neighborhood OF the
Jail, saw man hurrying along the street
in front Of the Jail and making toward
Davisville. He had seen Ringer ut the
Jail and knew him by sight and told his
father that he had seen man he fel
sure was Ringer. Ringer seems to have
taken course south, as woman saw
man answering his description cross th'
bridge above the county road bridge ant
90 il the direction Of the prop yard o
the mine. This woman told the officer
that she noticed the man because h
: was walking SO fast and that she saw
that as he was about to meet a team h
. suddenly made break and ran for tn
! brush Neither Of these clues, how
> ever effected anything, rs thorough
search Of the vicinity IN the direction o
y which Ringer is believed to have gon
: failed to reveal a sight Of him. Ate
? about two hours beating around in tn
= brush and up the creek the searcher
$ returned empty handed and wet. Thos
! who went on horseback had their rifle
swung across their horses and those O
foot were armed with six-shooters and
!. would not have been healthy for tn
j outlaw to refuse to surrender il he ha
! been come upon. Sheriff Potter eA
= pressed the hope that he could "fin
. him running But he was not foun
o running nor in hiding and reluctantl
] the search had to be given up for tn
J night. The sheriff gave the alarm to a
! the neighboring towns and after an al
: night prosecution of his search went
Billings next day and that night st;
T. toned himself at the Yellowstone bridg
o above Laurel and kept lonely Wig
o there until morning in the hope tn;
= Ringer would attempt to cross the rivt
o at that point. But no more trace OF tt
9 slippery jailbreaker could be found.
0 Ringer made his escape by prying ope
. the lock which holds the large bolt
J. the front door. He accomplished thi
. . it is thought, with a stoye-lid holde
: The holder was found on the floor nei
by and it is supposed that he inserte
!, stick in the handle and in that W;
= Z, secured purchase which made it pc
,ff sible for him to unscrew the top nut