The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-02-20

w. A. Dodds, the Lakeview lumber
man, who is confined in the county
Jail awaiting trial in the district
court, made a desperate attempt to
escape this morning, with disastrous
results to himself, and has been
transferred to the hospital with a
badly shattered left arm, the result
of being shot by Night Jailer Surber.
In some manner Dodds had removed
bolt which fastened the lock of his
cell door, and it was only necessary
to push on the door to force it open,
giving him access to the corridor
About 8 o'clock this morning Jailer
Surber entered the corridor to fix
the fire in the stove in an adjoining
cell, and as he passed, Dodds threw
open his cell door and sprang upon
him, and desperate struggle for the
mastery ensued. Surber was taken
by surprise, but put up a strong fight
and belabOred DOdds with a stick Of
wood he had in his hands, and was
doing good execution until Dodds sue
ceeded in wrenching it from his
hands. Then Surber pulled his gun
and took two shots at his assailant
The first bullet struck Dodds on the
side of his head, inflicting a slight
flesh wound. Dodds then threw up
his left arm to protect his head, and
the second bullet entered just above
the elbow, SCATTERING the bone and
causing a severe wound. Dodds had
enough and backed into his cell, with
all the fight taken out of him, and
promised Surber that he would be
good if the latter would quit shoot
ing. Leaving him in his cell, Surber
locked the corridor door and tele-
rhoned to Sheriff Gregg and also for
q doctor. When the latter arrived
Dodds was taken to the hospital,
where his arm will be operated on
this afternoon. 1t is thought that
his arm is so badly shattered that
amputation will be necessary, and if
so he will always carry a memento
of his daring attempt at jailbreak.
The attempt to escape is thought
to be the result of carefully pre-
pared plan for wholesale getaway
of all the prisoners, as had Dodds
been successful, he would have been
in possession of the keys of all the
cells, as we'll as the outside door,
| The jailer could have been rendered
powerless, and as he would not have
been relieved until o'clock, the
prisoners would have four hours i
which to seek places of security be-
fore their escape was known. Sur
ber's pluck and good shooting frus-
trated this plan, and the attempt re-
suited in the discontinue of the
leader who is rightly regarded as the
most desperate man in the Jail.
Owing to a wound in his arm, the
result of a gunshot, Surber is unable
to use that member and it being
known to Dodds, it is thought the
latter banked on that to give him an
easy victory. He, too, was handi-
capped by the heavy Oregon boot,
which he has been wearing since
his first escape from Jail last month.
The sheriff's officers are of the opin-
ion that he had planned the escape
with some one of the short term
prisoners, who have recently been
released. Once outside the Jail walls
he would have met them and been
securely hidden away.
DOdds was arrested in December
for attempting to defraud several OF
the merchants of the city who gave
him goods and money in exchange
for mortgages on logging outfit
which he claimed to own at Lake
view. He secured goods to the value
of several hundred dollars and when
an investigation was instituted it was
developed that Dodds had no prop
erty to mortgage. He was arrested