The daily sentinel., 1903-03-06
Cutting Chains
He Leaps from Train

been the sensation of the hour in po.
lice circles both in this CITY and all
along the line of the road. The es-
cape took place in the Eagle river
canon and shows to what lenght a
man will go when he is desperate.
The following description of his es-
cape appeared i'll the Herald Democrat
today:
After cutting the chains which
bound his hands and feet while sitting
in railroad coach beside the officer
who arrested him. f. f. Underhill
leaped from train No. on the Denver
81 Rio Grande at Rock Greek. below
Red Cliff. while the train-w run
ming 40 miles an hour and escaped
with the leg irons still on his ankles.
Underhill was a scale inspector for
the Denver and Rio Grande. 1t was
his duty to travel over the various
lines of the system and inspect the
scales. He Travelled with an outfit in
special car which contained beside
living compartment. compartment
in which were kept materials and
tools with which to make repairs ON
scales.
Some time ago the officials began
to be annoyed with reports of rob-
berries of freight cars at various points
along the line. Bert Brown. chief of
the detective service of the railroad.
began an investigation and it was
soon discovered that the robberies oc-
CURED at points visited by the scale
inspectors car. officer Brown soon
became satisfied that there was some
connection between the scale inspec-
tors outfit and the robberies and he
placed Underhill under surveillance.
Wednesday Brown arrested Under
hill at Grand Junction on the charge
of robbing freight cars. Underhill
was handcuffed and shackled and
placed on the train to be taken to
Alamosa TO be tried for robberies
committed at that place.
Just before the train left Grand
Junction. Underhill's wife who ac-
companied him and the officer to the
train, sat in the seat and conversed
with him. The prisoner was not
troublesome to the officer during the
trip. Once he asked the officer to re-
lease one of his hands from the hand
cuffs in order that he might read the
daily paper. The officer saw no harm
in accommodating the man that far
as his other hand was firmly held by
the other cuff and his feet were
shackled with strong steel chains
which were attached to leg irons and
to the handouts.
As the train entered the narrow
rocky dafile below Redcliff, the officer
left his man for moment, going to
the end of the car to get drink,
when he turned to return to his seat
he saw that the seat was empty. I'm
derhill had rushed to the other end of
the car and leaped from the train. 1t
is supposed that his wife had sup
piled him with a strong pair of
pincers and that when he had pur-
suaded the officer % release one hand,
Underhill had severed the chains
with his pincers and prepared for his
daslf for liberty whenever the oppor-
tunity might offer.
The train was stopped and search
made among the rocks along the track
where the man iumbed off. but no
trace of him could be found.
At Red Cliff Brown sent telegraphic
descriptions of the fugitive to all
points along the road and to other
places where he might go and posse
was started out to capture him. Up
to an early hour his morning Under
hill had not been captured
The sheriff's office and the police
department at Leadville were given
the following description of the fugi-
tive: "F. F. Underhill, escaped
from Noe at Rock Greek. below Red
Cliff, feet nine inches tall, weight
$50 pounds, light complexion; small
moustache; dark clothing. black shirt.
black ronud top hat, 4s years old !;
had leg irons on when he escaped. -
Quality Tells. Price Sells" Lyons
& Son.