The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-24
BOLD ESCAPE
COnViCtS Make a Dash
for Liberty at Castle
Haynes
NEGRO KILLED
and Six Convicts Are Yet Uncap-
tured = Guards Used Guns With
Deadly Effect Harrison Martin
Lead and Planned the Exploit.

Lead by Harrison Martin, a young
white man who has become well known
TO the people Of Wilmington within the
past month as a general desperado.
twelve prisoners at the county convict
camp at Castle Haynes yesterday
morning made a break for liberty and
all but three were successful. Of these
three one was killed and two captured.
The escape Of the convicts was a
is accountable for it's success. L hap.
pened early in the morning and right
under the guns of the guards, who
acted promptly if not with great effect.
AT the time the prisoners were being
marched out of the 70 their
work. 1t was almost Z o'clock and
just after breakfast had been served
in the prison, which opens into the
stockade and which is constantly
guarded. Two guards were stationed
at the large gate of the stockade and
M about ten yards outside and an
other (the foreman) within the stock
ade at the time of the dash, and each
was alert, but Notwithstanding the
escape ended successfully for three
fourths of the %convicts.
There were fully Seventy-five prison
ers, some of whom were white. on the
march when the break was made. The
line was about halfway through :he
gate when Martin, closely followed by 4
white convict, J. P. Hughes, made a
dash for a thicket about fifty yards
away. hen followed a dash by ten
other convicts. The guards on the out
side of the stockade comprehended the
situation and took immediate action.
Two opened fire with their u n upon
the fleeing convicts, while the third at
Once commanded the remaining prison
ers to fail on their knees, which order
fortunately for them they obeyed
quickly.
The escaping %convicts upon making
the lash went in different directions.
which saved several of them from being
killed. AS it was all escaped injury, so
far as known now, save n negro,
Chas. Taylor, who was killed. Taylor
vas at the edge of a creek, which IS
just on the outside of the thicket. when
he was hot and instantly killed by one
of the guards. He vas shot by the
guard on the outside of the stockadeI
some distance from the gate and it was
about the fourth time he had fired.
iSy vi g. biioS III IN JUN oAAA i''A
almost in the creek. The killing of this
convict did not deter the guards in
their action in the slightest. They i'm
mediately started in pursuit of the rest
of the prisoners and captured two Of
them-Andrew Lee and Eli Penny
both white convicts sent to the camp
from Columbus county-but the others
succeeded in escaping.
AS soon as the dash was successfully
made tho O119r1c off 6IltU yUpra nnfi-I
fed, the remaining prisoners were
marched back to the prison house, the
county officials in this city were adj
vised of the escape, ~bloodhounds were
sent for and the pursuit was commence
ed in earnest. he guards surrounded
the thicket, into which the convicts had
escaped, as best they could but their
number was not sufficient to guard the
thicket perfectly and so the convicts
advanced in their escape.
When notified of the escape of-the
convicts Mr.. D.. McEachern, chairman
of the board of county commissioners,
Sheriff Stedman, Chief of Police Fur
long and Deputy Sheriff Cox immedi-
ately went from the city to Castle
Haynes to assist in the pursuit. In the
meantime superintendent Shearin, of
the camp, who was away at the time
of the escape, had reached the scene
and had organized his searching force
well. The blodhounds were also soon
at the searching partys disposal, but
they proved of little use as the trails of
the convicts had been crossed md re-
crossed so many times by the search
ers. ALI day the search was vigilantly
kept up. but proved fruitless until
night.
THREE CAPTURED.
About s o'clock last night three of the
escaped convicts were captured and
are now back in the prison closely
guarded. One of the re~captured men is
John II. Carter, white, of ColumbusI
George creek by the negro cook at the
convict camp and a negro e~x-convict.I
Hines.
The other two captured are Sam
and Chas. Bryan. both negroes
and both from Craven county. They
were captured by two other negroes.l
Joe Baldwin and Joe Williams, as theyl
were Attempting to cross Northeast
creek bridge. They a hid in The
swamps until night when they attempt.
ed to make the escape which proved as
unsuccessful as the previous one wasI
successful.
PLANNED BY MARTIN.
The idea of the escape and all the
planning was done by Harrison Mar
tin. who although a young nan pos
sesses an exceedingly bad record. He
aggitated the matter quietly and it
seems only talked with those whom he
would join a daring escape
That is the tale told by the two white
~convicts whom the guards c%aptured
just after the break for liberty was
Both of these prisoners were inter
r-o-%1-lo y ofrnrooon nv - Nos |
senger representative and both told
about the same story. Their names are
Lee and Eli Penny ana from
what they stated it seems that Martin
with them Sunday while they
were locked up together for the day
and advised them to join the dash,
which he told them would be made the
next morning. He said he intended to
lead it and that he knew they would
all acnaoo |