The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-09-02
ROCK co. JAIL BURGLARIzED.
A Desperate Prisoner Makes His Escape
With Outside Help.
Said No Jail Was Strong Enough to Hold Him.


Some time during Thursday night the
Rock county jail was broken into by con-
federates and noted prisoner liberated.
Bolts and bars have again failed to hold
Eddie Fay, the notorious bank robber
and postoffice thief. Iron and steel gave
way like putty before the onslaught of
his pals from outside the prison. Huge
bolts were pried open and cell doors
swung wide, and the man who headed
the gang that robbed the Superior post
office OF $4,000 worth of postage stamps
and who eluded the secret service de-
partment of the government for weeks,
was free man.
A conveyance was in waiting and Fay
was spirited away to some place OF hid
ing, and today his whereabouts is as
much OF mystery as it was the day
after the big robbery in the northern
Wisconsin metropolis.
1.-THE jail hasn't been built that will
hold Eddie Fay" was the boast of the
robber and his friends, and their claim
seems to have been we'll founded. Fay
escaped from the strongest cell in the
jail, and escaped as handily as if he had
been in the room of hotel instead of
behind the strongest bolts and bars ex-
pert Jail builders could devise. He was
taken to GAINESVILLE from the Dane coun-
ty Jail for safe keeping. He escaped on
Thursday night with the assistance of
friends on the outside, and escaped with
out leaving any trace.
Fay was imprisoned on the second
floor of the Jail, inside heavy iron cage.
He has been held in solitary confne-
ment except for visits from his attorney.
Climbing up water pipe and working
from the window ledge of the cell room,
Fay's pals succeeded in filing through
two-inch bar. Gaining admittance to
the cell room, they forced the heavy
four inch bolt on the cage door by the
use of jimmy and iron bars. They
then helped Fay outside the cage and
through the window, leaving their tools,
all new, behind them.
Fay is alleged to have robbed the Su-
perior postoffice of $4,000 worth of
stamps last fall. One companion is now
in the Leavenworth prison, where at
tempts have been made to liberate him.
Fay was brought there after second
attempt had been made to liberate him
from the Dane county structure. He
was placed on the second floor and in
the best cell the Jail has. All his mail
has been closely watched. The work of
rescue must have taken two hours at
least and his absence was not discove cred
until his breakfast was taken to his cell
in the morning.
The only man that has seen Fay since
his confinement here, excepting his jail
ers, was man who gave his name as
Thomas Ryan, a saloon keeper on Thir-
ty fifth street, Chicago, who represented
himself as relative. Fay and Ryan
covnersed for some time about two weeks
ago when Ryan called there.
4 study Of Fay's method of escape
shows that he must have sat on mar
row ledge, four inches wide, for over an
hour, while he filed bar through. Elk
panders were then used to widen the
opening. He finally made his escape
through a hole s by II inches.
Fay belongs to the same band of
crooks that has been implicated or sus-
pected of many robberies, dramatic and
otherwise, in Wisconsin. Among the
escapes credited to this band within the
past two years are that Of Charles Den
mis- and James Packard from the Wau-
kesha Jail, pat" Flaherlty from the
Madison jail and lastly Fay's escape.
Eddie Fays picture is in the rogue's
gallery of nearly every large city in the
country. Still young man, he is known
as one of the most desperate and sue
cessful criminals in the West. He has
been charged with many bank and post
Office robberies, but has escaped each
time up to the present day. He is
charged with the Superior robbery last
fall when $4,000 worth of postage
stamps were stolen, and with the Chi
cago postoffice robbery some years ago.
Mary other minor postal robberies are
laid to him When he was in court at
Chicago before he was taken to Madison
to answer for the Superior crime, an at
tempt was made to rescue him from the
officers. Wisconsin sheriffs were eau
toned to guard him with the greatest
caution, as it was known his friends
would spare neither life nor money to
free him.