The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-03


one of the. neatest jobs of the kind in
the criminal history of the United
States. There was nothing heroic
about IL; il was scarcely adventurous
even. Leary's pals simply made a hole
in the prison wall-or, rather, they re-
duced the wall from the other side to
a mere smell OF plaster, so that he was
able to push it in when the right time
arrived-and he came through and de-
parted from the vicinity
Leary, who was one of the most
eminent burglars of his time. had been
committed to Ludlow street jail in De-
cember. 1873. pending eXtradition pro-
ceedings. He had been arrested on
suspicion of being concerned in the
Manhattan bank robbery on Broad
way and. being acquitted on that
charge. was rearrested in Jefferson
Market court on a warrant issued by
the governor of Massachusetts charg-
ing him with completely i'm the robbery
Of the Northampton bank, for which
two Of his pals, Scott and Dunlap,
were then serving terms OF twenty
Years each. Iearys friends had at
tempted to rescue him as he left the
court room on the occasion Of his re-
arrest but the attempt had proved un-
successful
north side there was and still is a five
story tenement house. There was then
a beer saloon on the ground floor, and
the rest Of the building was occupied
by half n dozen families of working
people. In the latter part of the
month OF April that followed Leary's
cCmmittal 10 the Jail a man and wo-
man called upon the landlord Of this
adjacent building to inquire III he had
any rooms to let. He had no rooms
vacant just then. he told them. but a
German carpenter. who with his fam
fly occupied the south apartment on
the top floor. was going to move TO Ho-
boken on May l. and his rooms might
De rented, possession to be given after
that date. The couple made some OBJ
lection to the top floor. but finally
agreed 10 take the rooms, and paid
months rental in advance to clinch the
bargain.
The man was Jimmie Hoy. leading
bank burglar, and one of the men who
attempted to rescue Leary at Jefferson
Market court. His companion was
Mrs. Leary. known in the profession
as RED Kate" and a most expert
shoplifter. They were quite aware
that the fifth floor ledger was going
h move out on the 1st of May, be-
cause il was through q friend of theirs.
Butch Mccarthy, also a burglar of
high standing. that the carpenter had
been offered lucrative job in Hobo
ken. which had induced him to move
out of New York, Mccarthy having
discovered that those rooms on the
fifth floor were opposite closet on the
third tier of cells in the adjoining jail.
to which his friend Leary had ingress
during certain hours of the day and
fu,F ri "a F-f nv a a
associate Of Leary, and had been ar
rested with him the previous Decem-
Der for completely in the Manhattan
bank robbery. being acquitted with
him on the charge on the occasion that
the other was rearrested and in the
Northampton bank case. Mccarthy,
IN the guise of a labOrer. had hung
around the saloon on the ground floor
of the tenement house for a week be-
fore he was able to ascertain, without
creating suspicion. who was the occu-
pant of the top floor rooms next to
the Jail. and then he speIt two weeks
more in finding out where the carpeu-
ter worked, and. bringing the offer of
the job in Hoboken about naturally.
and the consequent removal of the
family.
The family moved out Of the Lud-
low street tenement on the LIST of May
and Hoy. under another name, moved
I'm with some cheap furniture. pur-
chased for the occasion on the same
day. on the evening of the following
Wednesday, the 9Th of May, Red
I.eary was not 10 be found at locking
up time in Ludlow street jail, which
was 10 o'clock. He had been seen
strolling about the end of the third
tier about fifteen minutes before but
he failed to respond TO his name at 10;
nor was he anywhere about the build
ing II would have been impossible for
him to have gone out through the war
denis office. and q hurried search OF
the premises began. One Of the turn
keys went into the closet at the end
of the third tier. and the mystery was
solved. There was a hole in the wal
two feet square. that extended through
into the next building. and through this
hole Leary had escaped.
There was great connection in police
circles that night. Captain Allaire
who was in command OF the precinct
called out the reserves and surrounded
the Jail and the adjacent tenement
house. which was subjected TO a mos'
vigorous search. No trace of the fu-
gitive was found. however. for Lear1
had reached the BOWery before his es
cape was discovered, and he was no
seen in New 1oIk again loI severn
years. The nearest semblance TO a clu
obtained BY the police after Red
Leary's departure from the jail wa
contained i'm the story of two lOdger
lin the tenement house. who were go
ing up the stairs between $3.50 and i
o'clock on the night Of the escape
and met three men coming down n
great haste These dodgers had al
idea that there might have been a jai
delivery. though they supposed TIT
men had escaped by means Of the roo
and entered the tenement house b.
the scuttle They followed the other
into the street and saw them hurr'
along Ludlow street TO Grand, an'
turn UP that thoroughfare in the direc
ton of the BOwery-
An inspect ION OF the tenement nous
made it plain how the work had beel
done. The wall of the Jail. which ha'
originally been the ordinary structure
twelve inches thick and hollow in tn
center. had been reinforced by an ad
dition of brickwork two and a hal
feet thick. which. added to the tene
ment house wall made four and one
half feet that had to- be drilled thrOug
and removed before the prisoner o
the other side could escape. The wor
had been done I'm a hall bed room. an
the bricks and mortar had been car
ried into the next room and neatl
piled up I'm a closet Il was mostl
accomplished at night. the mining an
sapping being done with the utmos
quiet and stealth. IN order not TO al
tract attention either in the iafi or IN