The Western news., 1904-08-03
FOOLS THE JAlLER WITH CLEVER.
LY CONSTRUCTED DUMMY.
ESCAPES THROUGH HOLE IN WALL
Disappears on Sunday Night-Cell
Mate Denies All knowledge OF
Affair." Officers In Hot Pursuit.

Charles Johnson, the most trouble
some prisoner ever held in this county
made another clever getaway Sunday
night.
! During the day Johnson and anothe,
hobo, who is dong SO day sentence
for VACANCY, were allowed the liberty
of the corridors. At $50 O'Clock the
jailer entered the Jail to lock the
prisoners in their cells. The jailer
walked around the steel cage and peer.
ing through the bars perceived a form
lying on Johnson's bunk and that
worthy's shoes and clothing lying be-
side the bunk. Johnson was called by
name but no answer being received
the jailer concluded he was asleep and
locking the cells and outer door, left
the Jail. On Monday morning the
jailer discovered that the Jail bird had
flown. A hole in the outer brick wall
was the only trace he left behind. A
dummy cleverly constructed of the
bed clothing and slop can reclined
on Johnson's bunk. The prisoner had
evidently been perched on the top of
the steel cage while the jailer made his
rounds the night before and, as soon
as the coast was clear, had proceeded
to dig hole through the brick wall.
picking the same spot through which
he made his escape couple of week
ago. The bricks were easily removed
as the cement had not hardened since
the former getaway. The hole was
through the east wall of the Jail, 2 bout
six feet above the ground. Three tiers
of brick, three bricks in the middle and
two above and two below, were re-
moved, forming an aperture through
which it seems incredible that a man
so large as Johnson could pass.
The other prisoner disclaims any
knowledge of the getaway. claiming
that he was asleep when it happened,
but this is improbable as he must have
handed Johnson's clothes through the
bars as they we're missing in the
morning. The plan of the escape was
exactly identical with that of the
prisoner who escaped from the Park
county last week, an account of which
Johnson had read in the daily papers.
Sheriff Pond was not notified of the
escape until $50 O'Clock Monday morn
ing and the prisoner had fully
ten hours start, but the sheriff and
under sheriff and other officers have
been securing the county since and
will undoubtedly overhaul the man.
Chas. johnson, or whatever his
name may be, has proved very
troublesome prisoner to the Ravalli
county authorities. He was FIRST ar
rested by Night Policeman John Grant
about month ago for being drunk
and disordlery and lodged in the town
Jail. Within an hour Johnson had set
fire to the Jail. He was then taken to
the county Jail and as he was not
with a serious offense he
was given the liberty of the
corridors. One night he dug a hole
the brick wall and made his
his escape. He was caught at Flor
ence, brought back and a charge of
Jail breaking preferred against him.
Johnson next feigned insanity but an
insanity board pronounced him sane.
He tried hard to work the insanity
dodge, tearing his clothing and bed
clothes into ribbons, eating filth and
raving necessarily day and night,
but it didn't work. Ever since the
doctors pronounced him sane Johnson
dropped his pretence and behaved very
we'll. The authorities believe him to
be an old offender and that the fear of
being connected with some other crime
accounts for his anxiety to get away.
He is a total str anger here and nothing
is known of his antecedents.