Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-08-17
FIVE MEN ESCAPE.
Saw Through Bar at Window
and Escape by Team
Had Confederate.

Last Saturday night when Sheriff
Gross went into the Jail to lock his
prisoners into the inner cell for the
night he discovered he had only two
instead of seven. He lost no time in
spreading the news and in short time
teams and men left in every direction
in an unsuccessful search. All that
night and Sunday parties were out and
telephone and telegraph wires were hot
but no trace of the ex-prisoners could
be found.
The story of the robbery of Chilson
& Haugen's store will be remembered
by our readers, and how by skilled
work on the part of our sheriff and
chief of police the men were hunted
down and placed in Jail After hear
ing seven we're held to the next term of
the circuit court.
A confederate of the supposed crimi-
mails did the outside work necessary to
make their escape possible. One week
before man purchased five saws from
the George Hammerbacher 81 Company
hardware store, which were the saws
used to saw the bar from the window
through which they escaped. There is
iron screens on the windows that are
supposed to prevent the passing of
things to prisoners, but upon investi-
cation it was found that one of them
was not tight fitting and let crack
sufficient to pass things through. From
the two prisoners who remained in the
Jail and who had an equal chance for
escape but refused to go as they feel
sure they can prove their innocence
and did not want to add another crime
to the one already charged. it was
learned that the saws We're passed to
the prisoners on Tuesday of that week.
The work OF saving the bar was a very
hard job in the fact that they were
locked in the cages at night and had to
be very careful of the work at daylight.
A blanket was torn in strips and damp
ened and wrapped around the bars
which deadened the sound of the saw
as it worked its way through the steel
bar. This work was completed by
Thursday but the fact that the sheriff
would lock them in the cages at
night before dark was very likely the
reason they did not make the break
at that time. A small fiat wrench was
given the prisoners with which they
remove the iron screen and make they
way open to escape.
Saturday night was dark eaoudy
one, just to their wishes, so their con-
federate hired team at the Effnor
barn about eight o'clock and at nine
the break was made The sheriff was
detained on business and did not get to
the Jail until 900 and was then inform
ed by the remaining prisoners that five
had escaped
One of the prisoners remaining had
written letter to the sheriff disclosing
the plans and was awaiting an oppor-
tunity to hand it in when he was found
out by the gang and he was made to
tear it up with the threat that his life
would pay the penalty should any one
be notified. He was aware that they
We're in earnest about this and let the
prisoners escape.
There is nothing very surprising
about these men getting out of this Jail
when one considers that they, mo doubt,
were men who had before confronted
the iron bars. While in custody one
of them made the remark, "better jails
than this did not hold him." With q
man on the outside to keep a watch
and supply the necessary tools it wa
not hard matter. Then with the da,
night to cover his escape they had
great advantage over the scare n;u
party. There is not much hope 1nte,
tanned that they will ever be re nrne,