Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-09-21
DESPERATE ATTEMPT
TO BREAK JAIL

wholly to the vigilance OF Sheriff
George Maiers Not only did the
Sheriff by a timely discovery keep sew.
eral desperate men behind the bars but
ha no doubt saved lis own life, for it
seemed to be part OF the plot to lure
tha Sheriff into the jail and to strike
him down with club
The inmates of the County Jail at
present are as follows: David Barrett
ana IGlmeT Halderman, who are held
for trial in connection with the bold
hold-up at W. II. n. Walkers hotel
on the evening of July Bird f.; John Sees,
who is held OH the strength of state
ment made by his wife accusing him
of causing the death of their child,
aud George Crossley, who is awaiting
trial on the charge of assault and bat
terry.
During Sunday the Sheriff detected
4 sli Int NOISE in the direction of that
portion of the building whore tie
prisoners are confined 1t was noise
that had peculiar Specification to the
Sheriff and he Immediately went about
an investigation Time and time again
during the day on hearing the noise
he went into the Jail, but in every IN
stance he found every thing quite and
orderly, the prisoners showing no es-
EeGial interest and no embarrassment.
lie was convinced. however, that some
thing was wrong and Sunday night a
close watch was maintained.
Yesterday morning the Sheriff kept
Barrett and Halderman in their cells
and quoted their suspicious by telling
them that he expected to have the
plumber in the prison during the fore
noon when it would be necessary to
keep things closed. Instead of the
plumber, however. the Sheriff sum-
moned Chief of police Mincemoyer and
Officer John Grier Voris, to whom he
confided his suspicious and whom he
requested to accompany him OH tour
of investigation through the cells.
The three officials went into Bar
rett's cell but fouGd nothing. In the
bath room, no viewer, ,cunningly secret
ed on the under side of table was a
jimmy and six hack saw blades, such
as are used for saving through steel.
Halderman S cell was next examined
and .here secreted i'll a small interstice
behind the railing of the bed were six
more saw blades. In his pocket was
found monkey wrench. In Sees cell
back of the plumbing was found saw
frame with one saw, dulled with u.s.
age, fast III the frame.
A short examination showed that
the saw at least had been put to very
effective use. In Sees cell directly
opposite window on the east side
aud separated from it only by hall
some three feet wide, two iron bars
over an inch in thickness were found
ahout one third sawed through.
The officers in all found themselves
in possession of one hack saw-framo
and thirteen blades, -One jimmy and
monkey wrench. They were about
leaving that portion of the building
and were passing out of the door of
the cage when one of the prisoners,
who declared himself not in sympathy
with the plot, reached over head and
pulled out a club in the form of a
heavy chair leg. which he presented
to the Sheriff with the remark :" Here,
take this thing with Sou; we don t
want this in here.
1t is something more than theory
that the club entered prominently in
to the plot 20 break Jail. When the
bars were all severed and the prison
ers had found their way from the cage
into the corridor it would have been
an easy matter for one of the prisoners
by feigning illness to have brought
the Sheriff into the cage; as he PASSED
through the cato another prisoner by
playing his part could have seized the
| heavy club aud dealt him blow over
| the head With the gates Opan and the
Sheriff silenced il might hayo proven
a comparatively easy matter for the
desperate men to have made their es-
cape through the side entrance.
| Tna next thing was tC finu out with