Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-05-18
TWO PRISONERS
BREAK JAIL

Two desperate prisoners sentenced
to the eastern penitentiary at last
weeks session of Columbia county
court broke out of the Bloomsbury Jail
sometime between seven O'Clock Tues
day evening and seven O'Clock yester-
day morning. The men were Fred
Conner, who received sentence OF
three years together with $500 fine for
completely in the robbing of the s:a-
ton agent at Lime Ridge land Charles
Becker, sentenced to 21 months in the
penitentiary for an attempted ravish
of telephone operator on the road
between Mt. Carmel and Centralia.
These two men together with the
others sentenced to the penitentiary
last week were to be taken to Phila-
delphia next Monday by Sheriff Black.
Tuesday evening about seven O'Clock
when the prisoners were locked i'll
their cells for the night, nothing un-
usual was noticed by Turnkey Lemuel
Black, brother of Sheriff Black, as he
made his round of the Jail. When he
unlocked the cells yesterday morning
at seven o'clock, he did not look par
ticularly into the cell which was oc-
cupied Jointly by Becker and Conner.
When the two did not appear for
breakfast, investigation was made, and
the cell found to be empty, with a
large hole in the wall, and stones scat
tered about the floor standing as a
mute explanation of the mems alb
sence.
The outer wall of the Jail is two
feet thick, while the ceiling of the
cell is made of steel. In the cell, two
framed window. The prisoners had
removed several stones above the win
dow, some of the stones being fifteen
inches square and six inches thick.
The Jail wall, being several stones III
thickness, the hole did not penetrate
it, but stones were so removed as to
form a burrow or passage up through
the wall around the edge of the steel
ceiling, the men thus crawling from
the cell to the attic above. Passing
along the attic to point where they
knew the high wall around the jail
yard Joined the building, they cut a
hole through the roof with a knife
and saw, and gaining the roof, it was
an easy matter to crawl to the top OF
the jail yard wall. From the top OF
the wall, some thirty feet high, the
ground was reached by the use OF
blankets from their cots.
In the cell were found large fiat
CIllSel, anu u naTEOW ul6 ttl
inches long The latter had a wire
twisted about one end for handle. A
couple of the Jail table forks were al
so found here. With these implements
the stones had evidently been remov
ed.
Just when they made their escape i:
not known. AS far as could be learn
ed, no one heard the men in theil
work, either removing the stones IL
their cell, or boring through the roo
(which was covered with slate.
The escaped men were in Ruper
yesterday morning shortly after sever
o'clock, but where they went from
that point is not yet ascertained. 4
boy passing the Jail in the early morn
ing saw two men of their description
hurrying down the tow path TOWARD
Rupert.
A little after seven o'clock, yester
day morning, two men entered Rob
ert's grocery store at Rupert and pur
chased can of oysters and some crack
ers. The men also purchased banana
at the store of l. M. Betz in the sam
town. Mr.. Roberts thought he hat
seen the men before, but could not re
call who they were.
That the men had outside assistanc
seems almost certainty, at least t.
the extent of being furnished with th
file and saws used in getting out. Con
ner has had several visitors since hi
confinement and even since his con
yictiOn