Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-17
JAIL BREAK JUST AVERTED
Prisoners Caught by stryksr as They Ar,
Attempting to Flee.
DRIVEN BACK At POINT OF PISTOL
Man Sentenced to Six Years says He
viii XIII Himself Before
lie serves the
Time

Il will never go to prison. l will kill my
self first was the remarkable expression
of Harry Monroe, "a condemned prisoner,
who failed to escape from the county Jail
the night before being sentenced for six
years In the penitentiary.
That Jail delivery was just averted at
the county Jail Sunday night came out
Tuesday morning when Henry Monroe was
sentenced to the penitentiary by Judge
sutton. Monroe was the ringleader of
gang Of four men who succeeded in fore
ing their way out of the solitary cage
into the corridor From there 1t would
have been easy to knock hole In the
brick wall. just as the gang that escaped
last winter did. 1t happened however,
that Deputy Sheriff stryker was on special
duty and had his eye on them. They
were driven back into the cage at the
point of revolver.
The men who came so near escaping
were Harry Monroe. who broke into DR.,
Willard Langfeld's residence last summer;
John Smith, who robbed the farm house of
John Wpf in the country and shot Mr..
Wipf twice before he was captured;
Adophus Peterson. who had just been
sentenced to three years in the pententiary
for burglary. and Charles McGrath who
is charged with holding up a South omaha
street car last spring. The jury before
which he was tried disagreed and he has
been in Jail since awaiting a new trial
Same as Buckley Tried From.
Owing to the crowded condition of the
boundover cage four men had been placed
in the what is known as the solitary cage.
| This Is the same part of the Jail from
] which James j. Buckley and three compan-
ions escaped last February About mid
J tvh f~I,f
! piece of pipe from the closet in the cell
| and using it as a lever sprung the door to
the cage back. slipping crbbage board
into the crack. The cribbage board was
then forced upward until the lower part of
the door was sprung back far enough to
| permit them to crawl through. They all
| got out into the corridor.
| Monroe, who told about II when he was
! before the judge, said it would have taken
| them about fifteen minutes to have dug
| through the walls OF the jail and gained
| their freedom.
! Deputy Sheriff Stryker had been placed
on special duty to find out who has been
| smuggling dope into the jail and he dis
| covered the attempt. with his revolver
he forced the men to re-enter the cage
| The fact the attempt was made was not
| given out until II was referred to when
| Munroe was before the court
John Smith Desperate Man.
John Smith one Of the quartet, Is con.
| sidered a desperate criminal He shot
Wipf, whose house he entered twice while
trying to escape and then offered him a
bride of 81 400 If Wipf would release him
Wipf refused the offer and has since begun
suit against Smith for 5000 damages for
the injuries he received. over $l,4O0 was
found on Smith when he was searched.
Monroe pleaded guilty Tuesday morning
before Judge sutton and was sentenced
to six years in the penitentiary. The
Judge ordered thes herif TO take him tC
Lincoln forthwith and Sheriff Mcdonald
arranged to leave on the o'clock train
Monroe was sullen and defiant. AS he was
led out of the court room he remarked
to Deputy Sheriff Stryker:
at wouldn't make any difference IL h,
had given me ten years. I will never e
to the peniteEtiary. / will kill mysel
first"
He repeated the threat that he woulC
never serve tho sentence as he was beinI
searched at the Jail A small mirror which
might have served as a weapon was takei
from him.