The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-23
EIGHT PRISONERS
ESCAPE IN SELMA
NimbIe Fingers Do the Work
Successfully
ROBBERIES ARE REPORTED
Former Councilman w. E. Allen Is
Minus a Suit of clothes-other
News of Selma and Dali
las County.
ROBBERIES ARE REPORTED

Selma, August 22.-(Special) THE Dallas
county jail is the last bastl1e TO be made
light of by the nimble- fingered and skill
full band of Jail breakers. Eight negro
prisoners made their escape between mid
night and o'clock this morning, and
they have not been heard of SINCE 1t was
daringly conceived plot we'll arranged
plan and successfully executed. The es-
cape sare:
Willie May. charged with car robbery.
Henry Smith, burglary.
Louis Tennessee crime against nature.
Joe Wesley, murder
Son Bama, grand larceny.
billiard Irwin, car robbery.
Dell Bird. highway robbery
Arthur Taylor burglary.
Another negro, billiard Steel, charged
with the murder of a negro near Minter,
this county. secured his freedom from
the cells, but did not get away. He was
discovered in the front part of the build
ing hiding behind a trunk
The eight negroes were confined in three
cells, two of which were on the left of
the hallway between the cages and one
on the right, the three beng the last cells
in the row. The exit from the cells to
the walkway around the cells was made
in the last cell on the right. bar had
been sawed, one or more bolts cut and
the steel bars bent back sufficiently to
allow the passage of human body. From
the next to the last cell on the left hand
side of the row the dividing piece of sheet
iron had been priced up sufficiently to
allow the occupants to get into the last
| cell on the right Rust has eaten much of
| the iron leading into the center hallway
from the cell on the left. and it was but
a little task to prize bar out so that
the center hall might be gained. The bars
| to the cell on the right from which the
entrance to the walkway had been cut
were also rusted near the floor and an
entrance into the cell on the right by the
two cells on the left was then easily
| gained
From the cell on the right, the walk
way once gained, the prisoners bent back
and broke off one of the iron Stats that
forms the flooring for the second floor
overhead. Likewise they priced back bar
on the third floor of the tiers of cells
and then gained the skylight Once on
the roof of the Jail the ropes which hold
the skylights back were tied to blankets
| taken from the cells and the blankets fas-
tened to the chimney the loose end falling
| to the roof of the kitchen, about ten feet
| below. From the kitchen to the ground is
but six or seven feet and safety was
| gained.
Mr.. John Glass, formerly jailer at Lin
den, In Marengo county. is the jailer
now. He states that about IL o'clock he
was awakened by noises in the Jail and
| went to the door and called ont to know
| what was the trouble. There is confined
| crazy negro in the JAIL and he was said
to have been making the noise, His cell
| Is Just above the cell on the right from
which the main escape had to he made
About 2:30 Mr. Glass again heard sus-
| picious noises and making an investiga-
| ton found the three cells vacant Sheriff
Blackwell. Chief of Police Walters and
Captain of Police Miller We're Immediately
notified and an effort made to capture the
escapes