Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-11-22

to Light After a Thorough Search
Boston, Nov. 19.-Warden Bridges
and his subordlnates in the Charestown
state prison were jubllant last night
over their discovery of gigantic plot
to break Jail. and the warden was espe-
cially elated over finding the Jack"
with which the convicts intended to
force the prison bars apart so that es
cape from confinement would be easy.
I'VE have been looking for this
Jack for Is years." said the warden.
I'm less than eight days after came
here Is years ago learned Of the pres
ence Of that jack within the prison
walls. We have tried in every way to
get possession Of it, even keeping at
the task for months at time. The
first sight of 1t, however, was today.
feel pleased that we discovered this
plot to break Jail, for l am sure the
prisoners intended to make a big job
Of It,"
Although from occasional signals be-
tween the prisoners officials of the in
stitutlon have suspected that something
was wrong for several months, the first
tangible evidence of the plot was not
discovered until Sunday night.
About l o'clock one of the guards saw
a strange CLEAN Of light from a cell
down one Of the corridors. 1t had come
from small piece of mirror which a
prisoner, believed to be the sentry Of
the plotters, had used to aid him in
keeping an eye on the guards. He had
held it outside his cell door so that he
could locate the nearest guard, and the
light Of an electric bulb striking it
caused the CLEAN which the guard saw
Had the prisoner stopped using the
bit of mirror for while perhaps the
years Of labor might have netted the
prisoners something. But the guard
saw the fash again and became con-
WINGED that one Of the prisoners was
using a mirror. Immediately he crept
down the corridor. but when he reached
the prisoners cell the convict appeared
to be asleep in bed.
The guard then communicated what
he had discovered to the superior off
Ger on duty, and an extra guard was
placed in that corridor and kept there
until yesterday morning.
Then the prisoners cell was searched
but nothing save the bit Of mirror was
found. While the prisoners were at
work in the shops. cells in the entire
wing We're examined. The bars of all
Of the doors and the safety braces Of
each were tapped with hammers. and
to the amaZement of the officials 81 ght
tap on the safety bar Of the cell next to
the one where the mirror was discov-
cred caused the bar to snap off. The
bar, which was of half-inch steel. had
been sawed over ee-fourths of the
way through. In two other cells nearby
two bars in the doors of each had been
tempered with. A search of these
cells startled the officials of the jail.
In concealed pocket in the pillow of
one was found key that fitted the door
at the end of the corridor. several other
skeleton keys for Jail locks, and a
dummy pistol. The imitation was so
good that it might easily have been
mistaken for the real thing.
A two-foot piece of inch iron pipe. two
saws and an 1S-inch fiat file were found
in the cell of another, while in third
were concealed an old bit stock.
scales weight. four pieces of steel that
evidently had been used as bits. and a
long wel-turned iron bar that served
as combination jimmy and Jack
lever. cobblers knife that had been
ground down to razor edge and
needle point was found in another cell
The saws We're made of clock springs
and were set in rudely- han
dies of wood and wrapped with Irvine
held into place by number of small
brads. They We're well rusted and in
the opinion of the prison officials were
old.
The greatest find Of all and by far
the most remarkable and effective in
strument for escape that has ever been
found in the possession of prisoner in
Massachusetts was a finely turned Jack.
This the prison officials have been
looking for for 10 years.
The cell of the owner of the Jack was
in the midst of those occupied by the
plotters. Nothing had been found in
his cell, but the officers made search
of his work bench. and in the rear of
it, carefully done up in canvas bag
that had apparently been made for il.
was found the jack.
When closed it is about foot long.
and is about one inch and a half in di-
ameter. 1t is constructed of the finest
steel, and despite the fact that the rest
of the instruments We're found to be
covered with rust, the jack was in as
good shape as when it came out of the
work shop.
The combination bar and jimmy
found in one of the other cells. il was
discovered, fitted the jack to a certainty,
and it is believed that ii was originally |