The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-21
JAIL DELIVERY
IN PETERSBURG
Pitt and Ravenback Held There
for SWindling, and Wanted q,
Hcrc-Break Jail.
MAKE PERlLovs ESCAPE 2
bridge, Constructed Of Bcdstcad
and Blankets, Is Suspended
Forty Feet Above Ground.
MAKE n PERlLoUs ESCAPE
Forty Feet Above Ground.
fspocInl q The Timos-Dlsna,ch

Especial TO The Times Dispatchl
PETERSBURG, VA, February 30
Three white prisoners made bold
and ingenious escape from tho city Jail
early this morning by saving out one
OF tho Inch square Iron bars to their
cell window which Is forty feet above
X the jnilyard, and then suspcnding
jailynrd wall bridge. which they had
made Of the two sides or Il bcdstcad
In their cell The escaped criminal 8
arc u. r. Pitt, H. e. Ravcnback. and
a. J. Gregory, all serving six montha
sentences for robbing and swindlinE.
Pltt ana Ravenback are the young
men who were convicted in the Mayors
Court only aSfew days ago OF collect
ing subscriptions for ph,ludelphfa
magazine by falsely representing.
themselves az soliciting agents They
are wanted In Richmond on large
number OF charges. and are said to
have operated in several other cities.
Gregory was brought back here from
Florida In January, and after pleading
guilty to charge of robbing room
ut Mrs. McGees boarding house, was
sent to Jail for six months.
Would Not Leave.
NJ. Is. Suter, who was Gregory's pal. .
Dnd another prisoner named Richard
Taylor were in the cell with the cscap-
ing men. but apparently made no effort
to Join them, ard certainly kept On the
quiet Suter. who had been sick,
called Jaier Bowles nbou. 4 O'Clock
this morning and asked for dose OF
medicine. 1t is thought that while
the jailer was procuring the medi-
cine the escape was effected.
The bridge, from the window to the
wall, was constructed by lashing the
sides OF the bedstcad together with pieces
Of the mattress. strips OF blankets and
other bedding, across which the three
men crawled forty feet above the ground
10 the top OF the wall, which is about
four and half feet higher than the
window sill and at least twelve feet
away. The cell is on the southern side
OF the top floor of the building The
city sergeant has frequently reported the
unsafe condition OF <he jail and the ur-
gent necessity for improvements Of may
kinds, and recently notified the sheriff OF
Sottoway county that the building was
unit for tho safekeeping OF a condemned
prisoner, whom the Eottoway sheriff
proposed to send here. When Sergeant
1;vang searched the cell this morning he
found several small steel saws sewed up
in clothes worn by Emmett Poarch, the
wife-murderer, who was taken to the
penitentiary on Monday. Poarch was a
logged, persistent type Of man, and may
have done some OF the filing OF tile win
dow bar. No news OF the fugitves has
been received, and Il wide alarm has
been teegraphed and reward offered
Former Policeman Fined.
John Aiken. large and powerful
young white man. who served for a
short time as substitute policeman.
was fined $50 and sent to jail for
thirty days in the Mayors Court this
morning for feIoniously assaulting J.
G. Wall. conductor employed by inc
Virginia Passenger and Power Com
y ". near the car barn In the West
End last night. Five witnesses corro-
boratcd each other In the story that
Aiken boarded Wallis car. accused him
OF causing Aiken to walk to town by
leaving Fcrndale PARK several minutes
ahead OIL time, and, after Walls denial.
struck the conductor powerful blow
In the face, knocking out tooth and
rendering him unconscious. The ac-
cused man made no defense. and asked
FOR the removal Of the jail sentence,
which was promptly refused by the
Mayor.