The daily sentinel., 1907-07-01

late hour this afternoon no trace OF
the fugitives had been found al
though Sheriff Schrader and IA num-
Der OF deputies are securing the coun-
try and officers and citizens through
out the surrounding country have
been notified to keep ON the watch for
the escaped prisoners.
David C. Hitchcock, a desperate
man. in jail awaiting trial at the Oc-
Itober term of the Mesa county dist
rict court on the charge of horse
stealing with the certainty of con-
viction staring him in the face John
Burley, arrested and being held on
robbery of the dental offices of DR..
Il. c. Clark and DR.. G. r. Warner.
which occurred some weeks ago, are
the two men Both are tough charac-
ters. especially Hitchcock who has
been in trouble often and who is
known as desperate young fellow.
| In no way can the least blame be
attached to Sheriff Schrader for the
escape of the prisoners. He has ex-
ercised every precaution in looking
after them. Every few days he has
searched their cells and their per-
sons, he has been ever watchtul that
no tools of any kind we're smuggled
| in to them. Every time any one
/
companied by guard who looked on
during the conversations.
| Late yesterday afternoon Sherim
and Mrs. Schrader prepared to take
short drive around the city. SheriH
Schrader brought his horses and bug
gy over from his barn and the prison
ers looking out from their cells evil
IDENTIFY saw that sheriff sehrader was
| preparing to leave the premises
OF ha4i1nH that he want
ed to take a bath and so informed
! Mr.. Schrader The sheriff saw no
reason to object as the bath room Is
:, rodi15f u cell, strongly protected, Ill
! vided off in the southwest corner of
the first floor of the jail proper The
sh eriff told Burley that he would have
to remain locked in the bathroom un-
til he returned Burley was willing
and was locked in the bathroom.
Hitchcock was inside the great
steel cage. The huge steel door lead
| Ing from the corridor into the outer
hail was locked securely as usual.
| Mr. Busch the Palisade young man
who is dangerously i'll in the hos
pital ward of the jail opening from
the outer hall and who was confined
in the jail building for several weeks
on account of a violent attack of in
sanity. Mrs. Busch and the nurse
were with him as usual yesterday af-
ternoon.
sheriff and Mrs. Schrader were
away from the jail for about an hour.
returning home about $50. Mrs.
Schrader alighted from the buggy
at the side door of the residence por-
tion of the building and went into the
house while Mr. Schrader turned
his horses and drove to his barn at
the old residence across the street
from the Jail. Mrs. Schrader soon
after entering the building heard a
noise near the north wall and thought
It was some boys tic-tacing the build
ing. Directly she heard scuffling and
determined to scare away the boys
ran outside and around the north of
| the building. Her surprise and con-
sternation was complete when on
| looking up. she saw a rope made of
blankets dangling from one of the
| upper, heavily barred windows of
| the Jail She realized at once that
one or more of the prisoners had
escaped. II was dark and she could
seen no one. She ran at once south,
across White avenue to Mr.. Schrad-
er's barn and informed her husband
of what she had discovered. Mr.. Sch
raider hurried back, gave general
alarm and every effort was soon be-
ing made to recapture the two men
but they had made good their es-
cape.
On entering the jail. after unloc-
king the greater outer iron door lead
ing into the corridor, Sheriff Schrader
found that Hitchcock and Burley
were both gone. They were the only
prisoners in the jail.
Evidently Burley when he was lock
ed In the bathroom, had fine file or
saw secreted about his person. He
had gotten busy as soon as the sher-
iff and his wife had left. One of the
strong steel bars in the lowest section
of one of the barred walls of the bath
| room had been completely sawed out
| leaving however an Aperture of on
ly eight by thirteen inches. Yet
through this small hole Burley,
weighing 100 pounds pushed his
body and was soon in the corridor,
1t is hardly believable that man
of his size or a man of much lighter
build even, could make his way
through SO small an opening. Once
gaining the corridor Burley went
around to the south side of the cage,
broke of the electric globe over the
main entrance door so that the light
could not be turned on from the out
side and then went to work to re-
move the mighty lever of fiat steel
bar which Is located near the floor
and which holds fast the door of the
cage, which door stood between
Hitchcock and the freedom of the
corridor. Evidently the two men had
) already worked on the bolts of this
lever from the inside and with a
} little work by Burley on the outside
the strong lever was removed. In
some manner the upper lever was
wrenched loose from the outside and
Hitchcock stepped out and Joined
Burley The two men then filed and
sawed through a bar on the middle
window in the north wall This bar
) six months ago was worked out by