Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-08
FROM
GUARDED CELL
DESPERATE BURGLAR AGAIN
AT LARGE
MAN FElGNS INSANITY; ElUDES
WATCHERS
Convicted Robber Taken to the County
Hospital for Examination Myste-
riously Disappears from
Institution

o. T.. Adamson a burglar with long
record of convictions behind him and
known to the police departments of
every big city in the country, is an
escape from the detention ward CT the
Los Angeles county hospital with every
sheriff and police officer in Southern
California looking for him.
Adamson, who was released recently
from the Louisiana state penitentiary,
where he completed sentence of flve
years on a charge of burglary, was ar
rested in Los Angeles April % by
Detectives Steele and Mccain imme-
diatley after q most daring job COM
mitted on South Main street.
He was confined in the city prison
and given an examination In police
court and held to answer in the Su-
uerior court for his alleged crime.
At the county jail Adamson feigned
insanity and was sent to the county
hospital under guard and placed in a
cell in that institution kept for such
prisoners for observation Of his mental
condition.
He continued his insanity dodge daily
after his incarceration there, but as he
at no time appeared violent or intent
or getting away it is probable the
guard kept over him was relaxed some
what.
Adamson was supposed to be kept in
a locked cell as strong as any in the
county or city jails. and watch was
kept over him at all times.
Locked In Cell
Saturday night Adamson was safe
in his cell at the time the guards made
their rounds for inspection shortly
after supper, and the last seen of him
he was peacefully sleeping, to all in
tents, on his cot in the little cell.
Early Sunday when the guards made
the rounds the door of Adamsons cell
was found unlocked and the prisoner
gone.
The escape was at once reported to
the sheriff and to the city police and
general alarm sent out for the rearrest
of Adamson.
Up to late last night no trace of him
had been found, and it is the opinion of
the police he left the city on an early
morning train of yesterday.
BY what means Adamson escaped is
vet unknown, but the authorities at the
county hospital have started an inves-
tigation which will probably show how
his cell door, which was supposed to
opened with keys and by what means
he escaped from the building after Sc
curing his release from the cell.
Adamson, who Is a man of number
less aliases and with record as one of
the most dangerous men to society in
the country, was arrested here for the
robbery of the hardware store at 257
South Main street the night of April 22
He secured ladder which he placed
to the rear wall of the low building,
and climbing upon the roof raised a
skylight and lowered himself into the
room by means of a rope.
After gathering in two or three sacks
a lot of valuable tools he climbed the
rope hand over hand to the roof and
then raised his plunder.
1t must have taken him more than
an hour to remove the stuff from the
scene of the robbery, but he accom-
plished this successfully, and was ar
rested late the next day while he was
trying to dispose of some of the stolen
stuff.
AT the time of his arrest but little
was known of him, but the police. after
an investigation, easily learned he was
a noted crook and that he had served
time in several eastern prisons for like
crimes.