Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-06-02
Jaller Farrar Flercely Assaulted.
UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT OF FOUR PRls-
oNERs TO BREAK JAIL.

ONERs TO BREAK JAIL.
Four prisoners in the Oxford Count
Jail at South Paris made desperate a,
sempt to escape Friday night. The
sawed through the bars of the cage an
got into the guard room, and when Jaile
Wilbur l.. Farrar entered, attacked hin
with clubs, making several bad gashes ii
his scalp. Charles Kennedy, anothe
prisoner, by whose help the attacker
were checked, also received several cut
on the head, and Wilfred Ouilette,
younger prisoner, who also went to tn
jailer's assistance, was somewhat bruiS
ed. 1t was the most vicious attempt a
Jail breaking which has been made II
this county in many years.
The four prisoners concered were Fret
W. White, Edward A. Finnen, ALDER
Plante and Ed Martin. All were bounC
over men, and young men. White, the
ringleader, was committed from Rum
ford Falls for breaking, entering ant
larceny. He is burly chap, weighing ovel
two hundred. Finnen, second in com
mand, known in the Jail as Freddy
from the color of his hair, is in fol
forgery of check which he presented
to the Bethel Savings Bank to be cashed
During his Imprisonment he has stolen
a hundred dollars in money from fel.
low prisoner, which is in itself an inter.
esting story. Plante and Martin, who
were the privates in the gang, were sent
over for night burglary at the store OF
Gonya Brothers at Rumford Falls.
These men were all in the south tier
of cells up stairs, and had the freedom of
the inner corridor until locked up for
the night. 1t appeared from what was
learned after the affair that they had
sawed and broken off two of the bars of
the cage, making hole which was by
measurement IA K II Ia inches. How
they got through this is not apparent to
an amateur, but there is no doubt that
they came out through it, and went back
through it afterwards.
Some time Tuesday evening they got
out through this hole into the outer cor
ridor, and the door into the guard room
being open, went into that and down the
stairs. Kennedy and Ouilette had been
at work out doors that afternoon, and
had simply been put into the guard
room. The four men forced Ouilette
into the poor debtors cell on the south
side of the guard room, and threatened
him if he gave them away. Kennedy
was up stairs in the main part of the Jail.
They then concealed themselves in the
cell on the north side of the guard room,
which was empty and unlocked.
1t was their plan, when Jailer Farrar
came in to lock up for the night, to jump
on him, beat him, gag and tie him, Sc
cure his keys, unlock the door, and walk
out. They had armed themselves with
arms from splint bottom chairs, which
make a very convenient and effective
club.
Mr.. Farrar had had suspicion, from
the appearance of things, that there was
something out of the usual going on,
and had told Mrs. Farrar to watch in his
absence. Friday afternoon, while Mr..
Farrar was out with some of the prisoners
at work on the lawn, Mrs. Farrar crept
up stairs in pair of moccasins, and was
satisfied, from what she heard, that
there was saving going on. She told
Mr.. Farrar about it, but at supper time
nothing out of the way was apparent.
Mr.. Farrar was down street at the
Democratic caucus Friday evening, and
on his return about half past eight went
into the Jail to lock up for the night.
Instead of taking the key with him and
locking the door from the inside after
he was in, Mr.. Farrar had Mrs. Farrar
lock him in and stay in the office to let
him out when he returned. He went up
stairs in the guard room, and found that
the clothing on the table had been dis
turbed. As he did not have the key to
the clothing closet, he went back after
it. Just as he tapped on the door for
Mrs. Farrar to let him out, the men
sprang upon him from the cell where
they were concealed.
Mr.. Farrar heard the rustic, and
glanced over his shoulder just in time to
see White jumping for him, but got 3
blow on the back of the head before he
could dodge it, and in a second he was
down on the floor with the men on him.
He dropped the keys which he had in
his hand, and tried to get hold of his
revolver which was in his pocket, but
the men had him where he couldn't.
Ouilette was unable to give Mr.. Farrar
any material assistance, but shouted
for Kennedy, who came running down
stairs with a chair in his hands, aud
smashed into the attacking party, and
as he concisely expresses it, "There was
considerable rough house for while"
The electric light overhead was broken
by blow, and the rest of the mix-up
went on in darkness.
By the aid of Kennedy's counter-at-
tack, Mr.. Farrar was released sufficient
" to get hold of his revolver. He had
been forced back into the poor debtors
cell, and the door had been swung part
ly together. Just as White came for
him, saying g ~ you, your times
come" he got his revolver out and fired
one shot. The bullet struck the cell
door and did no harm, but it sent the
gang scurrying up stairs.
Meanwhile Mrs. Farrar, waiting out
side, had heard the disturbance, and
screamed to her husband to know if she
should open the door. Getting no re-
ply, she was afraid they had killed him,
and set out to open the door, but think
ing that was not best, she ran to the
front door of the house and screamed
for help 1t was just at train time, and
several men in the near vicinity heard
her, and were soon at hand, so that she
was prepared to open the door at just
about the time that the melee inside was
finished.
When Mr.. Farrar appeared he was a
pretty hard looking sight, covered with
blood from three bad cuts in his scalp,
but he showed no special excitement,
and was afterwards as calm as any of the
crowd of men who quickly gathered.
Physicians were Immediately sum-
moned and sewed up the wounds on Mr..
Farrar's head, and some less severe ones
on Kennedy's head. Then Mr.. Farrar
went back into the Jail, called out his
four assailants, who were then in their
hunks. shackled them together, stripped
a cell and turned them into it to think
the thing over on diet Of some bread
and plenty of water.
A search of the cells revealed saw
with which it is supposed the work was
done. 1t is made of what appears to be
a piece of corset steel, notched into
teeth for about three inches at one end.
The file with which the saw was made
was also found, fiat file, which had
been in use in the stable, and must have
been carried into the Jail by one Of the
prisoners who had been at work outside.
Paris Democratic Caucus.
The Democratic caucus for the town
of Paris was held at the assessors office
Friday evening. A. E. Shurtleff was
chairman of the caucus and Wilbur l..