The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-10-16
sAssED THE JUDGE
WHO Added Five Years More to the
Ten years Already Given Him for
Talking Back at His Honor-The
Prisoner Seems to Be a Hardened
Criminal.

to escape from the Charleston jail on
Tuesday night in the midst of his
trial In Charleston for carrying bur
glars tools, faced Judge Prince
wednesday morning in the court Of
general session, after the jury had
brought in a verdict of guilty, and
vas given sentence Of 10 years and
one month at hard labor in the State
Denitentiary.
Sullen and persisting to the last
that his guilt had not been proved
Williams asked Judge Prince why his
honor did not give him the limit
while he was. about it.
Bring Williams back to the
stand" ordered the judge, as the
prisoner had stepped down. II anl
going to reform your sentence, Will
iams," announced his honor. II SEN
tence you to 10 years at hard labor
in the State penitentiary.
Under heavy guard of deputies
Williams slouched back to the pris-
oners' room, apparently eased in
mind about his sentence.
At half-past S o'clock Wednesday
morning when Captain Geadick, the
jailer, went to pay Williams morn
ing call he found the cage door and
the corridor door open. The birl
had flown. Captain Gradick had
taken every precaution that he could
think Of, warned and taught by ex-
perience. Here the yeggman had got
away; undr his very eyes,
as mysterious as nightfall.
How could the man have escaped
with apparently not tool to help
him?
Before doing anything else Cap
tain Gradick ran down from the west
wing Of the third floor, where Will
iams cell was located. to the jail
yard, to look for traces Of an escape
over the high jail wall. He found
no evidence that the man had scalel
the wall, and so made a thorough
search OF the lower floor of the jail.
No Williams could be sighted. Then
the captain returned to the empty
cell of the yeggman to look for
clothes.
Williams had been locked up in =
steel cell within locked steel cage
which opens into corridor on the
third floor having heavily barred win
dows and shut or from the staircase
by a sheet iron door always kept
locked. Williams had been placed
in a cell directly on the corridor
that he might be better watched
from without. To reach the stair
case, where trace Of him was los!,
he had to pick heavy Yale lock.
This allowed him to raise the lever
that unlocked the cells in his cage.
Then he stepped out into the cell
corridor within the steel cage. a
heavy Yale lock secured the cage
door. Williams sawed the three
eight inch ring of this lock, getting
at it by thrusting his arm through
the bars. After he had opened the
cage door, he passed INTO the cor
sidor and was confronted by the
heavy iron door that shut OF the
cells from the staircases. This door
bears heavy mortised lock that is
opened with huge brass key: How
he got through this was q mystery,
as we'll as was his location.
Comforting himself with the de-
duction that Williams, although 4
jailbird, could not fly, Captain Grad
ick then proceeded to search in the
only place where the prisoner could
possibly be, namely: the Jail loft.
Over the stairway corridor Is trap
door which gives entrance into the
Jail loft above. 1t is come Is feet
above the floor. There was no lad
der or rope in sight, but Captain
Gradick had it figured out that Will
dams must be hiding up in this dark
and huge loft. Calling to him. tai
negro trusty named mink" Captaih
Eradick secured a stepladder and or
tered Mink to mount 1t and climb
into the loft where, by striking 4
match he might see if Williams were
hidden. Calling out that he would
shoot Williams on sight If he made
resistance, Captain Gradick drew his
revolver and sent Mink up the lad
der and into the loft to take the
last chance of nosing Oakland Sammy
out if he were about the jail.
It was tense moment for the
taller when Mink disappeared into
the loft. and the match was struck.
A light fared up, and then Mink, big
eyed and shaking, stuck his heal
through the trap door and said:
"He is dar, cap'in.'
Seeing the jag was up, Williams
Seeing the jig was up. Williams
came from the recesseS of the loft.
and said he was caught. He ma :
no resistance and slowly backed
down out Of the opening. He had -
hang by his hands to touch the
stepladder with his feet. Williams
looked glum and batfled. but WAS
game, and stated to the captain that
he had failed to escape because he
did not have time.
After Captain Gradick got Will
tans again in custody, the prisoner