The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-10-21
NOTED CROOK
Convicted and Sent Up For IS
Years In the Pen.
SASSED H JUDGE

Who Added Five Years More to the
Ten Years Already Given Him for
Talking Back at His Honor-The
Prisoner Seems to Be q Hardened
Criminal.
Samuel K. Williams, alias James P
Kelly, alias Oakland Sammy, alias
Sam Raymond, yeggman and burglar,
after making a well planned attempt
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
was given sentence Of 10 years and
one month at hard labor in the State
penitentiary.
Sullen and persisting to the last
that his guilt had not been proved
Williams asked Judge Prince WY his
honor did not give him the limit
while he was about 1t.
Bring Williams back to the
stand" ordered the judge, as the
prisoner had stepped down. II AM
going to reform your sentence, WILL
iams," announced his honor. II SEN
renee you to Is years at hard labor
in the State penitentiary."
Under a heavy guard of deputies
Williams slouched back to the pris-
oners' room, apparently eased In
mind about his sentence.
At half-past 5 O'Clock Wednesday
morning when Captain Geadick, thu
taller, went to pay Williams a morn
ing call he found the cage door and
the corridor door open. The bir
had flown. Captain Gradick had
taken every p%recaution that he could
think Of, warned and taught by en-
perience. Here the yeggman had gos
away, undr his very eyes,
as mysterious as nightfall.
How could the man have escaped
with apparently not a tool to help
him?
Before doing anything else Can
tain Gradick a down from the west
wing of the third floor, where Will
Jams cell was located, to the 1a'l
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 4
steel cell within a locked steel cage
which opens into a corridor on the
bird floor having heavily barred win
lows and shut off 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 a 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
loor. Williams sawed the three
eight inch ring of this lock, getting
at it by thrusting his arm through
he bars. After he had opened the
cage door, he passed into the cor
,idor and was confronted by the
heavy iron door that shut off the
cells from the s%taircases. This door
bears a heavy mortised lock that is
opened with a huge brass key. How
he got through this was a mystery
IS we'll as was his location.
Comforting himself with the de-
duction that Williams, although a
iailbird, could not fly, Captain Grad
lex then proceeded to search in the
only place where the prisoner coull
POSSIBLY be, namely: the jail loft.
over the stairway corridor Is a trap
loor which gives entrance into the
Jail loft above. It 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
Jams must be hiding up in this dark
and huge loft. Calling to him, a tal
negro trusty named Mink" Captail
iIradick secured a stepladder and or
dersd Mink to mount it and climb
into tho loft where, by striking n
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 il ne were about the Jail.
1t was a 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 NAL
no resistance and slowly backed