Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-08-17
Prisoners Escape For First Time
N History Of The
Building.
PLOT VERY clEVERlr PLANNED
"Rev." John smallwood, Negro
Preacher, Who 10 Believed to Have
Let Men Out of Cells While Playing
Part Of Turnkey, Couldn't Get OUT
Himself.

Through cleverly planned and well
executed plot, In which John Edward
Smallwood, negro preacher, who Is
SERVING a two-year sentence for forg-
ery and larceny, is believed to nave
been the ringleader, three negro men
escaped from the city jail last night
about s O'Clock and are stu at
large. They are: Nick Tanner, VINO
was serving a term Of six months Tor
larceny and who frequently had been
a "trusty" about the jail yard and
court house, and Edward Mcneil and
George Riddick, who were waiting
trial in the police court on charges
of larceny.
Gmallwood failed TO make his es-
cape because Jai.or Messick had Sc
curely locked him in the lower tier
of cells instead OF putting him IN the
upper tier from which he could have
escaped along with his three as
sociates. From his securely
locked cell Smallwood saw the three
men whom he had helped 10 liberty.
dig their way to freedom through
the eighteen-inch rear brick wall OF
the Jail building by the use of heavy
iron bars.
SmalIwood Saved Them.
Two score other prisoners, includ-
ing a number OF white men, also saw
and heard the men digging their way
to liberty and some of them wanted
to yell for Tailor Mcssick, but they
say that Smallwood assured them That
he had revealed the entire plot to the
jailor and that Mr.. Messick and sever
al police officers were waiting in the
rear yard OF the Jail 10 catch the pris-
oners when they crawled through the
small hole dug into the wall. The
prisoners knew, however. that they
had been deceived when all three OF
the men quietly crawled through the
hole and to freedom.
These were the first prisoners ever
to affect an escape from the city jail
and up to this time City Sergeant
Milstead and the city officers and po-
lice department thought that II would
be utterly impossible for prisoner
to escape.
"Trusty" Smsllwood Did II.
According to Tailor Messick. Small
wood unlocked the mems cells and
allowed them to hide on the top OF
the second tier of cells until all was
quiet In the jail The preacher had
been given more or less liberty
around the jail and had been permit
ted 30 let the prisoners out of the
cells In the morning and lock others
CD and to get cut any individual pris-
oner that the jailor might want or to
pu. new prisoners back in the cells.
About O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
Justice Brown sent prisoner into
the Jail and. following his custom.
yeiior Messick turned the key to the
cells and the prisoner over TO Small
wood and told him TO lock the man In
one OF the cells in the upper tier. The
TAILOR stood directly under the steel
platform connecting the second or up
per tier TO the cells and the brick par
tition in the building and he was IN
able 10 see what was going on In the
cell He believes. however. that when
he put the rev prisoner back. Small
wood unlocked the cell in which Tan
ner. Mcneil and Riddick were Gagged
and let them out They evidently
climbed on top Of The upper tier OF
cells. which IS only few feet below
the steel valuted ceiling Of the big
jail room. and hid there until the jail
MAS locked Ut for the night.
After locking The new prisoner up,
Sm7fivcoS returned the KEY to the