The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-01
USED BICYCLES.
How the Prisoners Escaped
From Topeka.
Two Wheels Taken From Topeka
Avenue Yards.
STOPPED IN A BARN.
Thompson and Carter Then
Deserted Steen.
Iron Bed Leg Was Used i'm the
Assault.

1t is learned now that FIoyd Carter
and Herman Thompson. the two un-
captured prisoners of the Shawnee
Jail, made their escape on bicycls. They
took breakfast Thursday morning at
the farm house of Frank Gilbert, near
Silver Lake, IA miles west of Topeka,
and explained their hurry by the up
to-date story that they were racing to
Denver on the wheels as an advertis-
ing scheme of a Topeka concern
By the return of Jay Steen, who was
captured at Rossville Saturday morn
Ing by Marshal Perry Davis, many par
t1culars and clues have been secured
for the implication of accomplices in
the delivery and the route of the es-
capped prisoners. Steen sa/s:
when we got outside we ran west
to Topeka avenue and turned down an
alley to barn they said belonged to a
man named Samson. We lighted
matches there to see how bad Thomp-
son was hurt. He was bruised about
the neck and head and had his eyes
full of pepper. We went up into the
loft then, and stayed there half hour
Going around in front of the house
then there was a wheel there. Carter
grabbed it. Thompson did not have a
hat and both of them jumped on me
and took my cap. I saw Thompson get
another wheel at the next house and
both of them rode south on the same
street, telling me to meet them in
Colorado"
The morning after the Jail breaking
the loss of two wheels was reported to
the police station. one from Rev. C. H.
Finch at 318 Topeka avenue and from
c. H. Samson, 314 Topeka avenue.
These are the wheels the prisoners stole
to ride away. No such fact was sus-
pected by the police, evidently, and the
county officials knew nothing of it until
Steen reported and Rev. Finch had
come to see the sheriff.
Trusty Bought the Pepper
Carter and Thompson had evidently
seen the two wheels in the front yards
and planned to take them, leaving
Steen to do for himself. The fact that
Thompson had no hat is explained by
the fact that he had given it to Frank
Henderson, truSty, a week before to
pawn for money to buy him some pep
per- Henderson IS again under arrest
for violating his parole. He had just
been paroled by Judge Schoch of the
probate court who had sentenced him
to serve out fine of 5000 and costs for
repeated failure to support his wife and
children. He had served six months in
the county Jail before his release a
week ago last Thursday. He protests
innocence 1t is learned that he bought
20 cents worth of pepper and since the
package captured contains some three
pounds the father of Carter is still held
is charged with being an accessory.
He let Thompson and Steen occupy
his cell next door where they might
make their attack and he went to stay
with ]. N. Gentry and was locked in
with him that night. 1t is believed
Gentry talked Wirth out of joining
in the assault on Undersheriff Bayliss.
Dick Greer, one of the TRUSTEES who
accompanied Bayliss to the cell room
at the attack, is charged with mater
toll
his office to come to the trio of des-
perate men and let them know wheth-
er the Jail office through which they
must go was empty. Asked where he
was when Bayliss was assaulted he
says he was putting some windows
down on the other side of the room.
Use Leg of Bed for Bludgeon
That Bayliss was not killed is a
miracle. Steen now confesses that
Thompson had broken a leg from an
iron bed and welded it with all his
might. He also says that it was
Thompson whom Bayliss knocked
down and who yelled, He knocked
me down, hit him harder kill him.
Bayliss had hold on some ones shoe
as they went over him. He says it
was low shoe and that is the kind
Thompson wore.
1t has also been tipped off by other
prisoners that the trio had planned
first to buy carbolic acid and that for
three weeks they had been planning
to escape vowing to accomplish it if
they had to throw carbolic acid in the
| jailer's face. Carter is reported to
! have said: IF I can get to see my
folks just once in the parlor cell 1
| will be gone from you in the morn
| ing" He saw his father and mother
Wednesday in the parlor cell and they
had taken the precaution ignored be-
| fore, of asking the sheriff personally
for the privilege, when they had been
accustomed to pass directly through
the office without molestation. A few
days before, Floyd Carter it is said,
passed a letter to his sister through
hanging 1t on the end of broom
stick 1t is that letter which is sus-
pected of bringing his parents.
At the time Carter saw his son in
the parlor cell, Deputy Lon Sauls was
in the Jail office alone. Something
peculiar about the conduct in there
or just a presentiment made him sus-
picious. He locked the outside office
door and strapped on his heavy gun.
more than half expecting break at
that time. But the son went back to
be locked up and the father was let
out afterwards. That the son was
trying to get a revolver is also report
ed. but whether he did or not is not
known as none of the other prisoners
saw any in the Jail
The escaped prisoners had but SO
in money as far as can be learned.
Rev. Mr.. Finch tells the sheriff that
his old wheel will not run many days
and that it had one solid tire at that.
Garter can not push a wheel very
| far anyhow is the belief of the sher-
| iff. he is in too bad a condition. He'll
| be laid up somewhere.
Headed for the West.
Jay Steen says that for the first
| two weeks of the scheming in the jail
the boys had planned to go east, but
on the last day they had resolved to