The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-31
KENNEDY SAWS A
WAY TO FREEDOM
Suspect in Riley Murder Uses
a Case Knife and
Escapes.
WAS IMPORTANT WITNESS
WOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED AT
TRIAL or DRlsKELL.

Equipped with an ordinary case knife,
cleveliy cut into a saw that could be
forced through steel bars, Robert E. Ken
nedy, who with j. r. Healey was arrested
at Ogden as an acCOmplice Of l.. u. DIS
kell, alleged to have confessed 70 the
murder of Special Officer c. G. Riley
made his escape from the city jail rev
minutes after o'clock yesterday morn
ing.
,che police had depended upon Kennedy
fo- evidence against Driskel. AT the time
of Drlskells arrest, Kennedy was I0uhu
TO be a close friend of the alleged slayer
of the special policeman and though Drls-
KEEL is said to have stated that kennedy
was not implicated the police have IN
Clined to the belief that it was merely an
attempt TO shield his pal
Kennedy showed the patience OF an oid
time jail breaker ia cutting his way OUT
of the city Jail, noted among CROOKS as
one OF the most difficult to break. Ken
needy was the chief of the upper Ter OF
TRUSTEES and Haaley chief OF the lower
TRUSTEES.
A little over week ago Kennedy ad-
Nised that a general calsOmlnlng "Oulu
improve the sanitary conditions IN tHe
CITY iai With a pail Of whiteWash lie
took personal charge of the upper IN
prOvements. 1t had been noticed Jhal AS
spent much of his time about the hlsh
barred window just in the rear OF the up
per -ier of cells.
A dav passed and Kennedy advised that
dust was gathering on top or the upper
tier of cells and carrying out his general
campaign of cleanliness ne went on Top
with a mop and "a broom The back euse
of the cell tier is about four feet below
and about two feet out from the barred
window through which Kennedy cut MS
way to liberty.
Escape After Daylight.
Promptly at o'clock yesterday morn
ing Officer George Moore, driver OF tne
police patrol at night, opened the cells
as was his custom, taking a roll call OF
the prisoners just before breakfast Ken
nedy responded with the other prisoners.
Then officer Moore went down to the
mess room and made arrangements TOT
breakfast When he returned to the up
per tier of cells he found Kennedy miss
ing. Then he examined the windows
rope made from braided strips OF
blankets dansled from the very top of the
rear window, touching the ground, dis
lance OF - feet. A single light of glass
had been removed from the top Of the
window, two bars had been cut just oppo-
site the window light leaving an opening
from the Jail about large enough for an
average sized man to crawl through.
closer investigation revealed the case
knife ON the top tier of cells, close 10
where the bars had been sawed off and
also the sections of the bars which had
been removed. There was also piece OF
black tar soap near the case knife.
The examination of the bars showed
that Kennedy had used the soap to cover
up the saw marks In the bars. Soap also
tends toward deauening sound i'm addition
TO proving as a lubricant where oil can
not be employed.
Two bars were sawed off and then re-
moved from the cross bars. Tt is the be-
lief of the police that il would have re-
qured fully a dozen hours of continuous
work to cut shem off. Kennedy could not
possibly have worked more than ten OF
fifteen minutes at a time. II is the be
lief that Kennedy consumed fully d WeeH
i'm cutting his way 10 liberty.
When he was questioned by Chief OF
Police 5. n. Barlow regarding the jai
break, yesterday afternoon, Healey
stated; "Why. chief, if 1 had known any
thing about a hole I'm the wall do YOU
think that I would have been here?
would have certainly been beating it JUS
as my pal is doing. I am kicking myself
that I wasn't hep to what Kennedy was
doing. You've used me alright here. but
would rather be on the street"
Healey is now i'm solitary confinement.