The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-08-26
GEO. ROBBINS
BKEALS JAIL
fELLS JAILeR WITH BIG OAK STICK
Escapes From Dalles Jail In Company
With Wilson and Both Cap
tured Later.

George Robbins, the accused MUIR
derer OF EmIline Castoe, In company
with {. h. Wilson, fellow prisoner,
escaped from The Dalles county Jail
Thursday evening at supper time.
The news created some excitement
here that evening and the local police
and county officials were arranging to
60 ON man hunt, when word was
received that Robbins had been cap
tured couple OF hours later, although
Wilson was not caught until the next
day.
=. Jailer Fitzgerald gives the following
account of the affair in the Chronicle:
IL had taken William Morton, who
Is serving sentence in the county
jail for selling intoxioants at Celilo
without license, out to let him get
some wood. His mother brings him
in delicacies OF different kinds, and,
as Morton has shown himself trust
worhy ! usually let him carry In some
wood every evening so he can oOok the
food. AS swung the jail door open
to allow Morton to go In, the door
was seized by Robbins and Wilson,
flung back as far as POSSIBLE, and the
two rushed out, Robbins hitting me
twice, once on the left arm and once
on the right temple, with large oak
stick. l was OF course knocked down,
and as Wilson passed he gave me
vicious kick In the side. This COM
pletely knocked me out, and before l
could do anything to prevent them
ha huh un fRnnN a DIR n
the sheriff q desk and had gone.
81 rushed to the door Of the court
house, and could see the fellows run
ming down Third street toward the
car shops. called as loudly az pos
sible tor the people on the street to
stop them, but seeing the gun, no one
cared to interfere. Two young men,
Arthur Schiller and Roy Strom, chased
them a little distance, but when the
tugitives saw the young men gaining
on them, Robbins turned and fired
two shots. This stopped the young
men and the prisoners were allowed to
escape.
81 was wholly unarmed, as the act
was Of kdaily occurrence, and | never
suspicioned that the prisoners would
attempt to break Jail. have been
iailer In the Wasoo county jail for 10
years, and this Is the first time any
thing like this ever occurred. After
this, will not allow any OF the pris.
uners to go out of the jail, as | .sus.
peot Morton was mixed up In the
deal. At any rate, | noticed that he
WAS very slow In getting through the
door,"
After passing through the Car shops
west Of The Dalles the fugitives struck
for the Columbia where Wilson found
| piece OF a log raft and put out into
the stream. The point where he
landed, about two miles west of town
was discovered by the officers, cut at
last accounts his whereabouts had
not been discovered. Robbins, run
ming along the bank of the liver,
came upon several boys swimming.
lie called one to one side, and hand
ing him the gun which had been taken
from the sheritf's office, told him he
could have the revolver providing he
would tell no one where he got 1t.
The boy acquiesed, took the gun, and
started toward the city. On the way
he met Officer John Crate and his
party, and ON being questioned at
| tirst seemed inclined to say nothing
about the affair. Finally, he pro-
duced the gun and told the officer OF
the whereabouts of Robbins.
On being discovered, Robbins WAS In
a state of neI vous collapse, so that he
could hardly walk to the courthouse.
1he officers ami citizens In search
OF the prisoners bad gone heavily
armed, for it was thought Robbins,
accused ot murder, would become
desperate and attempt to sell his life
his life as dearly as possible. The
tame manner In which he gave him
to the officers.
Robbins does not hesitate to lay
the blame for the whole plot upon
Wilson. When questioned by Sheriff
Chrisman after his capture he de-
clared Wilson drew him into 1t, and
was the leader In its execution.
Il. Il. Wilson, the prisoner who
broke jail with George Robbins. was
} captured by Sheriff ChIisman and
Ralph Gibbons Friday afternoon about
4 80 o'clock at Mosier, near the farm
OF n. j. Middleswart.
When discovered Wilson made no
effort to escape, az the officers, not
knowing whether he was armed or
not, threw their guns on him and
ordered him to "throw up his hand" "
which he did without protest. He
was Immediately manaoled and taken
to Mosier where he was placed
aboard passenger train number six
and brought to The Dalles where he
was again placed in the county jail.
The fact that Wilson broke jail and
in doing so assisted George Robbins,
who is under Indictment for murder,
aggravated Wilson's case so that at
the coming sitting of the grand jury
he will DOUBTLESS be served with an
additional charge, for the conviction
of which the minimum punishment,
is FIVE years In the penitentiary.
Wilson lays the blame for the jail
break upon Robbins, and Robbins
does not hesitate to say that Wilson
was the instigatoi and chief actor Ia
its execution. Wilson talked freely
with the officers.