Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-09-18
Negro Makes Desperate At
tempt to Break Jail.
ALARM GIVEN BY WOMAN
ulIls Gyton, Under Sentence to Serve
Ten Years In Penitentiary, Goes
THROUGH One Brick Barrier and At
tacks Second With Case Knife.

lille Gyton, the Ons-eyeu ntSro' ""o
was sentepced TO ten years In the
State penitentiary last week by Judge
Barham. in the Corporation Court. Tor
breaking into and robbing the home
OF former Mayor Samuel X. Buxton.
onade a daring and desperate a'temp,
10 escape from the city tall early yes
aerday morning by cutting his way
through two thick brick walls with
s;lyer.plsted case knife. and had not
one of the women prisoners In the lsii
set up An alarm and brought the jail
ors 10 the scene Gyion undoubtedly
would have succeeded In cutting his
way to freedom.
When Deputy City Sergeant Gray
and Tailor Plryear. who were sleep
ing on the first floor OF the Duiidlng
almost directly under the place where
Cyton was ccutting on the walls on
the second floor. arrived on the scene,
they found that the desperate negro
had cut his way through the thick
brick wall OF the dungeon" in which
he had been confined and had cut
about half way through the fourteen
inch outside wall on the front OF the
building. The officers carried Gyton
TO a steel cell in the mems depart
ment and he will be kept in close con-
finement until he is taken TO the peni
Tertiary.
Threw Beans on Prisoner
Gyton Is an escaped convict from
Georgia and Ia one of the meanest
negroes with which the local police
have had to deal In years. Ever since
he was sentenced by Judge Parnam
the negro has been acting BADLY IN
the jail and Friday afternoon he threw
n bowlful of hot beans on announcer
prisoner's head. The matter was re-
ported to the jailor and Gyton was
taken to the second floor OF TIE jail
and locked up In the dungeon" near
the front of the jail.
When Tailor Puryear made his last
round at 9 O'Clock Friday night all was
Quiet In the place and 1t Is believed
that Gyton began work after tha'
hour The knife which the man us'a
10 cut the mortar from between the
bricks was the ordinary silver-piated
case knife and no doubt 1t was SNUG
gled into the Jail to him by one OF the
prisoners on the chain gang.
Cuts Through Dungeon" Wall.
Gyton cut out of the dungeon some
time after midnight. crawling through
she small hole which he succeeded III
making through the thick wall. ne
found himself In the women's depart
ment. where there were five hesro
women prisoners Gyton warned tue
women that II they made any ou'cry
hs would cut their throats and ne
Threatened them with the knife
frightened half out OF their WIS
the women ran into one OF the rooms
IN their department and fastened 'he
door. In the meantime Gyton oegiS
attacking the outer front wall OF the
tai building. He worked with as
much haste as possible as be knew
tina. unless he cut through before day
GKnl NlS ClldItCc W.
few. In his haste he broke the kniis
blade. but continued to work with the
broken instrument and. according 10
the women. he was making the mortar
fy
Finally Josephine Hughes. one OF
the women prisoners. mustered up
courage enough to cry out and to peat
upon the radiator in the. room. AFTER
some time the noise made by the WON
an awakened Tailor Puryear and Dep
uty Sergeant Gray and they hurried
upstairs. They found Gyton lying on
the floor pretending to be ssieep. nut
a glance around showed the men what
the negro had been trying to do and
they rushed him on 70 the mems DE
yartment on the first floor and locked
him up on q cell.
Josephine Hughes. the woman Wh"