Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-05-14
Well Planned
Escape
Liberty Came 10 One Whom the
Law imprisoned
By cARRINdTON FORD
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
By DARLINGTON FORD

1t Is said of men who make enor-
nous fortunes by wreckiDg large prop
critics that they always have a lawyer
at their elbows TO advise them that
they shall keep within the law. II
would have been well for James Max
ence between Maxson and these men
is that they are rogues putting them
selves without the pale Of the law,
while Maxson was an honest man put
ting himself In a position where the
law was obliged to punish him.
Maxson was a banker, a young man
not over thirty. with lovely wife and
two beautiful children, whom he
adored. Without knowing that he was
doing so he violated the national bank.
ing law and was sent to prison for ten
years. The parting with his wife and
children was narrowing beyond meas
ure. He felt that to serve the whole
of his term would break him down
completely and he would not live to
rejoin them. A number of very strong
friends accompanied him to the prison
doors, and all told him that If there
was anything they could do for him to
command them. Maxson begged them
to assist him to escape. and they prom
Used to do so.
Two of them, Woodruff and Somers,
met the same evening at Mrs. Max
sons house to form plan on which to
set the husband and father at liberty.
1t was agreed that Mrs. Maxson, who
could easily gain access TO the prison,
should interest some of the officials
there in her case and induce them
either through sympathy or by bribery
to assist her husband to get out of the
penitentiary Enclosure.
The formation of a plan of escape
made a wonderful difference both to
the prisoner and his family. The
easiest way to turn a child from dis
appointment is to divert his mind with
the promise of something to take the
place of the object coveted. The man
Is but the grown child. Ii was com
paratively easy for Maxson to endure
his captivity so long as his mind was
occupied with and bis hopes were CEN
tered on his escape.
On her second visit to her husband
| she began to study the officials there
| with a view to selecting one or more
| of them to interest In her case. Max
| son, being much broken down in health
| at his entrance into the prison, sue
ceeded In getting himself transferred
| to the hospital. There Mrs. Maxson
| while visiting him made the acquaint-
ance of Thomas Boyle. hospital ward
en-, man with a kind disposition.
| ha .@lr al Inn ha zfn rsf
her husbands Incarceration how IL he
had managed certain financial transac-
| lions In different way from what he
did he would have been still a respect
| ed banker instead of felon. Then
she told him of the wreck OF their hap
| by home. how their two little children
were constantly asking when papa
| was coming back TO them. of her own
distress. In this way she won the
mans sympathy, and finally by offer
ing TO make him independent In case
he would contrive to get her husband
beyond the prison walls she captured
him to her purpose.
| Boyle thought the matter over and
decided upon taking in an assistant.
| A night Waterman named Hunter had
access TO the main office room of the
prison where was kept a key that must
be obtained or duplicated before there
would be any hope of getting Maxson
| out of the prison building. Boyle told
Mrs. Maxson to endeayor to interest
Hunter In the plan by offering him a
large sum of money. She succeeded.
and after she had done so Boyle COM
! municated with Hunter, and they
/ n hor m In
son out Of the building and into the
| prison yard. There they were to assist
him TO scale the walls. and he was to
be met by his friends on the other side.
The key required was to open Max
| sons cell. 1t hung on a nail in the
| warden's safe. Hunter could get In
there only when the garden was pres
emit. To take the key from the nail and
not return 1t Immediately would have
revealed the fact that Maxson was to
be permitted to escape. Hunters OBJ
| ject was to secure an impression of
the key, from which a duplicate could
| be made. When he was ready to OPP
crate he rushed into the warden's Of
| fee and told him he had heard some
| thing like a shot In the other end Of
] the prison. The warden went to the
/, door and listened. Hunter while the
mans back was turned slipped the key
he wanted from its nail and hung an
| other In its place. Then Hunter left
the Office, saying that he would 60 and
| see II there was any trouble. When
| he returned he had a wax impression
| Of the key and, watching his opportu-
nifty. exchanged the real key for its
| substitute.
Meanwhile Boyle had procured a
ladder. which be had concealed In a
| convenient place to be used by MaxsoD
In climbing the wall. There was a
second wall which the prisoner would
need to climb, and Mrs. Maxson had
arranged with his two friends. Wood
, ruff and Somers. to be outside this
second wall at the time of the escape
| to throw a rope over for him to climb
upon. He was TO make known his
presence by throwing stone over the
wall.
There were no many CONTINGENCIES