Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-12-17
FIVE PRISONERS
ESCAPE FROM JAIL
Three of Them Being Held For Grand
Jury at January Term of Cir
cult Court.
rom ne World of Tuesday.

From The World Of Tuesday.
Five prisoners broke out OF iail Sat
urday night and made their escape.
They were Howard Robinson. Charles
Price, John Thompson, I'D Keiter,
white. and Burris Chace. eolored.
Chace came back to jail voluntarily
Sunday evening not having LEFT town.
The four other fellows are SIN at
large, though two OF them were sus-
pected of still being in town Sunday
night, so Sheriff Kettering, officer Rid
dle and Constable Wolf made a search
a a couple houses but failed ia locate
the Jail birds.
The escape was effected by some.
prisoners In the corridor forcing the
bolt OF the lock back by breaking the
spring. accomplishing this by The use
of heavy cold chisel. The cage door
open, the FIVE prisoners walked cut in
to the corridor, and then by saving
off bar at one of the east windows,
they erawled through the hole thus
made to the roof OF a shed and jumped
70 the ground
Where these tools came from is not
exactly known. though the chisel may
have been stolen from some workmen
making repairs recently at the jail. II
is supposed that the saw was snug
gled into the JAN with clothing or edI-
bles sent 30 the Jail by friends en- the
outside. The cage lock was broken by
.n,s;r,,s,, sst.. ~, he corridor
on the first floor, as stated, for the
reason that 1t could not have been
done by anyone on he inside. II may
be explained that prisoners sent 10
jail for minor offences and only for
short terms are allowed free Use of
he corridor, while others are contin-
ed more securely in the cage.
The FIVE prisoners were all safely in
the cage Saturday night al 10 o'clock,
but when Deputy Sheriff Waller Ket-
tering returned to the jail at II o'clock
from down Town he discovered that
the iron door of the cage was standing
open and five CT the prisoners gone,
so the Jail delivery was made batw cen
the hours mentioned That more OF
the prisoners did not make their es-
cape is probibly due to the fact hat
the deputy came upon the scene IL
tie 70 soon for them 10 do 1t. AS II was
all was quiet as a mouse when be en-
tered the corridor, The prisoners all
appearing to be asleep in their hunks
Robinson, Price and Thompson We're
being held for the grand jury at the
January term Of circuit court: Robin
son for forgery. Price for shooting and
slightly wounding an Italian at the
south uuarries, and Thompson charged
with breaking into the Bishop ware
house. Keiter was serving four
months sentence for borrowing a
horse and buggy in town without the
consent of the owner and, with two
girls and a fellow. taking a drive to
Winchester and back. His time would
have been up the 22d of This month.
Chace was in for six months for at
lacking a white girl at the north edge
or town. He has served about half of
his sentence.
will be recalled that Keiter was
a "truSty az the jail. anu lhdl one
day about a month ago when he was
down town on an errand he jumped
rain and skipped 10 Baltimore, where
he was subsequently arrested for be-
ing drunk Having a bunch Of keys
with him he conf ssed at the police
s alton that they belonged TO the coun-
" jail at Martinsburg, this leading to
his. return 10 this city in the entody
OF Sheriff Kettering the next day.
This makes The second iai-break
since the last term of court in Seplem-
Ter and is. also. "a record-bresk.