The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-06-28
BLEASE AND JONES CAME NEAR
''LOCKING HORNS" AT FLORENCE
VAUGHAN EFFECTS ESCAPE
FROM GREENVILLE JAIL
Saws Hole Seven by Twelve Inches
and Is G0neAHas Plenty Money.
Ugly Evidence Against
His Brother.

Greenville, June 26-T. U. Vaughan,
former superintendent of the Odd
Fellows Orphan home, located near
Greenville, and prisoner in the
county Jail since May 81, charged
with the triple crime of "rape, living
in adultery and producing an abor-
tion," the alleged victim being an or
phan girl under his care, sawed his
way to liberty early today and tonight
fees before the pursuing arm Of the
law with the odds greatly in his ia
vor.
At 2 o'clock this morning Jailer>
Phillips was aroused by q negro wo-
man prisoner, who was confined in a
cell on the second floor above
Vaughan's cell, telling him that some
one was escaping from below. Before
the jailer could reach Vaughan's cell,
the bird had flown. The alarm was
quickly spread and a determined but
unsuccessful search has been made
throughout the day for the fleeing
prisoner.
Aided by Outsiders.
1t is practically certain that
Vaughan was aided by one or more
persons from the outside, and it is
said that Jailer Philips rushed out
into the yard in time to see two men
go over the jailyard fence. The
prisoner made his escape by severing
section of one of the window bars
with hack saw. A short distance
from the point where he clambered
over the Jail yard fence he stumbled
and on the spot was found the saw
frame, pieces of the blade, the prison
er's hat and letter addressed to him.
The hole through which the man went
measured twelve by seven inches,
and only one bar was sawed~in twain.
In the vacant section today was seen
the section of the bar the man had
sawed out. 1t had been wrapped in
clothes to deaden the rasping sound of
the hack saw. On the floor of the
cell lay the prisoners thumbed Bible,
a copy of Whittier's poems and a
copy of Pilgrims Progress.
Ugly Evidence.
Some rather ugly looking evidence
of carelessness on the part of the
county officials with their prisoner
and of guilt on the part of the mans
brother in assisting Vaughan to es-
cape has been brought to light to-
day. 1t is reliably stated that the
mans brother purchased the hack
saw and three blades from a local
hardware concern a week ago to lay
and Chief of Police Holcombe, who
learned of this purchase at that time.
stated today that he at once notified
the deputy sheriff and the jailer to be
on the alert, as Vaughan's brother had
that day purchased a hack saw ard
blades.
Well Supplied With Money.
The fugitive is evidently we'll sup
piled with money as the records ir
the office of the register of mesne
conveyance show that since he was
placed in Jail he mortgaged his home
for the sum of $4,000. He is man
of rather keen intellect and is well
informed and the county authorities
realize that they have a difficult task
to perform if they capture him. AS
to whether he is armed, they do not
know.
Not Only One Victim.
The Vaughan case created sorne-
thing of a sensation in Greenville
when the warrant for his arrest was
sworn out. The press, out of con-
sideration for the Odd Fellows order
and the orphan children at the home
and out of respect for the sensibili-
ties Of the public, has suppressed a
valume of details of the Nervousness
of the life Vaughan is charged with
having led at the time he was in
charge of the orphan home. While
the warrant against him charges him
with wronging only one girl, a state
ment in writing has been seen by this
correspondent wherein this girl states
that of her own knowledge Vaughan
wronged six of the orphans in addi-
ton to herself.