The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-04
THREE ESCAPE BY
SAVING IRON BARS
White Prisoners Cut Their Way
Out of City Jail in Easiest
Way Possible.
USED PART OF OLD HACK SAW
Not Missed by Officers on Duty
Until Called for Break
fast.

With seven inches or a broken hack
saw. covered with II bit of rag for a
strip. three prisoners in the CITY Jail
some time Sunday night cut their way
TO liberty. Four bars were severed
as easily as IL they had been lead,
and a heavy galvanized iron wire
screen was pried away with one OF the
bars, which was used as 4 lever. The
escape did not become known until
yesterday morning about Z O'Clock
when general alarm went out and
the assistance of the police was
asked 10 find them. a reward of $500
was at omce offered for their capture.
The following arc the escaped pris-
oncrs
William Hartman. alias J. i. Nelson.
thirty Years old; six feet tall: zoo
pounds; OF rudy complexion. He was
indicted yesterday by the grand jury
on two charges OF forgery. one half
OF the $500 reward is offered for his
capture.
Charles Fox, twenty-two years old;
five feet eight inches tall: light hair;
light complexion: 1875 pounds: slcn-
der; blue eyes and bad teeth.
Norman Johnson, twenty-five years
Old five feet eight inches tail; dark
brown hair; slender; fair: bad teeth
and viewpoint star and letter j.
Occupied the Snmc Cell.
Johnson and Fox had been sentenced
to one year in the penitentiary for
holding u and robbing H. w. Smith.
druggist. of 43S South Pine Street.
Fifty dollars reward is offered for the
capture OF each.
The three men occupied the same
cell at the end of the corridor of the
second tier of cells IN the eastern wing
o. the Jail.
The Insecurity of that portion OF
the Jail was made clear by the ease
with which they sawed through the
bars. supposed to be steel, but now be-
lieved to be cast iron. Expert ma
ch!nists who were SHOWN the saw.
the prisoners having left 1t. which had
done the work and the severed bars
declared that each har could have
easily been cut through in half an
hour. In view of this fact it is con-
s.dered probable that an investigat ton
into the construction of the Jail may
be the result OF the delivery.
Just how the three men obtained
the saw is partly explained Several
Gays ago workmen made repairs to
the womcn's quarters, and il was
necessary for them to use hacksaws.
one of the blades snapped in two, and
1t was thrown aside az useless. When
VIC WI IL WIS llllISHcu the broken
blade. with other trash, was thrown in
barrel and removed. 1t Is supposed
that the bit OF saw was picked up by
"trusty" and given TO Hartman.
Johnson and Fox. That is the belief
OF City Sergeant Satterneld and his
deputies. though all TRUSTEES" deny
any Knowledge of 1t.
Sawed Completely Out.
One bar was sawed completely ont
OF bottom Section OF the cell and
second sawed ut the top and bent
aside at the bottom. leaving an OPEN
Ing sufficient for the men to crawl
through. Going into the corridor nj
the eastern end. the men cut ont one
bar and secured an opening large
enough for them to go through and
climb down tho grating To the first
floor.
Their progress was never once in
terrupted. 1t was demonstrated yes
terday that the bars could be cut with
practically little noise. and as the men
arc believed TO have done their work
during the storm of Sunday night,
they attracted no attention.
teaching the first noor, they had to
walk probably fifty feet to reach the
top of a staircase leading to the base
ment At one OF the windows lust a
Few feet above the ground they cut
away purth bar. and VITA the aid
of 1t nried away the screen. which
was then the. only obstacle to their