The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-10-17
TWO PRISONERS ARE ACCUSED
Men Had Worked on the Plan for Some
Time Before it was Discovered by the
Sheriff and his aids-Nine Prisoners
Alleged to Have Known Of Plan.
fFrom Thursdays DailY.l

bud by Sherih Andrew Stall and
Turnkey Nicholas Fonk this morning
and as result the lower portion Of
the Jail has been vacated and the pri-
soners are being confined in the upper
portion pending the repair of a big
hole dug in the west wall of the Jail
by the leaders in the plot. For more
than three days the men had been at
work on their plan to make possible
the escape of the prisoners and 1t is
charged that the ringleaders III the
plot were George Ashmus, who Is
awaiting sentence on charges of as
saulting an officer, and Julius Berner,
who is awaiting trial on charges of
criminal assault. One of the prison
ers in the Jail, who knew Of the plans,
has made full confession to Sheriff
Stahl and Turnkey Fonk.
The break for liberty was to have
been made on Thursday evneing, hut
the plot had been discovered hY the
officials early in the day and the
workings of the prisoners had been
carefully watched and had they man
aged to have shattered the wall Of the
Jail they would have run intl the re
volvers of Sheriff stahl and Turnkey
Fonk.
Ashmus is alleged to have been the
brains of the plot and it is claimed by
the sheriff that he had directed the
digging of the big hole in the side OF
the Jail wall. Ashmus has been in Jail
for some time and he had been given
the liberty of the corridors as a trusty
The officials discovered on Thursday
that Ashmus had been working on the
plan to deliver the prisoners from the
jail and that he had as his assistant
Berner. The latter had beea locked
in the cell room at night but he had
been released by Ashmus. The work
Of tearing away the wall had been
done with a great dca. of craft. The
men secured tools by tearing away a
portion of the steam fitting ia the
main corridor Of the Jail, They had
rough tools but when the plot was dis
covered a portion of the wall more
than a foot square had been torn out
and the men were anxiously awaiting
the arrival Of help from the outside
With another push the masonry of the
wall would have been pierced and it
would have been possible for the men
TO have received aid from the outside
The men had torn out the bricks one
at time and the mortar which had
been taken out had been crumhled up
and thrown into the sewer in the
corner of the main corridor II had
been the custom to turn out the Lights
in the Jail early in the evening and
suspicious sounds had been heard
about the corridors for several nights
Nothing had been found, however, as
when the turnkey would open the main
door Ashmus and Berner would slip
back into the cells and nothing would
be found.
On Thursday the officers became
very suspicious that all was not right
in the Jail. Both Ashmus and Ber-
ner were slated to plead guilty" to
the charges against them in the mum
cipal court and twice during the day
they were taken before Judge Ran
dsu. Their attorneys had urged
them to plead 'guilty" and take their
medicine and the men had both in
formed the sheriff that they would
take this course. At the last time they
were taken into court Ashmus had
asked that he be given another dav to
talk the matter over. Just after dark
last night the work on the hole in the
wall was started again and the sheriff
and Fonk took up their vigil. TLs
men abandoned their plan Just before
nine O'Clock and it is the opinion oe
the officials that the plan was abandon.
ed on account of the fact that expect
ed outside aid failed to materialize.
Later the prisoners were all removed
10 the upper floor of the Jail. When
the cell of Ashmus was searched the
sheriff found bali Of tin foil nearly
an inch and half in diameter. Ii
Is thought that this had been made as
weapon to assist the men il making
their escape. The one prisoner rho
made statement to the sheriff de-
clared that none of the other men in
the Jail had any part in the proposed
escape. Tt is declared that at times
packages of tobacco Lad been given the
prisoners and it is thought that the
roll Of foil found in the cell of Ashnus
had been made by saving up this tip
foil during tn entire time that he has
been in the Jail.