The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-10-10
Copyright By F. L. Nelson

chance of getting peep of sunshine
again. I set up communication with
a friend of mine. When I was taken
to the court to plead my friend shook
me heartily by the hand. Incidentally
he slipped up my sleeve in front of
the bright-eyed coppers some very
small tools which would be of great
service to me. I took the precaution
of putting them away. in case should
be searched on entering the Jail. !
got through all right, and divided my
tools with Sam, who had a cell on the
same tier with me, about twenty-five
feet away. My tools consisted of a
set of the finest steel band saws and
little box of acid to soften the iron
and muffle the buzz Of the saws when
at work.
1T took three nights to get through
with everything except the automatic
bolt which locks all the cells. After
learning that Sam had made as good
progress as I had, we arranged it to
go through the last bolt before mid
night and be ready to make a break
as soon as possible after the mid
night change in the watch. I got to
work on the automatic bolt when the
lights were put out early in the eve
ming, and by 1 o'clock in the morn
ing could shift my bolt in good
shape. I tried the door and found
that 1t opened easily After the guard
| made the rounds I slipped into the
corridor. A moment later Sam ap-
| peared.
"We had our plans all laid. en-
tered his cell. We waited for the
guard to come round again. and as
he passed the door we seized him
from behind, dragged him into the
cell and put him to sleep with a
crack on the skull with an iron bar.
I put on his official coat and hat, took
his keys, unlocked the door to store
room and sent in the half-hour signal
saws as quickly as possible to go
through the bars on the window,
while l made the regular tour of the
guards corridor.
II had to go within twenty feet of
another guard, but covered my face
with, my handkerchief during an as
sumed fit of coughing, and ran the
gauntlet in good shape. When Sam
got through the bars I brought two
sheets to him, which he made into a
rope, while made my last tour.
t'When I got back to the room ev
erything was in readiness. We slid
down the rope to the top Of the prison
wall. 1t was an easy drop from there
to the ground and we got away. II
was very cold night and we forced
an entrance into a clothing store and
d, got new outfit. We decided that il
was best for us to go It alone and
make line for New York
"We were fiat broke and had tc
get money somewhere. We fixed u1
a bit and tumbled onto a. darling
scheme the very first day out. Two
young fellows, as we were passing the
First National bank shortly after
o'clock, came out carrying a bag
They showed by their manner that
they were on an important mission
We laid for them for two days, an6
found that they came out regularly
each day with the bag. Then We fixed
our play.
1--WE waited for them to appear OF
the third day in Trinity church yard
and when they started up Broadway
We got them before they had gone +;
block. Stepping quickly up behind
each picked out a man and gave hin
a handful of red pepper in his eyes
: They dropped the bag like shot, ant
before they had time to yell piclzet
it up and we got lost in the crowd
} It was safe play to make breal
for the Liberty street ferry with thu
bag as If we were going to take F;
train on the Central. I unloaded tn
! bag in the lavatory and got just $53
600 for the DAYS work."