The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-04-03
Chicago's Auto Bandit
Makes Novel Getaway
From Cell.
OTHERS GIVE UP
Escaped Prisoner was Com
PEELED to Crawl Through
15-inoh Pipe

Leavenworth. Kans.-Clyde STRAIT
ton, known as the ''Chlcago motor
bandit escaped from the federal
prison today by crawling through a
sewer. Two other prisoners who at
tempted to escape with him gave up
the struggle after being almost over
come by gas.
The escape was discovered shortly
before Don when three prisoners,
who had been excused in the morn
ing to report for silk call, failed to
return to their cells.
An immediate search was made
and one of the storm W. openings
was found to be uncovered. John
Hughes and Frank Fernsdorf, the
prisoners who gave up the attempt to
escape ere found standing in two
feet of slime, very anxious to get
out.
FeiSned Illness in Morning.
investigation showed that Stratton
and his confederates, after leaving
the dostor's office, went directly to
the manhole, removed the COW
er and dropped into the pit, a fall of
fully fifteen feet. The main sewer
leading from the manholc was pro-
tected by l inch steel bars. The pris-
oners evidently had hack saws, for
two of the bars We're sawed Off and
wrenched out to permit exit into the
main wv
The w tapers from about "a
inches to fifteen inches in diameter,
and is continually fun of sewer gas
and live steam, besides water and
filth. F%crnsdorf and Hughes admit
they tried to follow Stratton, but
had to give up.
STATIONS tracks We're found at the
mouth of the sewer and he was fol-
lowed by his footprints to the woods
west of the prison. Guards were sent
in every direction, and the prison
siren was blown for a long time.
warning the farmers to be on the
lookout.
Suspected of Chicago Murder.
Stratton is Il desperate and is sus-
pected of being implicated in the nun
der of j. Fl. Losue, a diamond mer-
chant in Chicago last year. Frank
Fernsdorf, who attempted to escape
with Stratton, was a member of the
gang. They rented apartments at
4436 Clifton avenue, Chicago, where
they lived in style with other des-
%peradoes and several ONE When
the police raided the place they dis
covered rooms fitted up in luxurious
style With abundant evidence of
crime. the loot of many lobberies.
The gang owned a motor car and en-
ployed a chauffeur at $21 a week.
The police We're unable to connect
Stratton directly with the Logue
murder and turned him over to the
federal authorities, who wanted him
for robbing a p%ostoffice at McCool,
Ind. Thousands of dollars worth OF
stamps were found in the Chicago
flat, where Stratton lived.
His Third Sewer Escape.
While in the Cook county jail
Stratton almost escaped and it vas
found from his record that he had
twice escaped from the state prison
at Columbus, o., while serving sent
ences, once in October, 1911, and
again in October. 1912, each time by
crawling through a sewer.
Telling OF one of these escapes
Stratton said:
II obtained the mead OF a barrel,
painted it black and substituted it for
an iron sewer cover. 1t was an old
sewer and l thought no one could
crawl through it. But / decided to
MANI me dtitlipl. j llISl Sc1t IL To-
mato can through the sewer, learn
ed of it's arrival at the sewer mouth
and later crawled through myself. 1t
took me five hours to go one mile
While in Indianapolis awaiting
trial he managed to duplicate keys to
the Jail and nearly escaped again. He
was brought to the prison here March
u, just seventeen days ago.