The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-31
GAFFORD PLACES
| RESPONSIBILITY FOR
ESCAPE FROM JAIL
Wardens Waited Several
Hours Before Report
ing Matter
BARS NOT PUT IN
AS THEY SHOULD BE
Architect Wheelock, However, Says
City Got Exactly What Was
Approved and Paid For
by the City

The ridiculous ease with which prison
ers effected their escape from the new city
prison wednesday morning was explained
yesterday morning by Street Commissions
er Frank H. Gafford, who holds the archl-
tect who modelled the jail and the war
dens Jointly responsible.
Mr. Gafford leclares that whereas the
escape became known at u o'clock. or
shortly thereafter it was not reported u
police headquarters until after the break
fast hour. Mr. Gafford, however, holds
that there was no need for haste in MAX
ing the report. as. in his opinion, litt,a
headway could have been made in ef-
fecting a recapture.
The negroes stated the commissioner
of the streets, were chiefly of the va
erant variety, born. reared and tolera. ed
in Birmingham Immediately after they
had gained their liberty, they skunk into
dark alleys, out of which. one by one.
we will flch them In reasonable time. l
do not hold the wardens responsible for
failing to report the escape just as soon
as 1t occurred.
BARS Were Dainty
''rhe prisoners sawed one of the bars
half way, and then injected piece OF
Two inch iron pipe or some other ponder
Gus instrument between the injured bar
and the one below, made an opening large
enough for them to dive through
'"rhe sawed bar was bent double, ard
the other bar was twisted entirely out of
the sockets in the easement
The bars We're of soft steel whereas
they should have been of hard steel.
They were u inch bars, whereas they
should have been llainch bars. They did
not extend through the sockets and were
not braided. Instead, the extremities of
the bars were simply placed within the
sockets out of which they were removed
without considerable trouble. The jail
was built under the specifications os
Architect Wheelock. ] think that he
should have seen to it that hard steel and
not soft steel was used, that large bars
and not small bars were used, and that
the extremities OF the bars were braided
after having been run through the sock
cts.
Criticises the Wardens
Il have two good watchmen, Abner and
Williamson, in charge of the jail. They
had good records behind them before
having gone to york in the new prison
They had had no prisoners to escape
However, in this incident, | think that
they were a little negligent in the dis
charge of their duty. The prisoners were
evidently at work saving and prizing for
some time.
"A 'trusty' pulled the trick. 1t was my
instruction that the 'trusty should lock
the bathroom at the time the prisoners
went to bed. He fooled the wardens
Tuesday night. however. for he did no!
lock the door. Instead, he left 1t open
permitted the work on the bars. and
escaped with the rest"
Judge Lane is investigating the escape
both as TO the alleged neglect of duty and
the alleged inayailability of the bars.
Mr. Gafford stated that to avoid similar
occurrences in the future screen of 4
iron mesh would be placed over the in
side OF the windows when the bars are
replaced.
WheeIOck Makes Statement
Harry 3. Wheeluck, the architect who
designed the city jail from which many
prisoners escaped = few nights ago. and
against whom some criticism has beer
aimed, had no statement to make last
night in reference to the matter. He sad
however, that the city of Birmingham Sc.
cured In the new jail exactly what was
paid for.
"All the plans and specifications of the
new jail were submitted TO the city and
approved" said Mr.. Wheeock. "The
city knew exactly what was in the Jail ard
all the details. They secured nothing less
than what was paid for. | have no an
swer at this time TO the accredited state
ment of +. II. 6iafford in reference TO the
steel bars and the bradding of the bars
after penetrating the concrete"