Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-01
MURPHY md Sh||A
N JAIL DELIVERY
MEN HELD ON CHARGE OF BOOT.
LOGGING SAW IRON BARS
FROM JAIL WINDOW.
BELIEVED TO HAVE SEEN
AIDED BY OTHERS OUTSIDE
Officers Notified BY Prisoner Arrested
For Intoxieation - Murphy Obtains
Gun and Threatens Life of Cell Mate
if He Should "squeai'-sheriff Ed
gar Gut Of City at Time.

Saving thru twu finch bars with j
hack saw, presumably furnished by
friends on the outside. two prisoners in
{ he county JAIL who were to hav,. APP
.,e::' d before the grand jury THIS week
to answer to a charge OF bootlegging,
cut their way 10 Liberty and escaped
carly Sunda. morhius. and left no .race
of the course they took after leaving
the Jail.
The men who escaped were docketed
as P. +. Murphy and Frank Smith. The
charge against them was bootlegging,
and they We're arrested ten days ago by
the police in this city.
The two men were confined on the
first floor with two other prisoners and,
according TO Charles Mowry, of Mel
bourne, one of the inmates. the men
| we're supplied with a saw and a re-
volver from some one outside the Jail
He declared that Murphy showed the
gun in his face and told him that he
would kill him if he gave an alarm.
Prisoner Alarms Night Sergeant.
Thomas Christensen. arrested late
Saturday night on a charge OF intoxi-
cation. who was also confined on the
first floor. noticed that the men were
missing early Sunday morning and
crawled thru the window thru which
Murphy and Smith had escaped. and
hurried to the home of Night Sergeant
of Police Maurice Cummings to give
the alarm.
Sergeant Cummings at once notified
Deputy Sheriff Goodale, who went TO
the Jail and from there started an in
vestigation. 1t was found that the men
had severed two iron bars each an inch
thick at window on the south side Of
the jail Thru this narrow aperture
they dropped to the ground betweent NJ
Jail and the Masonic temple, distance
of only four or five feet.
Sheriff Edgar in Mount Pleasant.
Sheriff Edgar was not at the Jail at
the time of the escape, having left
between and o'clock in the morning
to take Reuben r. Cook to the insane
asylum at Mount Pleasant.
Sheriff Edgar said this morning that
he had remained up late Saturday
night and did not go to bed until past
midnight. He had left oall with the
telephone operator to awaken him at
1880 that he might catch the south
bound NJ. & st. L.. train with his
charge at 5: ID.
Sheriff Edgar was not able to obtain
any rest dlUing the night, however.
owing to a disturbance caused by an
intoxicated prisoner in the Jail, who
sang turnout the night. He was awake
when the operator called him
After eating lunch Sheriff Edgar
went to the cell room Of the JAIL and
apparently everything was all right
at that time. He did not go thru the
Jail but stopped for few minutes and
talked to Mowry. At that time the
prisoner did not seem disturbed, and
the delivery was undoubtedly effected
later in the morning. The train was
reported late and Sheriff Edgar did not
leave his home until shortly before
o'clock.
Description Of tho Men.
Murphy is a man Of about 80 or 30
years Of age sandy complexioned,
stoutly built, about five feet, nine
inches in height, and weighing about
l65 pounds. He wore weeks growth
of beard. He was tatooed on the left
arm with the figure of dagger, and
bore several knife and bullet wounds
|. on his body. He wore cotton striped
overals and a black shirt.
Smith claimed to be q years of age,
but appeared to be even younger. He
was about five feet, seven inches IN
! height, and weighed about 145 or lou
/ pounds He had a scar under his left
/ eve. Smith wore light gray trousers
! and a blue sweater under his shirt. He
! was of light complexion. Both men
We're shabby appearing and would be
! taken for tramps.
Men Confined on First Floor.
| Usually men held to the grand jury
. are confined on the upper floor of the
| Jail. but owing to the large number OF
prisoners in the Jail, and the serious
charges filed against several Of them,
the two bootleggerw were confined on
+! the lower floor. Sheriff Edgar had not
! regarded them particularly had
| characters. and did not feel that they
would be likely to give him any trou-
! BILE.
| Since their escape, however, 1t is
| thought the men may have feared
Identification and may have been
wanted elsewhere for more serious
! crimes.
Had Worked For Ely.
! Murphy told the officers that he had
been employed by r. A. Ely. of this
city, in railroad construction work
near Mt. Ayr. but the officers put lit
tie credence in his story. It has been
found. however, that Murphy had
worked for Ely until recently.
| Smith claimed to be from Chicago
! and said he was en- route to Omaha
when he met Murphy. The men de-
clared the liquor found on their per-
sons had been found by the roadside
in a sack, and that they had appro-
| nriated some for their own use.
Other Cities Notified.
Sunday morning Deputy Sheriff
Goodale notified authorities IN num-
her of cities and towns to be on the
lookout for the men. A description OF
the two is being sent out in the hope
of locating them.