The Prescott daily news., 1914-01-26
DESPERATE CRIMINAL
STILL AT LARGE
The Brass Kid Escaped from State
Hospital for Nervous Diseases.
Resemble Thaw Case in
Way. Two Arrests Made

LlCIle MOCK, Jan. Zb.-Ihe escape of
Herbert Coons, alias "The Brass Kid
from the State Hospital for the Treat
ment of Nervous Diseases Saturday
night, resembles very much the escape
of Harry K. Thaw from the asylum
at Matteawan, n. Y. In the case of
Coons, however, those who made his
escape possible are under arrest, and
the city officers expect soon to have
Coons back in prison.
Shortly after dusk Saturday even
ing, county and city officers in Little
Rock were notified that Coons was
missing, and the only trace that could
be found was automobile tracks on a
road near the state asylum, where
| Coons had been incarcerated. No one
apparently saw the man escape, nor
could account for his absence.
On Sunday morning the Little Rock
police took into custody two attend
ants at the hospital, who admitted
they had permitted Coons to escape
and had assisted him in covering his
tracks until he had chance to get
away from the grounds. The young
men, who have served as attendants
in a number of other state institu-
tions, confessed that they allowed
Coons to go on his promise to visit
the home of an attorney in Little Rock
and to send them an amount between
$500 and S400 which he had there
The men declare they never heard the
name of the attorney, but Coons of
fered. to take them along and pay
them as soon as the house was reached
but they declined in order to allay
suspicion that they were implicated
in the plot to escape.
1t is thought by the officials that
Coons was met on the outside by con-
federates who spirited him away in
an automobile. The men under ar
rest state they knew nothing about
outside aid, as Coons had never spok-
en- of any.
Coohs is one of the most dangerous
criminals the Arkansas authorities
have been forced to deal with for a
number of years. He was arrested
in Hot Springs, charged with being
implicated in the swindle by which
Frank P. Fox, Terre Haute, Ind,
millionaire, was relieved of $4,000
| by crooked roulette wheel. He adj
mitted his guilt and was sentenced to
serve term in the Arkansas peni-
tentiary. After serving several
months Coons apparently became af-
hicted with a strange malady which
apparently affected his mind. He
would remain motionless for days. re-
fusing to talk, and apparently hear
ing no one. He was finally ordered
removed to the state hospital in Little
| Rock, where he has since been incar-
cerated. On account of his desperate
character, Coons was closely watched
at the asylum, but he apparently was
watching every opportunity, grasping
it when it came Saturday.
1t has been asserted that Coons is a
member of daring band of criminals
which operates in all parts of the
country, and he was no doubt assisted
by them in escaping after he scaled
the fence of the institution. Some of
ficers believe that Coons is in hiding
in, or near Little Rock, but those who
have studied the case are of the opin-
ion that he is already out of the state.
Coons was arrested in Illinois for his
crime, and had to be kidnapped to
get him back to Arkansas to stand
trial.