The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-05-20


and when Turnkey Best returned he
gave the keys over to him.
It is the custom for the turnkey to
sleep in bed in the corridor in the
upper part of the Jail, which is in
such position that he win be awaken
ed by the slightest noise.
Lying under the bed in the empty
cell, Mrs Miller waited until Turnkey
Best had fallen asleep shortly before
midnight and then crept quietly from
her hiding place. The turkeys bed is
directly adjacent to the cell where she
had taken refuge, and on her tiptoes
she went to his bed. 1t is thought
that she had soaked her handkerchief
with chloroform and placed this over
the face of the sleeping turnkey SO
that he would inhale the fumes. After
the turnkey had fallen under the spell
of the drug, she lifted his head and
took the keys from under his pillow,
where he always kept them.
She then tiptoed downstairs and call
ed to her husband, opening the door
leading to the big cellroom, where the
prisoners are allowed to walk around
the corridors so as to get exercise The
other prisoners were asleep, with the
exception of her husband and Jome
1t is thought that Jome threatened to
make an cutlery unless they took him
with them, and so he was included
in the crowd.
Realizing that they would need
money in order to get out of town, the
Jail breakers decided to force open the
safe. Mrs. Miller knew that there
were large sums of money there, as
she had seen people come in to pay
delinquent taxes and other money.
Miller had often boosted that he
could open any safe that was ever made
and so sat down before the strong box
and worked the combination. The
money was kept in an inner compart
ment, which was also locked, but Miller
opened this with knife, and then
took out the bag containing the paper
and silver money.
Not content with this loot, the trio
also ransacked deck belonging to the
sheriff, taking out checkbooks, revolt
vers, papers of various kinds and car
rying them into room adjacent to the
Office. Together with the cash box
from the safe, these papers and check
lie 4 4oI IL
Miller and his wife went through them
at their leisure. This room is removed
from the living rooms of the jail, and
the thieves used it so that any noise
that they might make would not be
heard by the sheriff and his deputies.
This room is directly beneath the
corri'lnr where th2 turkey sleeps, hit
the thieves aid 40 attention to him
as they k ew he was under the in
1uence of the drug.
They left the papers scattered around
the table and the room, and then made
their escape through the basement of
the jail leaving the keys hanging in
the basement door. They could have
gone out Of the front door, as the
key to this door was among those that
Mrs. Miller had stolen, but they were
afraid that they might meet police
man or some other person who would
give the alarm.
Before the prisoners left the jail,
John Bender, Of Burlington, who was
locked up on complaint of his wife,
heard the noise and went to investi-
gate The men curbed Bender's curl
osity by pointing a revolver at his head
and saying that they would blow out
his brains if he made an outcry. They
ordered him to go back to bed, which
he did. The men did not take the re
volvers with them when they left,
however.
After going through the basement
door, the trio crept around the build
ing and then walked swiftly north on
College avenue, crossed Fourth street
bridge and took the back streets until
they arrived at Fish Bros. shop, when
they went to State street"
The money taken from the sheriff s
safe is supposed to have been hidden
somewhere in Kenosha during the
short stop of the trio here. Officers
from Racine were here today making
an effort to obtain some clew to the
hiding place of this money.
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