Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-20
PRISONERS IN CEDAR RAPIDS
PLAN BOLD BREAK FOR
LIBERTY.
NUMEROUS
ASSAULT ON POLICEMAN
Officer Lees Life Probably Saved Be.
cause Another Officer Accompanied
Him-Prisonsr Reveals Plot to OIL.
GERS When Postponsmsnt Of Scheme
Was Found Necessary.

SCNdA ASdpiOoS XA AVN AAAos = -
trolman Lee was not seriously injured
or killed during desperate attempt
at Jail breaking which was to be made
Thursday night Is due to the fact that
every time he entered the big Jail Of
the Cedar Rapids police station he was
accompanied by Patrolman Klimesh.
The plot to break Jail, and it was one
of the most desperate planned in many
years in the local Jail, was made known
10 the police Friday afternoon by
Frank Jelinek, who is prisoner in the
station. An investigation made by the
police and statements made by DR.. A.
Walt Steinle, who is in prison waiting
for trial on charge Of embezzlement,
confirmed all the statements of Jelinek.
Men in Plot.
The men in he plot were Fred
Tharsther. Roy Ring, Milton Hodge.
all burglars. and Roy c. Daniels, a
thief and victim of the morphine habit.
Other persons probably were in the
plot. The four burglars are young man
who got considerable help from the
Sunshine Mission this winter, but in
spite of this help committed burgiaries
here. Hodge and Ring burglarized the
Elmer Cole home and Tharsther burg
larized the Manwiller home.
Chief Burgin's investigation revealed
the facts that persons not in prison
were in plot to help the four men
out of jail. Saws were to be delivered
to the criminals by being handed to
them thru the bars of one of the win
dows Of the Jail. This was to be done
at o'clock Thursday night. But as
all the lights on the outside of the
station were burning Thursday night,
the persons who were to deliver the
saws evidently lost their nerve. No
saws were delivered, and the desper-
ADDE'S had to resort to their other plot.
Board and Iron.
The other plot was more desperate
and included the brutal phase. The
prisoners broke a bunk in one of the
cells by tearing out board about four
feet long and several inches wide.
They also tore loose a piece of iron
fixtures used for supporting the steam
pipes.
The board and iron were to be used
in knocking out Patrolman Lee. who
at present is acting as jailer. 1t is the
duty to the jailer to enter the big Jail,
lock the prisoners in their cells and
give them drinking water. The pris-
oners evidently intended to knock out
Lee while he was locking the first man
in his cell. The plan was to take Lees
keys. open the two doors Of the Jail,
and stealthily run up the stairway
leading to the main floor Of the station.
Evidently the prisoners thought they
could get up the stairway and escape
thru the toilet room window without
being noticed by the station officers
who usually occupy the rooms in the
east side of the station.
Lee Had Company.
The plan failed because Lee had
company when he entered the jail to
do his work. He was assisted by Pa
trolman Klimek. The prisoners evil
IDENTIFY realized that they could not
knock out both policemen, and gave up
the attempt for the night. When once
locked in their cells they were help
less.
Spectacles were invented in the thir-
teenth century.