Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-31
CONVICT SNEAKS AWAY
FROM GUARD TO FREEDOM
Tertiary Before He Is
Missed.
PRISONER HAD BEEN UNRULY
Joe Arthur, Negro Fugitive, Bears
Evil Reputation = Escapes From
Guard, Who Had Other Convicts
In Charge in Penitenuary Yard.

Joe Arthur, negro. twenty-fou
years, old. convict No. 1Os23. serving a
term OF Ave years for malicious shoot
ing, sneaked away from a guard In
the yard at the State Penitentiary
last night at o'clock, and before he
was missed, had scaled both the tall
picket fence and the high outside wall
surrounding the prison and was gone.
The guard, J. ]. Glazier. OF Petersburg.
had three convicts In charge when
Arthur escaped. and he did not miss
him until severak minutes had elapsed.
Convicts looking from an upper
window In the penitentiary- saw Arthur
as he was scaling the fenco ana told
the inside guards. who. In turn, hurried
down into tho yard and told GlaZier.
To reach Glazier the guards had to
PASS through several doors, and while
they were unlocking and locking them
Arthur had climbed over the outside
wall and disappeared In the darkness.
Earlier in the day. Arthur had been
unruly. and AZ punishment 1t was
ordered that he be kept for several
hours in n detention cell In the old
penitentiary building last night
Glazier was conducting the convict.
with two other prisoners. from the
main prison TO tho old building, and
had paused at an entrance to the lat
ter structure, when Arthur sneaked
away In the gathering darkness The
two convicts who remained with Ola
zier say they did not miss Arthur until
guards from the prison told or the
escape.
WITH AID OF WATER FIFE
The sharp ends of tho iron pickets
IN the high inside fencc surrounding
the prison arc turned In toward the
Enclosure. and II is difficult to under
stand how Arthur managed TO ge.
over this Enclosure. When ne hho
scaled the first fence he found sec
lion OF heavy water pipe several feet
I'm length, which he used Az ladder In
climbing the outside wall. When he
had reached the top OF this structure
by graspinE the ledge OF the wall ne
swung himself down as far as ne couiu
and dropped several feet 10 the ground
and was free.
when Arthur dropped from the out.
lido wall watchers In tho windows OF
the prison lost sight OF him. Hunrds
we're soon marrying In every direcuoh'
and the police were advised 10 ]oii'
in the search but nothing had oech
seen of tho fugitive late last night.
reward OF $50 for Arthur's arrest
Was offered. and Major James Il. "ooo.
.uper!ntendent OF the penitentiarS' sa,a
last night ne believed the negro wouid
soon be apprchended
Arthur wore the striped prison garo
last night when he escaped. and prison
officials believe that unless ne mas
friends on the outside willing 10 iur-
nish, him with clothes and with money
he Will find It hard to go lar oeiore
being arrested
lie lis n bright mulatto. Ave feet ana
eleven inches high. weighs l5o POUNDS
and is blind In his left eye. For ma
ilcious shooting he Was sentenced III
inc CORPORATION Court OF Roanoke IN
Nav, 1912, TO serve q term OF hvc years
in the state Penitentiary- On septem-
Der 6, 1912, he escaped from the state
farm. but was captured on December
.s OF the same year and placed In the
ucnitentlary. His term would nave en-
nired December u. 1917.
Arthur Is well known to the ponce
NJ Roanoke, where he bears PAD
name. He wa. frequently In trouble
there. and the offense for which he
mas been serving time was by no means
his FIRST.
The escape created some excitement at
the penitentiary last night, but not
near as much as did the escape or -FOUR
long term white convicts on January
-, This quartet of fugit!ves was soon
anprehended, and it is believed mat
,rthur's term OF freedom will be also
s,rin