The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-12
.CONv|CTS ESCAPE
VIRGINIA PRISON
GUARD AND WATCHMAN
OVERPOWERED AND TIED
HAND AND FOOT
SLIDE DOWN ROPE
FROM 9TH STORY
Four Long-Termed Prisoners, Up
for Forgery, Murder and Rob.
berry, Break For Liberty.
(By Associated Press.)

hiCIMOND, va, Jan. ll.-Atter
overpowering and tying hand and foot,
successfully an armed guard, and arm
ed nightwatchman and shop fore
man. four long-term convicts. serving
terms for forgery, murder and rob-
berry, slid down on a rope from a
fourth story window of the State pen-
itentiary here tonight and after seal
Ing 30-foot wall. made q clean break
for liberty.
The men were II. l.. Hamilton, sent
up for forgery, who had about seven
years yet to serve; Siler Atkins, for
second degree murder, with 10 years
YET TO serve; Al Burton, second degree
murder. whose term would have ex-
pired in 1882. and e. B. Hanley, rob-
perry, who had FIVE years yet to serve.
Ihe escape was sensational and
evidences point TO carefully laid plan.
The men left behind them q signed
note, attesting mutual agreement to
make break for liberty as the only
recourse left to them tG obtain JUS
tice. The men possessed good voices
| anu sang regularly as the quartette in
the penitentiary choir They were all
skilled workmen employed as cutters
In the shirt and overall shops, which
is located on the fourth floor of the
penitentiary building.
Az late hour tonight the men were
still at large
The men were at work in the shop
with one guard over them. One STEM
ped behind the guard ostensibly to
get bolt OF cloth and the others ap-
preached as IL to assist In CARRYING it.
In moment the men seized the guard.
disarmed him, tied him securely with
ropes taken from bales of cloth and
gagged MIN to prevent outcry. In o few
moments the night watchman on his
round OF the building was confronted
by the pistol taken from the guard.
aimed point blank ct his heart. In the
hands OF one OF the convicts. He. too.
was bound and gagged and his reyol-
YER taken away. The men then await
ed the return OF the foreman, who
had left the shop for q few minutes.
When he arrived he was confronted
with TWO revolyer5, the artillery filch-
GO from the men on the floor. He was
anarmed. The binding and gaggins OF
the foreman took only bare two or
three minutes and has was laid to rest
with his two companions.
From their positions on the floor the
bound men watched the convicts work
at the preparation for escape with
helpless interest. The men patched to-
gesher a long rope fro.a the Binding
or the bales OF overall and shirt mater
iai and tied one end OF 1t to a metal
support in the shop. Then one after
the other, they swung out OF the win
dow and made their way, hand under
hand, to the ground 58 feet below.
Before leaving the building they dts
robed, leaving their spriped outer
garments behind them. They dressed
themselves In the hhirts and overalls
wnich were scattered about in pro-
fusion In the shop.
The escape was discovered through
william Bailey "a trusty. whose duty
required MIN to be at work In the
Iard OF the overall factory. He be-
came uneasy when the night watch
man feiied - put in appearance at the
regular time. When more than half
an hopr had passed and the watchman
had not appeared, Bailey struck out
on tour OF investigation. In the cut
ting room OF the. overall department
on tho fourth floor he discovered the
watchman and his two companions.
he Lost no time In cutting the bonds
which held them, and removing !. the
gags from their mouths.
si' Leaving the men to regain. the use
OF their crainped limbs, Bailey rush.
ed down to the yard to raise the
alarm. ~
Superintendent J. b. Wood. OF the
peEitentiary, was at once notified and,
the alarm became general.
The tying and gagging OF the guards
was aot without touches OF sardonic
humor. When all three had been se-
curely tied and disposed Of, Han,ilton.
the boy forger, surveyed the hand
work Of the quartette and INQUIRED OF
the bound men II they were perfectly
comfortable. Noticing q NEGATIVE
gesture by one OF, the men, he ana his
companions gathered some loose oy-
erall material lying on the tables.
and forming them into irnpronntt, nil.
lows. laid them under the bound
mems heads. 49, IS i,.i s.
s This done. Hamilton approached the
floor. S. IS ( b - : ! g 3, ~ s
sTurn over on your side. he COM
6mandsd, The guard complied. Ham,
ilton tent down and kissed him on his
cheek. Ia II g & "a
: Bye-bye. old sport he. said, ..ard
good lucksy ~ =. ~ wv ~ rs s y ss.
Before ieassnE the cutting room the
cenyictB siiie1 the pockets Or their
Victims taking with them the small
fanlount es money their pockets con.
tanned, Nothing else besides the re-
volycrs OF the guard and foreman was
taken. 4
It,alsSn Troons Iloyine.