Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-04-01
How They Worked It.

How They Worked It.
Last night was the regular night
for amusement at the penitentiary
and the customary show was put on
at the auditorium. The show tool.
longer than usual last night because
of the fact that E. r. Orchard kindly
consented to sing for the men and
Frank E. Slyde, general freight agent
of the Western Transit company, lc-
Gated at st. Paul, gave some readings.
The men all lined up in the cell
house when the gong rang at about
7:45 p. m. Some Of the men We're
not allowed to go to the show for
certain reasons, being under punish
ment for some offense or other There
are also men who work in the twine
plant or shops who do not care to-
avail themselves of the privilege of
going to the show, preferring to re-
main in their cells and rest The
men who are not allowed to 90 to the
show and those who prefer to remain
in their cells are locked into their
cells by the cell house guard as soon
as the main body of men leave for
the auditorium.
The new cell house guard. acting
under these rules. made the rounds.
of the cells and locked all of those
who did not go to the show, as he sup.
posed, into their cells. None of the
six men who escaped were in their
cells when he made these rounds. so
he naturally thought they had gone to
the show. While he was making the
rounds Of the cells. 1t is thought, the
six men were playing hide and seek
with him at the south end Of the cell
house tier
Jump Into Library.
One of the sextet is supposed to
have jumDeds over the wooden parti'
ton which separates the library 10.
Gated at the south end of the cell
house, unlocked the door to the libra.
ry from the inside. and the other five
slipped into the little room. Then
they probably hid behind one Of the
bookcases until the coast was clear.
The man who jumped over the Ii
brary partition probably knocked over
the bookcase. for some of the books
we're piled on the floor.
While this was going on, 1t is
thought. the new cell house guard
was making his rounds. locking up
the cells of those prisoners who did
not 90 to the show and finally went
to make his report He came back
and walked the galleries several
times between s and 3 o'clock. The
six men are supposed to have made
their getaway about 800
Cut Through Window.
The men had hacksaw and with
this cut two of the heavy one-inch
bars on one of the windows off the
library and on the south end Of the
new cell house. They cnt the bars
on the bottom only and used piece
of steel pipe couple of feet long
to pry the bars outward and upward.
This allowed them room enough to
get out.
They probably cut the bars while
the cell house guard came to the OF.
fee to make his report
When all of the prisoners returned
to the cell house after the show.
about 600 p. M, the fact that these
six men were missing was first discov-
cred
BIoodhounds Are Out.
There were plenty Of guards strung
out between the cellhouse and the
aditorium so that there was no
chance for the men to escape be-
teween these two places.
Immediately upon the discovery OF
the getaway the big penitentiary
was blown and forces were
thrown out around the country afoot,
shorseback, in autos and on trains.
CONTINUED on Page Two.)