The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-07-21
GILuES' ESCAPE FROM
JAIL VERY LIVE SUBJECT
Gone Ten Hours Before Escape Discovered
Everything Points to Collision

The following story, sent out from
Olympia throws additional light on the
getaway of the man who looted $780,
900 from the state industrial insurance
fund. The fact that his escape was
not discovered until ten whole hours
had elapsed is another ugly feature of
the already nauseating mess into which
the administration of Governor Lister
has been drawn. The story is worth
reading. 1t follows:
That ]. F. Gillies, the convicted
and sentenced industrial insurance de-
faulter who broke out OF the Olympia
Jail on the night of July 8, will event
ually be recaptured is not doubted
officially as he is an offender against
the state and the state rarely forgets in
such cases, but he may as we'll have
vanished into thin air for all the reliable
clues that have been obtained as to his
whereabouts in the first week Of his
! freedom. The admissions of Chester
Bateman, an Olympia garage employee,
that he had driven couple dressed in
women's clothing from Mrs. Gillies'
home in Olympia on the night Of the
escape to Chehalis, about IS miles
south on the main line to Portland, has
come to be regarded as a carefully
worked out device for throwing pursu-
ers off the trail. That Bateman act
ually made the trip with two mysterious
passengers is accepted as entirely prob
able, but that Gillies and his companion
Henry Roberts, would have adopted
this means of leaving town with dis
covery of the machines absence and
the identification OF its driver certain,
is not entertained by those familiar
with his natural shrewdness in criminal
matters. While one auto was on the
road to Chehalis it is believed that an
other car was speeding in an opposite
direction, possibly toward British Col
umbia, with the fugitives concealed
inside.
Gillies was sentenced to only a total
OF FIVE and half years on two convic-
tons of robbing the state industrial
insurance funds Of approximately $780,
900 while serving as claim agent for
the department. His companion,
Roberts, had four years to serve in the
state reformatory, his offense being
particularly villanous instance of leading
girl astray, according to the charge
upon which he was convicted. While
out on bond pending decision Of his
appeal to the supreme court Roberts
had all the time and opportunity he
probably needed TO make all outside
arrangements for escaping. On being
surrendered by his bondsmen he was
permitted by the sheriff to become
Gillies' tellmate. Both were permitted
Jail liberties usually denied common
vagrant and they escaped by the simple
expedient of prying off two small locks
and dropping out of an unlocked second
story window by means of blanket.
The break was not discovered until
late the following morning, which was
Sunday. when the pair had nearly 10
hours start The sheriff was out of
town and a deputy, who usually slept
in the Jail, was also out of town at the
time and the break was not discovered
until late the next morning. 1t was
almost midnight before definite clue
that they had gone TO Chehalis and
taken a train for a suburb of Portland
was obtained, and another day was
lost in working on that. if it proves to
have been merely blind.
Newspaper comment on the ease
with which the escape was effected
and every circumstance OF the officers
being absent at the time resulted in
talk OF capitol removal and this was
followed by local limitations that Gov
ernor Lister instigated the agitation,
when, as a matter of fact, the governor
was absent from Olympia during the
time the newspaper excitement over
the escape was raging.
That Gillies had threatened to rock
the state" with exposures if he were
convicted has also been recalled as an
insinuation that he had information on
higher ups" which resulted in per-