Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-08-11
ROCKY FORD, COLORADO FRIDAY AUGUST H. 1916
BREAKS JAIL
And Escapes Penalty for Most Das-
tardly Crime Ever Attempted
in This City

in This City
The Enterprise is sorry to in
form its readers that a beast in
human form is likely to go un-
punished for his attempt to vlo-
late the innocence of an infant
girl thru the insecurity Of our city
jail.
Shortly after the noon hour on Mon
day, while the little children of Ed
Turpin were playing about the yard of
their home at 2O2 North Third street,
they were approached by a strange
man who with presents of candy in
duced them to accompany him to near
by vacant house. When he had enticed
them inside the house, the brute pick
ed up the little girl-not yet five years
old-and carried her upstairs, where he
almost stripped the clothing from the
little one in the attempt at a most
heinous crime. But before the fell
deed could be accomplished the little
girls screams frightened the fellow
and he hurriedly decamped.
The girls cries were heard by two
neighbor women named Gillispie, who
were in time to see the man leave the
house and plunge into weed over
grown lot, where he was lost to view.
Suspecting something wrong the
women hurried to the vacant house,
where they foued the little victim in
such condition that the nature of the
attempted crime was at once apparent.
Mrs. Turpin was Immediately inform
ed of the vile deed and she hastened
to the factory and got her husband
who instituted search of the vicinity
until he traced the wretch to the city
limits when he came down town and
hunted up Marshal Allison.
The marshal at once got busy with
the telephone and as result he heard
from B. F. Zimmerman about A o'clock
that fellow answering the description
given had Just come to his store at
Weitzer and was begging a ride to
Manzanola. 1t was arranged that Mr..
Zimmerman should give the fellow a
lift, but would drive very slow, and
the marshal would take out after them
in an auto, which he did to such good
purpose that he caught up with the
slow-going wagon about half mile
this side of Manzanola.
With his prisoner in tow the mar
shal stopped at the Turpin home.
where the fellow was at once identified
as the right party by the children and
women, and accordingly was brot down
town and lodged in Jail.
To make the evidence more positive
the marshal took his prisoners shoes
the next day and found that they ex.
| actly fitted the tracks that he had no
ticed in ditch bank near the scene OF
the attempted crime. About O'Clock
on Tuesday afternoon the marshal en-
tered the Jail to return the shoes when
he found that his prisoner had flown,
and a gaping hole in the ceiling showed
how he had taken his departure.
The hole thru the ceiling and roof
had been made with a big bolt, which
must have been handed in by someone,
but the fellow made his getaway
alone as the last trace of him that has
been received was that he had beer
met about mile south of Hawley or
Wednesday morning and he was still
limping along without shoes and was
headed for the Santa Fe tracks, ap'
parently with hope of boarding freigh,
train and so making his escape to 8
point where his dastardly crime has
not been heard of.
The man is described as dark com
plexioned American of about 40 years
of age. His height is about feet
inches, weight about $50 pounds. ano
he has a crippled foot which gives him
noticeable limp.
i