Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-29
ASSAULT KEEPER AFTER
SAVING WAY THRU
CELL BARS
CARRIED OWN TOOLS
ONE OF MEN HAD SAWS CON-
CEALEO IN HIS SHOES WHEN
NE ENTERED THE BASTlLE--
GoEREL OvERCOMEs AssAiL-
ANT AFTER ATTACK.

Alfred Henderson, bad niger, be-
lieves in preparedness. He believes
in that theory 80 intently that he car
ried around pair of steel saws in his
shoes. When he was locked in Jail
they might come handy
This is the finding of Sheriff Davis
following a brazen attempt at Jail
delivery Monday night in which
Charles Copee, another negro. played
the stellar role and Henderson the
minor part of indulgent benefactor.
Details of the attempted Jail break
ing are appended and were garnered
from stories received outside the sher-
IFS office.
This afternoon added particulars
were furnished by Sheriff Davis, who
after conducting an exhaustive inves-
tigatiOn to saw episode wrung an ad-
mission from Henderson that he car
ried the saws into the Jail in his
shoes. He had worn them there for
several days before his arrest. I'M
prints of the teeth remain on tle sole
OF the shoes SO there was little
chance for him to deny his part in the
plot.
AS a result of The attempt both men
will be made to face two warrants,
one for attempted jaid delivery and
the other for assault with intent to kill
Altho Henderson did not get out of
his cell at the county jail. because his
avOrdupois was too great to permit
his body to pass thru the narrow
aperture made by the saws, he will
be charged with the same crimes his
pal is accused Of.
The men sawed for two weeks be-
fore one Of them got out of the cell,
keeping their operations from the Jail
ers by singing and whistlng while
the saw got In its work. The grind
ings were carefully collected and the
cuts covered with soap OF the same
color as the paint on the bars. The
bars cut In twain are of half inch
steel a good two inches wide The
cells are made of steel strips and
not of round iron making 1t all the
more difficult for the men to cut their
way out of their place Of confinement
1t is generally conceded, tho not
admitted by the negroes that the plan
was to fell Deputy Sheriff Goebel
sieze the keys and make a general
clean up of the Jail A door care
lessly left open on the main corridor
helped further their plans, and only
Deputy Goebels nimbleness in hand
ling the, man Copee is, all that pre-
vented general delivery
The story as garndered outside the
sheriff's office is as follows;
A tendery shod foot. and a ban
daged hand on Deputy Sheriff Fritz
Goebel, are responsible for this story
breaking into the public prints in
spite of jealous efforts to keep news
papermen on the outside of the
story"
A fight in which Deputy Goebel ont.
generated a negro assailant while
he was serving as substitute jailer at
the county bastile. is held directly re-
sponsible for the officers perceptible
limp and his favoritism toward one
hand Only by brute strength and
clever work with his fists did Goebel
overpower the negro, who was armed
with a club and viciously assaulted
his guard.
The trouble occurred carly Monday
morning while Goebel was on watch
at the Jail. He was taking life as
comfortable as possible in the jailers
Office when he was rudely stirred into
activity by the black, who occupied
one Of the big iron cells The negro
was captured IN Ottawa after he had
shot up one Of his kinsman
The deputy was reading a paper,
and before he could say. Jack Rob
inson." the colored man was out Of
his cell and pounced on him in a
rought way. Mr. Goebcl reached for
his revolver, but he remembered that
ne had left II In his coat The colored
man took his club away from him and
Mr' 6oebel had just \one thing left
TO DO and that was fight"
We'll, he did fight, and terrible
struggle ensued. The colored man
was several years younger than the
deputy and hard as iron, but Mr.. Goe.
bel was game and In few seconds
he was able to hit his assailant on
the Jaw with his right, which has
some steam behind 1t. The black man