The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-09-30
Sawed Their Way to Liberty
While the Friday
Storm Ragged.
BOTH WERE UNDER
DEATH SENTENCE
County Far and Wide IS
Searched During Day for j
Badly Wanted Pair. 81

l :
Sharing the attention Of hundreds
Of citizens who early Saturday madn
their way downtown to view damage
caused by the high winds Of Friday
night was small aperture in tha
grating on the second floor Of the
Escamhia county Jail. This was on
the south or Main street side Of the
county Jail building. and it was plain-
" In view. Through this hole,
scarcely eighteen inches from side to
side, the bodies Of two Of probably
the most famous criminals in West
| Florida history had wffggled, proba~
bly, when the storm was at its height
Friday night. They were Win and
Bob Blackwell, under sentence Of
death for the cold blooded murder OF
Bud Davis and wife, in the southern
portion of Okaloosa county. Their
Iconviction followed trial filled with
sensations, at the July term Of the
circuit court, held at Crestview, and
they were in the Escambia county
Jail for safe keeping. They had not
been recaptured up to late hour last
night.
In the noise Of the storm, whilo
other prisoners on the same floor
were trying to forget that record
breaking wind and rain prevailed,
using seven small saws which had
been passed to them in some mYs-
itericus manner. Their escape wxs
discovered early Saturday morninx,
| and upon investigation the tell-tale
implements of the manner of their
getaway were discovered on the
floor. How they obtained these steel
saws will probably never be known,
but from stories which were told at
the county jail yesterday, they had
number of callers, and either one 6f
them could have struggled saws to
them.
immediately upon the discovery,
word was sent to Sheriff Van Pelt.
! who hurried to the Jail. Taking in
the situation, the sheriff put through
"the third degree a prisoner named.
Phelps, who is understood to havo
had keys to the cell. Phelps, after
stormy interview with the sheriff
and other officials at the Jail, was
locked up and, it is said, will be kept,
under strict surveillance, because it i'll
believed he has not yet divulged all
he knows of the escape Of the Black-
wells.
The escape Of the Blackwells was
effected while the Jail was in charge
of Deputy Sheriff Graham. The
brother of the sheriff, was summoned
home when the storm attained to such
fury, his wife and children being
afraid to be alone. Deputy Graham
and Deputy Lester Van Pelt, q SON
of the sheriff, discovered that the
men had made their getaway, and an
immediate search of the country was
started without loss of time.
Sheriff Van Pelt himself mounted
his horse and rode many miles In
the countryside, searching every nook
and corner. Late in the day he re-s
turned, and learned that the search
Of his deputies was as fruitless %
his had been, and they took another
track.
The sheriff authorized the offer Of
reward Of 500 each for the recap
ture of either Of the brothers.
Crowds congregated on Main street
at practically all hours of the day.
gazing at the hole in the grating
through which the men had crawled.
It appears that, while the storm
roared outside, they worked unceas-
ingly. During the storm the glass
in the window, outside the gratings
was broken, and a blanket was hung
over the nOie, OSIeHSlDiy 10 Keep OuS
the weather, and behind this blanket,
which acted as shield, the brothers
worked, one spelling" the other in
one of the most nervy jobs ever ac-
complished here. One saw after the
other is thought to have been used,
one man after the other working.
Standing behind the blanket screen
as if interested in the storm, they
worked away with will, and before
daylight they were at liberty. Ate
making the hole large enough to
crawl through, they split several
blankets. Knotting the ends Of
these they improvised . rope ladder,
down which one man after the other
slid to the ground. All this waa
worked out by the officials, who were
first to investigate the escape.
Deputy Graham was of the opinion
that the men were locked mp. h.
was acting jailer from about 8 O'clock
at night until about 4 a. m. It was
in this period that they made their
getaway.
There was considerable criticism
of the system which is said to have
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