The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-06-14
One of the Men Who Es-
capped from Greenfield Is
Armed with Revolver
HELD UP TURNKEY
AT WEAPONS POINT
Vermont Officers Are Now Looking for
the Three Prisoners Who Made Their
Getaway in a Way That Sounds
Like a Tale of Fiction.

Deputy Sheriff Frank l.. Wellman re-
ccivcd word early this morning at his
home in Guilford that three men who
had broken from the Franklin county
Jail in Greenfield Mass, had been seen
in Grove. He Immediately notified Jas
per Benson. a deputy sheriff at the Of
fee of Sheriff c. f. Mann in Brattle-
boro and with others the deputies
started to hunt for the men. 1t was
not known here at 3 clock this after
noon whether they had been successful
i'll their search or not.
The account of the escape of the
men from the Franklin county Jail
in Greenfield Mass, yesterday sounds
much like a tale from fiction and would
indicate that Turnkey Herbert f.
Mason had a narrow escape from serious
injury About 10 o'clock Instructor
Sweet. in charge of the jail workroom,
gave the word to Turnkey Mason that
Percy Long was sick and was to he let
ont of the workroom. The turnkey uH-
locked the door of the room, allowing
Long to pass through As the turnkey
turned TO close the door, he found him
self staring into the barrel of a loaded
revolver. pointed at his head by the
prisoner. Long demanded the keys to
the building. threatening to shoot if
they were not given him.
\ glance at the bullets in the cham
her of the gun decided the turnkey
and he turned over his KEYS and ele-
waited his hands. Long next unlocked
the door leading into tho office of the
Jail and then called to the other pris-
oners in the workroom to come opt
Frank Collins and Sabootor Masgo were
the only two to respond none of the
several other prisoners in the room at
tempting to escape The trio made a
dash across the iailyard and into the
nearby woods. \ general alarm Was
lat once sounded and Jailer Herbert
Cook, who was on Main street at the
moment, was notified. None of the
.turnkcys at the jail was armed at the
time.
The men were wearing prison garb
of gray trousers and blue shirts when
they made their escape. An alarm and
descriptions of the men was sent to
towns north of Greenfield. Because Of
the wildness of the country near the
Vermont line davs may elapsc before
the trio is apprchcndcd.
Percy Long was sentenced to Is
months in the house of correction at
the March sitting of superior court
this year on charge of breaking and
entering stores in Orange and with the
larceny Of furs and other merchandise.
He once before provided a sensation at
the county Jail when he broke away
from Deputy Sheriff Adams in the Jail
yard on the day he was held for the
grand jury and attempted to escape. He
was easily rccapturcd at that time.
Frank Collins was sentenced TO foui
/ years in the house of correction at the
November sitting Of superior court last
| year on a charge of breaking and enter
/ ing the railroad station at Bernardstor
and with the larceny of mileage books
tickets and other property. Both II,
and Long had previous records. Masgo
the third member Of the trio, was await
i ing trial at next month S session oil
superior court on charge Of abduction
/ His was Turner's Falls case.
i Where Long secured the revolver i.
a mystery. He of course got it from
some outside source. The best idea il
connection with the gun is that some
one laid it on the sill of lower win
dow one night and that Long was abb,
Ito secure il next morning. The iai
Istrueture is such that this arrangement
could have been carried out easily. Tn,
men may have had outside aid in max
ing good their escape