Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-22

3
boarded a freight train and rode t.
/ this morning by Ray Lundy wheI
he was returned to the sheriff
{ flee upon persuasion of his moth
er, Mrs. Anna NJ. Lundy.
Lundy declared that the trio lef
| the train at Twenty-fifth street, Mo
I line. He stated that when the!
/ Jumped of Hodge Sustained injur,
/ les about the face which bled pro
! fusely. They went to the Lundy
} home on Thirty-seventh street neal
! Tenth avenue, and requested Mrs
Lundy to keep them over night
Lodging was denied Hodge and
Collins by Mrs. Lundy. however
and after the former washed hi,
face the two left the house.
Mrs. Lundy then told her son that
he must return to the custody OF
the sheriff, which he did. accom-
panied by his mother, this morning
Lundy's tale shed but little light
upon how the delivery was nego-
tiated. except that it was engineer
cd principally by Mile, alias
James Ellsworth, alleged murderer
The youth did not know how the
crate doors were opened, according
to his story.
Lundy, 10 years old: Roy Collins,
age 20, and Floyd Collins, a broth
er, age 21, were convicted yester-
DAY in circuit court of the theft of
an automobile belonging to L. E.
Mutt of Moline. In making their es-
cape the Collins brothers appear
tC have separated.
John P. Sexton. special guard at
the Jail last night, gives the fol-
lowing statement of what hap
pened:
II arrived at the county Jail about
10 minutes before the Jail delivery
was accomplished. 1 was unarmed
and as l was to act as outside guard
with Deputy Wilbur Hepburn. was
awaiting his arrival for him to fur
nish me with riot gun.
While waiting l was in CONVEX
sation with Herman Wahlstrand.
night turnkey. We had talked but
4 minute or two when one of the
prisoners tapped on the blind door
and Wahlstrand opened it and in
CURED what was wanted. Mike
Eallas, one of the paroled prison
ers, asked if there was any mail
for him. Wahlstrand informed
him that there was no mail and
then shut the door.
About this time / went into the
back room to get a drink. / then
heard a loud roar of many men
Yelling. 1 ran toward the turn
keys office and attempted to close
the iron door leading into the front
corridor, but the prisoners. were
too quick. and Miller, alias Blls-
orth, shot at me, the bullet graz
ing my forehead. A rough and
tumble fight followed between my
self and the prisoners. l was at
last forced against the safe and
one of the men had a riot gun and
held it against me and said if did
not give up he would blow my head
off,,
'Wahlstrand was sitting on the
floor about ten feet back from the
blind door with his hands up The
prisoners then had a clear field to
make their escape.
Il believe that when kallas tap
ped on the door to ask for mail the
prisoners were merely using this
as a ruse to see if the trick would
work when the time came. 1t is
evident to me that this is what
happened later on. The prisoners
tapped on the door anu VAIL
strand opened it and they then
rushed him.
Could Not See Men.
Il spoke to Wahlstran1 after he
first opened the door and asked
him if he always kept the blind
door closed, and he informed me
that he did. 1 said that had been
turnkey for four years and had
never kept the door closed, as with
it open you could always see
through the two CRATE doors and
find out what the prisoners were
doing. With the blind door closed
hey bad ample opportunity to fit
their keys to the locks until they
were perfect and while this was
being done there was no Cnance Of
heir being detected as long as the
blind door remained closed.
Now if l had obtained the riot
gun and Hepburn and l had been
IN the outside at the time we
would not have known OF anything
wrong until the prisoners broke
orth and with them armed there
would have been a regular gun
Il was also beaten with q club,
)ut outside of being sore and stiff
oday 1 am sll right"
When thu crime wave was at it's !
Height the Moline Commercial club |
appointed a committee of three to !
axe such measures as were posi- !
lie to stop it. The committee will |
investigate the Jail delivery with |
view to determining where the |
lies
Nels Peterson, president of the !
Tub, said today that if it is found !
hat incompetent men were placed |
n charge of the criminals, a change /
Till be recommended
Chicago On Guard.
(By Associated PreSs.)
Chicago, Jan. 22.-Two squads OF
'hicago detectives armed with
if1es are today patroling roadways
long which 20 prisoners who es-
aped from the Rock Island Jail
asst night are expected to come in
heir fight, many of them in COM
automobiles, toward
his city.