The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-22
DARING DASH
FOR LIBERTY
Session OF Criminal Court
Thrown Into Commotion
by Prisoner.
CA R EFF ULLY PLANNED
Earl Butcher Dashes From
Courtroom. and Jumps
Through Window.
cAREF ULLY PLANNED

A daring and spectacular dash fol-
liberty was made in the crimina
court room Tuesday morning b,
Earl Butcher, young white boy who
had just previously been arraigned
on the charge of vagrancy. How
ever, the young mans freedom was
hort-lived, as he was quickly cap
tured by Detective Jack Neal, who
with the assistance Of painter who
was working on the Bijou theater
caught the young man as he stun
bled and fell to his knees at the cor
ner of Sixth and Walnut streets.
Butcher was returned to the GRIM
inal court room, where three months
was added to the sentence of ninety
days which had just been given him
by Judge 5. d. McReynolds.
Butchers mother was in the court =
room at the time and hae just An
ished making plea for her boy
when he made his break for liberty.
The mother became hysterical when
her son broke for liberty, but when
he was caught and returned TO Jail
she quieted down. The effort OF
Butcher to escape, together with the
firing of pistol by Constable Kirk
lin merely to brighten the young man.
caused quite commotion, and in
but second lawyers, Jurors and
court officers were jumping through
the windows of the courtroom in an
effort to catch the fleeing prisoner.
No One Hurt.
However, no one was hurt, and
Butcher, aside from two badly
skinned hands, was returned to the
iaV the H. L.
The plan of Butcher was not his own,
but was conceived in the mind OF
Richard Darnell, a young white boy,
who yesterday in criminal court
pleaded guilty to automobile thievery
and was given long prison sentence.
Darnell and companion conceived
the scheme to escape when taken to
the courtroom for trial, but the sher-
ifs office was tipped off and OAR
nell did not attempt to put his plans
into execution.
1t was Darnells and his pals idea,
when taken to the courtroom, to ask
permission to make confession to
the attorney general and to ask to
be given a conference in the attor-
ney-generafs office. Once inside the
office they would make dash for
liberty They had further planned to
make their getaway in an automobile
parked across the street from the
The sheriff's Office. however, upon
learning of the plan, blocked 1t two
secure ways. First, officers went to
the automobile In which Darnell In
tended to make his escape and took
the plugs out OF II no II would not
run once the prisoner was In it.
They further chained Darnell Sc
curely to two other prisoners, and In
this way Darnell's plan and his
chance for escape were completely
t.A
Tries Others Plan.
Butcher, however, overheard OAR
nelrs plans and he waited until he
was brought to the courtroom this
and then he attempted to
put them into execution, but in a
N nner somewhat more crude.
Butcher was arraigned together with
John Gillem on the charge of va
srancy. A number of officers gave
aim bad name and stated that
while he lived in Alton Park, he
oafed all the time in st. Elmo. Judge
McReynolds was inclined to be le-
iient with Gillem and he was fined
SO and costs and sentenced to the
workhouse for thirty days. How
aver, he dealt more severely with
Oarnell and fined him $40 and SEN
.enced him to the workhouse for
ninety days.
When Butcher was returned to the
prisoners bench, which adjoins the
ury room, he dashed from the bench
INTO the jury room and jumped
through the window fifteen feet to
he ground. Constable Kirklin and
others were quickly in hot pursuit
md when the constable reached the
window from which Butcher had
Jumped, he fired his pistol into the
;round to brighten the fleeing boy.
However, this only seemed to quicken
he fugitive's pace and he darted
cross the courthouse lawn, with De-
ective Jack Neal and others in hot
pursuit. At the corner of Sixth and
Walnut streets the young man fell |
o his knees, but before he could get
Ip he was nabbed. When returned
o. the courtroom he seemed not in |
he least perturbed and took his ad- /
itional sentence of three months |
almly Butcher was represented by
'arl Alternately.