Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-07-06
u. S. SLEUTHS ON
SCENT OF JAIL
DELIVERY PLOT.


asking such an investigation" replied
Shank
The three county commissioners were
In session this morning Informally dis
cusxing the jail delivery.
'sTne sheriff never asked the commits
sioners to improve the locks in the fed
eral row and he only asked that the
locks on the south side be fixed as good
as those on the north side.
isn't that right1" asked Commissioner
Cariin Shank of Commissioner Joseph
Hayes.
That's right" said Hayes, But that
isn't the question involved at this time
''Tbe question is, suppose that the
sheriff had every cell locked which he
could have had locked and suppose that
the tin can used as a blow torch and
the infiamabIe disinfectant were not in the
cells. well we would not have had the
jail delivery
Commissioner Shank said he was Of the
opinion there were two deputy watch
men on at nights.
'eWhen tse workhOuse was in opera
ton we had two watchmen on at nights
with certain hours for the dollhouse
guard to report to the other guard, said
Hayes.
MAY DRAW Up
CONTRACT.
The commissioners have not taken any
formal action but it was intimated
formal contract viii be drawn up either
between the commissioners and the fed
eraI authorities or the jailer and the fed
eraI authorities, if federal prisoners are
to be kept st the jail.
The upshot of the entire matter may
Il
from the Marion county jail TO another
county. probably the Yigo county Jail
at Terre Haute.
Sheriff Miller again made another pub
lie statement to The Times today:
81 am surprised 10 hear that Mr..
Shank or any other county commissioner
would say that I failed to report the
locks to the ceIlrooms of the federal row
were out of ORDER said Sheriff Miller
today.
Every county commissioner knows
that those locks were not working and
that the prisoners were confined in one
big pen and could 20 from cell to cell as
they pleased at night
They know that had the locks on
those cell doors been working that only
the prisoners confined In one cell would
have been able 20 escape and not more
than half the men confined in the en-
tire federal row.
BLAME RESTS
ON COMMISSIONERS"
The blame rests on the shoulders Of
the county commissioners declared
Miller, "and there is no use Of them try
ing to dodge their responsibility for not
having done their duty"
Il guess Judge james Collins will see
some Of these prisoners are brought to
trial" added the sheriff, "and not be per
mitted to wait months before being tried
. as is true in many cases. No wonder
the men wanted to escape"
United States Marshal Storen has in
formation which tends to show the jail
breakers actually used their cell
blow torch" to take the temper out Of
the steel bars during the day time and
not at night.
This throws much light on the boIdness
Of the scheme and the open manner in
which the fugitives are said to have
operated.
The jail delivery also shows the utter
failure Of the sO-called cell boss sys-
TEN under which the sheriff is said to
have depended for protection from es-
capes.
LITTLE RECENT
JAIL HISTORY.
sheriff Miller some time ago had Jack
Hampton as a cell boss and the evil
dence in the criminal and federal courts
showed that Hampton was one OF the
reported heads of the gambling games
which houFished in the Jail.
After the federal court inquiry. Fred
Heller. known as one Of the fsvorites OF
the jail management, was elevated 10 the
position OF cell boss.
Heller willingly testified for the former
Jail employees when they were on trial
IN the criminal court.
Heller is regarded as a good fellow
and was very accommodating TO the
boys" in jail. 1t is said.
Heller later was removed as cell boss.
# is said, and Ollie Brown, one Of the
fugitives and a man waiting trial on
charge Of manslaughter, made cell boss
DROVE CAR THAT
KILLED Nun.
Brown IS known as a former parole
viOIator and charged with driving a taxi
cab which struck a nun on Monument
place some time ago. resulting in her
death.
So Brown, it is said, was intrust-d with
the control of those in federal row.
Brown is said to be one Of the ring
leaders of the Jail delivery conspiracy.
Authorities point out that the cell
boss" system is a joke and should be
abolished.
The cell boss system is said to be sim
ply 9 plan which reduces the operating
expenses OF the jail by saving some ex-
penss for the sheriff in not hiring extra
deputy sheriffs under oath to properly