The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-12-07
MURDERERS' PLOT To BREAK FROM JAIL
FRUSTRATED BY DISCOVERY Of SAWS
amer were found the saw blades ard

paper were found the saw blades ard
Shrriff Hastings asked the guilty
parties TO step forward. and when thcy
! failed to comply. called out the suS-
pected parties. No comment was ne nesfu'
Had the delivery been completed, II
is probab BILE every one of the y prlS-
oners In the institution would nave es.
capped. as they are the worst group OF
criminals that have been connneo tueFo
Not one Of the. prisoners in the Jail
Is confined for a miSdemeanor, tue
charges ranging from stealing h autom mo-
lists, forgers and four murdercrs.
Twenty Of the prisoners are men ana
there Is one woman who Is charged Win
forgery.
The nipping OF the plan is one OF the
best Jobs done by Sheriff Hastings IN
his four years of office as sheriff. IL
is the third attempt made in four years
The other two attempts were success
full. thirteen prisoners escaping, ten Oh
whom have since been arrested.
Plans Well Formulated.
The plans for yesterdays delivery
were we'll made. and only through TN
detecting OF the passing or the note W.
It frustrated. A search is made escn
time L prisoner leaves and returns pul
ofttlmes is made without thoroughness
when the trusty prisoner Is trusted
The delivery was to have been mado
this evening or late tonight. The iour
mer would then have sawed tue iro"
bars to freedom. 1t would have been
easily accomplished in = short time, ana
the men would have escaped.
The two jail deliveries BY prisoners
since Sheriff Hastings has been IN OF g.,
tice were both ATTENDED win unusual
circumstances. 80,
The first was in the spring of 1917.
A prisoner named Francis OF Martins
Ferry had been discharged; and had Dor
rowed a suit case from Jess Gill. an
other prisoner. When he returned IT,
two guns were sent in the Yalise into
the jail and given to McGHl. VINO helH
. up Bert Mcconnell. then night Jailor.
Mcconnell was forced to pass the Keys
to the prisoner. and four men got away
; However, three were re-arrested WITHIN
the next few days.
The second delivery occurred In An
gust. 1919, when nine prisoners MAGE
their getaway by digging through tno
wall, and dropping to the ground. ~
,, feet below, using blankets as rope.
Seven Of the nine were arrested, TWO
being captured in GAINESVILLE and Cam
; bridge, Ohio. during the past ten months
bunch Of 1curdsrsrs.
Disselvestro. one of the ring leaders
! Of the gang who planned last nights de-
livery. Is charged with shooting Jim
; Augustaus TO death at his home IN Fast
| Wheeling, on the night Of September
He made his escape at the time and
/ was arrested only few weeks ago
! when he came back to Wheeling. He
! was tried in criminal court last week
/ and found guilty. He made plea TOT
! a new trial and Thursday Of this week
! was the date set for his hearing lie
was defended by Attorney Sam q.
. client. The jury deliberated SIS minutes
before reaching verdict.
! Fowler. another of the alleged ring
! leaders, was convicted OF killing Lillian
! Beltz at her home at 22i2 Main street
! in September OF this year. He was
| FOUND guilty Of first degree murder.with
recommendation life Imprisonment
| and was granted stay Of thirty days
! to show cause for new trial.
, pittsburgh" Grimm. one OF the other
Stephen Galcheck. wealthy Pittsburgh
man. at Follansbee. some time ago: by
Mrs. Michael Oldrick. alias Madam stan
J lev alias Madam Gilbert and number
| OF other aliases, who at present Is IN
! the state penitentiary at Moundsville
with her husband. having been SEN
fenced to eighteen years for the murder
! When the Jury pronounced her guilty
J she addressed the court declaring
! Grimm was an accornplice. He was ar
[ rested and Is being held pending further
| Investigation and trial.
| 0Ivon . Lie Sentence.
Her husband, Mike oldrick. escaped
the gallows by pleading guilty TO muir
! der In tAe, secoadNdegTee. and Is serving
/ a life sentence.
- Buff the last OF the Quartette. was
| arrested a few weeks ago, in Toledo, and
brought back to this city by Deputy
Sheriff Mcconnell. He has been In the
! jail since awaiting trial. =.
| Another Of the prisoners In the jail
| Is Samuel f. Blevins. whose trial on a
! charge Of numbering F. Burns Grand
staff was TO have commenced yesterday
| in criminal court. However. he was nor
implicated in the attempted delivery. II
! Is thought. as he had not been seen con-
sorting with the other four men.
| Peculiar to the attempted get away
was a mutiny among soma OF the pris-
oners Sunday. when they were repri'
manded for not keeping the jail as clean
as Il should have been. by Sheriff Hast
! inEs. AS result they sulked in the
/ tail, and the officials found II necessary
to threaten them with severe punish
ment before they finished their work
However, yesterday there was no trou'
Bile. each doing his work gaily, without
Sinking.