Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-22
ISAIAH FOUNTA
SURROUNDED IN A
WOOD NEAR LAUREL
At Least This is the Belief of the
Officers Who are Searching
for Him.
SURPRISED AT WORE
Special Dispatch to Every Evening


LAUREL. June %
Isaiah Fountain, the Negro under
sentence Of death for assaultIng n girl,
who broke jail nj Easton. is believed to he
surrounded in woods between Laurel
and Dclmar. and his capture today Is
expected
Fountain ia said to have frat taken
refuge in drug store IN Hebron, Md
and in escaping thcrefrom is believed to
have been shot in the left arm,
\ Scaford officer got within 100 yards
of the fleeing Negro and shot four times.
but the fugitive escaped
Fountain is thought 60 be surrounded
near Ralph store. about five miles south
west ol Laurel between this town and
Sharptown strange Negro came 10
the farm Of Elmer IittlCton. between
here and Sharptovn, sunday, giving
his name rs Charlie Douglas, and asked
for work He said his home was IN am
bridge but that he had been picking
berries between Bridecville and Seaiofd,
Yesterday about : y ~ Maryland
officers with hlood hounds arrived at
MIR Ilttlcton = and asked il he had a
strange Negro with him showing pictures
of Fountain Nr Iittlcton pointed out
tho Negro, whn was ciltlvatng III ono Of
tho fields Whom he saw the officers ap
preaching he dropped the lines and holtcd
fnr tho woods On the way he met Ruius
Elliott and asked where road through
the woods led to Mr. Elliott. seeing the
excited condition If the man, asked him
what was the mattcr and the Negro aald
the detectives uerr aftcr him and ran On
through tic woods toward nelmar The
NarvIand officers summoned officers FROM
Laurel and placed hlooihounda on the
trail and when last seen the Negro vns
going INTO the woods near A = Ralph S
about 2la miIea from where he started
As darkness was rapidly approaching i
was not thought he could he captured
before morning II Is thought he was
making his way toward tho 'old Savan-
nah. dense, almost impenetrabic
swamp, a jungle, extending for scveral
miles back of Wales W Cooper farm
Countless automobiles from aIl parts of
the eastern shore ate on tho Fenco
The officers had trallcd the man from
rrligcvllle
FOUNTAIN SEEN TODAY,
Fountain evidently had gotten out Of
the Hebron woods last night before IL
was surrounded. az ho has bccn seen twice
thus morning gNng towards White Haven
lie il nearing point If land where the
Nicomico and Nanticoke rivers meet,
which cuts of all chance oF escape unleqa
he can get aboard 4 friendly boat. Tho
posse Is close on him. however.
II was q o'clock yesterday afternoon
when the officers shot Fountain in the
arm as he ran across tho farm IT tlhcrt
Ralph, five miles from here lie later
escaped in an automobile.
The dogs chased him fn mlllpond,
where they lost the trail For some un-
accountable reason the two hloodhounds
were then taken sick and the owner went
70 Salisbury with them and viii take them
homo by train
sTopFED AT STAFFORD AND rRInGFvILE.
Scaford. June 22-The report that
Isaiah Fountain was in Seaford vester-
day caused much excitement. Ii IS said
that Fountain applied 10 Isaac ) Giles.
q wealthy farmer. two miles from here.
Saturday, for work The Negro was em-
ploycd. but after working the day ont and
drawing his money, decided he w0ul d
go to Sharptown Md, and inquired the
WAY there lie left the Giles farm sun
dav and started walking ostensiblv to
Sharptown Maryland officers came
here yesterday II is said that the officers
got word of Fountain being near Bridge
vile Friday night. After leaving Bridge
willie he Is supposed to have started IN the
direction Of Seaford
The MARYLAND officers visited Mr..
Giles Yesterday and after showing him
a photograph of the Negro Mr. Giles
said IT rese,nblcd the Negro he employed
Saturday Other descriptions gwen by
Mr.. Giles caused the authorities to firmly
believe Fountain was the man
Two detectives on motorcycles were here
Yesterday, looking for the much-wantcd
Negro