The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1921-12-06
PRISONERS WORK
CLEVER TRICK


Pcnitentiary officials yesterday
frustrated an attempted escape when
G. ID. Cooper and Harry Gates, two of
the most desperate prisoners within
the walls, were found hiding in the
tuberculosis hospital attic. Their dis
covery was made about 10 o'clock
yesterday morning following an all
Sunday night vigil in an effort to
find the prisoners.
The trick used by Gates and Cooper
was one of the cleverest yet found
hy prison officials and the men might
have made good their escape, but for
the determination of Capt. c. 9. Rob
Crts, head of the guard, The men
were found between the ceiling and
the attic floor, having sawed hole
through the top floor and crawled
under. So neat was the job that it
would have been practically impossi-
bic to locate Gates and Cooper if
Captain Roberts had not suspected
| they were in the hospital.
| Cooper, who is serving life SEN
|
in Marlboro county, was missed Sun
day afternoon when his brother call
cd at the penitcntiary to see him.
In the search for Cooper, Harry
Gates, serving eight years for robbie
ry at Spartanburg was also missed. 5
\ search was begun Immediately by
Captain Roberts and extra guards y
were placed at the hospital late in the
afternoon when that building was
| suspected as the hiding place. Lights
were placed around the building and
also one at the wall where Jack
Fields climcd over, this spot being
rather dark. An all night watch
failed to locate the men and yester-
day morning at daylight Captain
Roberts and several guards began an
inch by inch search of the hospital
building.
Hole Through Floor.
They found where the two men had
sawed hole through the floor and
in few seconds Gates and Cooper
were brought from under the floor
ing. The place selected by the, men
| is ideal as the attic floor is of tarred
and graveled material On the top of
the regular tongue and grooyed floor
ing. The men cut; through this
ktarssd qnd gyaveled ,naterial and
then sawe1 through the wood, bevei- :
ed edged fashion. After they were
| under the flooring the hole was COW
cred up with sawed pieces, the loose
gravel and tar being thrown over
the hole exactly as over the entire
floor. This would Indicate that they
had a confederate working with
them
The two men had with them plenty
Of food and water TO last a week.
They had numerous cans of food,
| gallon or more of water, ropes.
| strings. ana other material to ASSIST
them in getting out of the prison.
Following their discovery they were
placed in the main cell building and
will wear stripes for while. Gates
and Cooper are both said to be "bad
men,"
That they had confederate in the
job is practically certain and Captain
| Roberts has one OF two men spotted
as being implicated III the attempted
escape He is investigating every
angle of the case.
Several peculiar Incidents are con.
ncctcd with the affair. Cooper sent
his suit case home last Saturday and
his brother called to see him Sunday,
this call leading to the discovery that
the man was missing. In the list Of
things found with the two men was
letter from Atlanta signed Mat.
| tie"
While searching for Gates and
Cooper Captain Roberts and the
guards also found whcre Jack Fields,
who made good his escape last week,
had hidden out. The work of Fields
was also exceptionally clever. When
the hiding place Of Fields was found
| captain ROBERTS nfSt thoughC ne had
located Cooper and Gates. Fields
dug hole in the ground in little
shop adjoining the chair factory and
made a wooden top to fit in the hole.
The hole ran into a part Of an aban-
doned sewer line about eight feet
long and this furnished Fields with
ample room-Thc State.