Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-06-03
MABRY SAWS WAY FROM JAIL;
-FOUR OTHERS ESCAPE.
famous Jail-Breakcr and Associates
Succeed in Dash for Liberty.
rIFTEEN-YEAR OLD BOY RAISES
ALARM.
'f1oudini OF Bastille" Makes Good
Boast Prison Not Built to Hold Him

Boast PRISON NOT Bullt 10 I1olu IliHi'
Travis w. Mabry, "Houdini Of the
Bastille," made q spectacular escape
yesterday afternoon from the State
Penitcntiary, where he is serving Il
term for burglary. -Four other, priso-
pcrs went with him. Their liberty, how
over, covered period Of only forty
five minutes, Richmond police. after a
brcath-taking clfase. rounding up the
quintet and returning them to the pris
On.
Nabry frankly doesn't like confine-
ment and expresses particular aver
sion to jails. He boasts proudly that
none in built to hold him The escape
yesterday was the third in rs many
months that he has effected from Rich
mond prisons.
While awaiting trial on burglary
charge, Mabry sawed his way twice
from his cellcin the City Jail, making
good his boast to jailers that he would
not DC there long and living up to the
reputation as jailbreaker that won
him the sorbriQuet Of "Houdini Of the
Bnstillc."
The escape yesterday was discover
or while prisoners in the penitentiary
were attending religious services IN
the chapel. Willie Smith, Is years OLD
raw the five men clambering over the
low wall fence fronting tire institution
and after notifying the prison authori-
ties, gave chase to the fnst-disappea'-
ing seekers after liberty.
After thrilling chase Of two miles,
leading across the high railroad trestle
over james River, The convicts were
surrounded by police and civilians ana
returned to the penitentiary. They had
been in the outside world just forty
five minutes.
When the escape became known n
roll call was Immediately made in the
prison. Mabry, William Ochlert, Henry
Kirk, Allen Jones and Walter Flowers.
tho latter two colored were found miss
Ing. They were under sentences rang
ing from life to ten years. Police were
Immediately notified.
In Riverside Park were George Will
liams and It. D. Wyatt, the latter n
brother OF policeman. They saw tue
five convicts running through the Sec
ond Street yards and heard the boy fol
had escaped.
They summoned Policeman Joe
duty and in civilian clothes and took
mp the chase.
Firing as they ran, the officers pur
sued the convicts through the railroad
yards to Battery Road to Seventh and
Arch Streets where the fugitiyes realiz
ing the officers were gaining on them.
started across the high perilous trestle
OF tho Atlantic Coast Line that crosses
the James River.
Leaping across the railway ties az
they ran, tire officers closed in on the
conVtcts near the south end Of the trea-
tie. Two OF them surrendered, at tho
point OF guns. The others ran into the
cover Of bushes on the bank bordering
the river.
DRIVE OTHERS FROM COVER
Police from the Third Station, aug.
mented by crowd Of civilians attract
Ell by the revolver shots fired by tho
pursuing officers aided in driving the
men from the underbrush.
Broken bits of saw blades were
round on Mabry and Flowers when the
Iaen were taken In custody. Investiga.
tion by the prison authorities disclos.
Oh heavy steel bar had been sawed
from the outer north corridor CT the
prison, near the cells where prisoners
under death sentence arc confined, a
wire screen had been twisted back,
leaving an opening into the lawn front
Ing the penitentiary.
The prisoners had the freedom Of an
inner court at tire penitentiary yester
Gay afternoon and while the other in
mates were In the chapel. they went TO
lavatory used by trnsties" and VOL,
ing their way through hole in the
brick wall, jumped to the corridor on
the other side, where the har was
found sawed.
Captain j. P. Mullins on duty at the
penltentiary last night said that the
small hole through which the men
gained access to the corridor was left
by Workmen when they installed a
steam pipe in the pnai:nnliary some
time ago and Tat the lavatoryY was
only used by TRUSTEES.
Exhausted by the chase, Policeman
Wyatt was brought to his home. at
6lS South Belvidere Street, by COM
rades. An ambulance was called and
physicians found he had suffered a
slight paralytic stroke.