Evening star., 1926-06-05
JAIL BREAK FO|LED
BY 3 PRISONERS
Guard, Badly Beaten, Saved
by Trio, Two of Whom Are
Held for Murders.

A crudely planned but determined
attempt by six colored prisoners at
the District Jail last night to fight
their way to freedom and to liberate
more than 40 other inmates of the
Jail was frustrated and the life of q
guard. who was being beaten to
death. was saved by the prompt action
of three loyal prisoners. who went
to the assistance of Jail officials.
One of the loyal prisoners, Chester
Batson, negro. already was under
a life sentence for murder. and
another, John Middleton, negro, re-
ceived like penalty when he appeared
before Justice Stafford in Criminal Di-
vision this morning. following his
conviction recently on ii charge of kill
ing Mary Ella Jones. also colored. The
third man who lent his assistance,
Jockey Middleton, also is a negro.
William Jaspar, negro. who was
implicated in the escape, was also
called for sentence this morning be-
fore Justice Stafford and drew three
years on a joy-riding charge.
The revolt was put down and the
rlnS-leaderS segregated SO quickly that
some of the prisoners did not know
of the disturbance until it was over.
Confessions were obtained from the
six men who made the futile attempt,
Maj. w. l.. Peak. superintendent OF
! the Jail, declared today, and they have
| been placed in solitary confinement.
Guard Badly Beaten.
NJ. S. Branagan, 55. a guard in the
was attacked by five inmates and
beaten with an iron bar three feet in
length which had been torn from a
bunk, was reported out of danger to-
day. but is suffering from deep gashes
on his head and face. He is being
, treated at the jail
The attempted delivery is another
example, Jail officials pointed out to-
day, of the need of more adequate
funds for Jail equipment and housing
Maj. Peak many times has voiced
protests against having to use iron
stays for the cell hunks, it is said, but
was unable to replace them with other
! material because of lack of funds.
Had not the three loyal prisoners
gone to the aid of Branagan when he
was overpowered by the six leaders OF
the revolt, he would have been beaten
to death. Jail officials believe.
Found Prisoner Missing.
BranaSan. making an inspection Of
the cells shortly before s O'Clock last
night. scented trouble when he dis
covered that Jaspar. who recently es.
capped from the Occoquan workhouse
| and later was convicted on the ioy.
riding charge, was missing from his
cell i'll the south wing of the fourth
floor.
The guard found Jaspar in cell AS
together with five other prisoners as.
signed to it. They had entered the cell
after returning from supper. The mo.
ment Branagan opened the door and
ordered Jaspar back to his own bunk
the group leaped upon him and DenZie
jackson, the ring-leader, it is said,
beat him with an iron bar.
Hearing the disturbance, the two
lifers, who are tiersmen at the Jail,
ran to the cell and threw themselves
into a furious conflict with the assail.
ants of the guard. Mai Peak and
armed guards from the rotunda of the
Jail arrived second later and the re-
voting men were overpowered and
hustled off TO solitary confinement.
The men, said to have confessed to
aiding in the revolt, all of whom
named jackson as the rinGleader and
the one who struck the guard with the
iron bar, are: JaSpar, Morris Turner,
who is under three-year sentence for
housebreaking; Clifton Jones, who is
under sentence of 400 days for for
gerry and bad checks; Amos Curtis and
Joseph Waters, both under charges of
joy-riding.
The Jail break, as planned, Mai.
Peak says, was impossible of success
because the men never could have es-
capped from the building without being
confronted by armed guards or drop.
ping at least three stories from the
roof Of the building.
The guard, Branagan, was not
armed because his duty is to inspect
the cells, and thus is brought into
close contact with the men. Armed
guards are always stationed in the
rotunda and at the exits of the build
ing, however, it is said.
Planned to Go to Roof.
The prisoners planned. according
to their confessions, TO silence Brana.
gan, climb to the skylight, break their
| way to the roof and let themselves
down to the ground by strips of he'd
clothing. They had but four blank
which would have reached but barely
DelOW the rOoT-l1ne because of the ire.
| mendous size of the chimney to which
they were to be tied. The chimneys
are 10 feet square.
All six participants in the plot will
be denied privileges of the jail and ad.
ditiOnal charges growing out of the
| assault on the guard may be lodged
against them.
Branagan is being treated by DR..
Vincent AmatO, staff physician of the
Jail.
Justice Stafford this morning de
clined a motion of Attorneys Myers
| & Herwig to defer sentence on Mid
| dleton until they could give the court
the details of last nights occurrence
| Middleton was convicted of second
| degree murder for causing the death
July 10. last, of Mary Ella Jones
also colored, with whom he had been
| living in the rear of $40 G street
southwest The man broke the wom
ans neck by beating her head against
the wall. He told the police that she
had been injured by falling down the
| steps and that he bad found her with
her neck broken
] Justice Stafford described the case
as the most brutal murder ever to
come to his notice and read a long
| list of criminal charges against Mid
dleton, dating back to 1905, chief of
which were assaults on women.