Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-19
BOMB TEARS HOLE
in WALL OF JAIL
"Midget Slayer Suspected
of Attempt to Escape:
Prisoners in Panic.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO. July 1.-THE record OF
escapes and attempted escapes from
the old county Jail was given its
most spectacular entry Sunday when
struggled dynamite, fashioned into q
bomb and believed to have been set
by Henry j. Fernekes, midget slayer,
in an attempt to escape his impending
doom on the gallows, blew a 15-inch
hole in the wall.
Twenty four prisoners. either con-
victed or awaiting trial for murder,
including Martin Durkin, sheik gun
man, and Robert Scott were in muir
derers' row." most Of them confined
in second-tier cells, leading directly
to the broken WALL when the explosion
shattered the Sunday calm OF the
building.
The dynamite had been swathed in
blankets. Only that fact apparently
kept 1t from tearing q huge hole
through the wall. The escape was
foiled only by inches, the force OF the
smothered explosion ripping through
all but inches of loose brick facing
the outer wall.
With the explosion there sprang
up tremendous commotion. potn IN
side the TAIL and out, such as mas not
been witnessed since the jail delivery
which five years ago slipped Ter
rible" Tommy O'Connor, on the eve
Of his execution, to the mysterious
void which still shields him from the
ever-awaiting moose.
Fearful that the bomb had snat,
tered the wall and had opened 70
the prisoners a broad way to the Tree
world. guards, armed with repeating
rifles. sprang out to surround. the
iail q moment after the report nan
echoed away, and police relnlorce-
ments were rushed to the locallty.
Hundreds of citizens, attracted py
the blast, which was heard Tor piochs'
came quickly to the scene ana r.
NAMED to cape at the guns OF lne
guards and police, who had been or
dered to shoot to kill the first prisoner
attempting to escape.
Inside the jail. audible 10 tne
crowds without, the prisoners, oeaI-
ened by the explosion and in panicky
fear that the roof OF the structure
would tumble down upon them, set UP
a wild clamor of shrieks and yells,
milling about in cells and bull pens.
Every lead, police said, pointed 10
Fernekes. He was one or the oniy
Ave prisoners exercising In the bomb
ed chamber. Fernekes, accused OF
Ave Sayings and known to possess
skill as q dynamiter, has made several
attempts to escape. In his cell only
four months ago were discovereo
three dynamite percussion caps,
bottle of nitroglycerin, steel saw,
fiIe and a razor. Not long before that
Fernekes had attempted to escape
from the bull pen of courtroom by
crawling over q transom.
Fernekes was questioned, and IN
suave, defiant strain denied that ne
placed the bomb, denied that he had
made a Decline for the spot imme-
diately after the explosion, as other
prisoners testified he did, and assert
ed he stood calmly by until order was
restored. Then his cell was searched
and the guards found a cup OF parainn
which recently had been heated Dy
matches and handful OF nitro pow
der, both of which, police said, are
used in making a dynamite bomb.
Fernekes was arrested on April IL,
1925. while browsing over chemistry
text books in library. He was
identified as the leader of a band that
had robbed dozens of banks and as
the slayer of five men.
The bomb was exploded at the
southwest corner of the second tier,
where a double row of cells runs
north and south. How the dynamite
was struggled into the Jail is
mystery. Fernekes had visitors on
Sunday and it was suggested that it
might have been given to him then
through the mesh screen of the
visitors cage.
Fernekes was in solitary confine-
ment today while various official in
uuiries were under way which may
combine investigation Of the bomb
plot with the recent smuggling Of
liquor into the jail.
Visiting privileges to the inmates
of .srnurderers' row" were Cancelled
and all visitors to the jail were closely
inspected.