Evening star., 1945-12-13
Welfare Board Scans
Evidence in
Jail Escape Probe

VIII IS~NSS 1VNS
The Public Welfare Boards In
stitutions Committee. it's work
mounting daily with fresh evidence
of shortcomings in the District
penal system, probably will meet
again at the jail tomorrow to in
vestigate various escapes and irreg-
ularities.
One of the items high on the in
vestigators' agenda was the latest
revelation of how a convicted mur-
deresS walked out of the Occoquan
Workhouse and enjoyed three hours
of freedom with the unwilling as
sistance of two guards.
Chairman A. J. Driscoll said his
group would look into last Sum-
days escape of two youths from
the jail and check further another
prisoners story that he carried two
saw blades from the Lorton Re
formatory into the jail.
Mr.. Driscoll said the committee
expected to question again Ulysses
S. Sims. a guard who was on duty
at the time Carl Brount and Percy
Brent slipped from a third-story
Wlnuow OF the juvenile dormitory
some time Sunday morning. They
we're captured Tuesday night.
To Check Time of Escape.
The investigators hoped to de-
termine whether the youths escaped
st about 2:30 am. as they told DO
lice later, or between $40 and 6:50t
am, as appeared likely from the
report made by Mr.. Sims.
The possibility would not be over
looked that when Mr.. Sims counted
prisoners in the cell at $40 and. !
according to the report, found all
inmates on hand. two of the beds
were stuffed with dummies. Mr..
Driscoll said.
The case of James Benjamin
Lloyd. colored, who insisted that bits
of saw blades found in his cell and
in the dining room of the Jail were
carried from the Lorton Reforma-
tory, will be Scrutinized, Mr.. Driscoll .
said. He intimated that if Lorton
guards were lax in permitting the /
prisoner to leave with the blades. |
they would be subject to disciplinary
action.
William F. Fleming, resident SUPER
lntendent at Occoquan and acting
general superintendent of penal in
stltutlonS,- today confirmed a story
of how Mary Sibley, 81, serving from
10 to 30 years for the murder of her
husband, walked from the work.
house November 81 and rode to
Fairfax, Va, with two guards.
Prison Garb Unnoticed.
Identifying the guards as C. A.
Adams and c. F. Kidwell, Mr.. Flem-
ing said they offered the woman a
ride. not realizing she was an in
mate. The guards were not famil-
lar with the garments worn by fe-
male prisoners, Mr.. Fleming said.
Miss Sibley who was booked under
her original name, caught bus
from Fairfax to Washington and
was picked up by police at Twelfth
and E streets NV. three hours
after her escape. Mr.. Fleming said
he saw no reason for disciplining
the guards since theirs obviously
was an honest mistake.
Howard B. Gill. suspended gen.
eral superintendent of penal insti-
tutions, said today he did not re-
ceive report of the incident for l6
days and finally got it the day after
his suspension.
Report Requested.
Mr.. Gill said since Mr.. Fleming
was on vacation at the time of the
escape. report was requested from
the assistant resident superinten-
dent. When none was forthcoming, ]
Mr.. Fleming was asked for the re-
port on his return few days later
When he received it on the morn
Ing after his own suspension, he
noted the date and asked that it be
passed along to Ray L. Huff. welfare
director, Mr.. Gill said. Il
Mr.. Fleming said it was his un-
derstanding that report had been
sent to Mr.. Gill by the assistant
superintendent, but that it had been s
misplaced by him. {
Mr.. Huff said he had been asked {
repeatedly by newspapermen to
make a statement answering the
allegations made in the press which
involve me" i
Huff Observes Procedure.
There are certain procedures in
Government which need to be fol-
lowed to preserve an orderly conduct
OF business" his statement said.
If a hearing is requested and
granted Ito Mr.. GilD, and if peril {
nent allegations then be made, they
will be answered Until then. l
consider it my duty to avoid seeking S
to try an issue in the newspapers.
or to seek to create an opinion for
or against matters, for the deter
mination Of which procedures have l
been established"
The committee, whose other men,
bers are Fred S. kogod and DR..
Ethel Nixon, has promised a thor !
ough investigation of the entire
panel system.