Two prisoners escaped from the gaol of Clinton county, Ohio, under circumstances (says the Clinton Watchman) that would indicate a good deal of carelessness on the part of the sheriff, who had charge of the gaol. They escaped by cutting a hole through the floor of the hall around the cells, where the prisoners are permitted to stay during the day. After cutting this hole, which they did with an old case-knife, they crawled under, and finding there an old scaffold-pole, they made a battering-ram of it, and punched a stone out of the outside wall sufficiently large to permit their egress!
About a year ago, Norristown, in this vicinity, was harassed by the operations of a burglar of special daring and adroitness, who, after perpetrating a series of successful burglaries, was arrested, and imprisoned under a sentence of fifteen years. He had served about a year thus far, and on a late morning was found to have successfully broken gaol and made his escape.
He got away, it is supposed, about four o’clock in the morning. His cell was in the upper story of the gaol, and had an arched roof of solid masonry, nine inches thick. When the turnkey entered the cell, it was discovered that the prisoner had cut entirely through this arch, and then through the sheet-iron roof above it, and had lowered himself by means of a cord made of the carpet-warp furnished him for working purposes. The escape was perilous in the extreme; while it is the opinion of experts that the preparations for it have been going on for a long time. Upon entering the cell the officer discovered an old shirt, which the prisoner appears to have stuffed in the hole during the daytime, while it is equally apparent that, by means of pieces of bread manipulated to the consistency of putty, and plastered into the edges of the hole, the discovery of the cheat was rendered still less probable. As a matter of course, the anxiety to recover such a prisoner, on the part of the sheriff, is very great; and a reward of a hundred dollars is offered for his capture! Due anxiety to keep him when they had him would have been more creditable to the officers, and much better for the public.
On the second of December, six convicts employed in the moulding shop of the New York State Prison, at Auburn, effected their escape. The prisoners had got half a mile from the prison before pursuit was commenced, and succeeded in leaving their pursuers behind.
On the evening of December 15th, two convicts, confined in a Virginia gaol, under sentence of death, to be executed the next day, escaped from the gaol, and were fired upon by the sentinels and driven back to prison. The prisoners had mounted the gaol wall when they were discovered by the sentinel on the outside, who immediately gave the alarm and fired on them. They had sawed their manacles asunder with the blade of a Barlow knife, which they had concealed and made into a fine saw. It was ascertained, from their confession that they had been engaged in preparing for their escape during the preceding ten days. They made a hole in the wall near the window, which they concealed with paper, hiding the bricks they removed under the bed. Upon the alarm being given, they made no resistance, but surrendered as soon as they discovered, by the shot of the sentinel, that they were detected. One of them said he could have made his escape had he jumped down and throttled the sentinel.
All the inmates of Warren county (Pa.) prison, two women and two men, escaped one night recently. The women up stairs burnt the clasp out that fastened the door through a single pine board,—came down stairs and unlocked the cells in which the men were confined, by means of false keys, when the party departed in peace, taking a wagon that was waiting in the vicinity, with them.
Thirteen prisoners escaped from Munroe county gaol, at Rochester, N. Y. They seized the gaoler and wrenched the keys from him,—then thrust him into a closet with double doors, fastening them outside. The gaoler’s wife was in the office, but heard nothing of the disturbance until the whole gang were at the door, demanding an outlet, which it was in vain for her to oppose.
Two prisoners, burglars and counterfeiters, on the way to the Jackson penitentiary (Mich.), guarded by three officers, jumped from the cars while under way. They were heavily ironed, and pretended to be asleep. As they approached Grass Lake station, the sheriff, who sat in front, stepped back to look out of a window, when they rushed to the door, and their irons mysteriously parted, and one jumped one side, and the other, leaving the officers in gaping wonder.
A man, whose crime (forgery) was of such a heinous character as to induce the government of Wurtemberg to pursue him to this country, was found and arrested. After a partial examination, instead of being remanded to prison or held to responsible bail, he was allowed to remain at his own lodgings, being in the constructive custody of the Deputy Marshal. This functionary, instead of producing his prisoner when wanted, stated to the commissioner that, on a preceding evening, the foreign rogue invited him to take a friendly glass, which he accepted, and soon after lost his consciousness; and the prisoner, availing himself of so favorable an opportunity, took to his heels and, before the officer recovered his wits, was beyond recapture.
So it was with one Dr. Gallaudet, not long ago, who succeeded in getting the officer drunk, and escaped from his clutches, and, finally, from the country.