OCR Text |
Show 5 riihi WANT TO ESCAPE, Ohlcago Jailer Talks About Ul Compulsory Boarders. Th Glait ot Crl-tUU Wh Nd lh aoiMt'Watchtaf A Frcncli UuriUr't Wooden Kr-Dric Ee.p br W-r of lh Boot "I liavo tHskjr lot of fueaU In my hotel," .I1 Jailer FoU to Chicago Nowa ropottor, "and aomo of them aro so ungrateful that they want to loavo without. topping to say good-byo. "It Is -nsy matter for an outsldor to mjt. 0! well, thoy'd nevor keep mo In thore. I'd got out omehow,' but thL aame person. If ho otor did got In, would And it a difficult matter to cs-, cs-, capo. "Still tho prisoners do not yield to their fatfl as passively as might bo ex-pocted. ex-pocted. Them aro always mon In hero who aro too laty to mako a movo, and I verily boliovo If tho doors woro loft open they wouldn't havo ambition onough to walk out. They aro nover criminals of any note; too laxy ovon to oommlt a big crime. "Ilut thoro Is anothor ant of follows, wbonood tho rloftoat wateblng. Thoy aro tho professional robbers, burglars andthloves. Thoy would as soon hit a guard on the bnad and snatch his koya as oat tholr dinner. Thoy don't caro two straws about cutting a man's throat, and. knowing that when tried thoy will probably got a long prison sentence, are rather reckless In tholr conduct. Thoy koep quiot and orderly, bocause thoy know It pays to do so: but give thorn once a chance and they would mako a hrcak for liberty. Somo of tho roost expert burglars get la hero at times, and. r toll you. It Just keeps us busy to hold those mon. They aro mon who can take almost any material and mako any kind of a key out of it. Hero Is one Hamploof tholr work,"? and Uio jallir produrod a large Wooden key. It was made from the round of a common com-mon wooden chair, and was aa finely finished fin-ished as any key could . Tho flanges for turning-e lock rad. boon mado out of another ploco of wood, and noally IlKiMl In. "That was the work of a Trench burglar burg-lar wo had la herd about nlno years ago." aald the Jailer. "It la the key to the elevator, and worka better than our own. How bo got tho stuff I don't know, tutt hn managed to secure the wood and whittle I tout, lie never bad a chance ti use It, however, for I discovered It in time aad took possession. Uoro Is another key that was made for the elevator by the notorious Ales McKay. This Is of zinc and was a harder Job for the maker ilian the woodea one." Tho koy was an-Hbor.ae pier of mechanism, being uad fromacbunkof Uoo that had boea ut Into the right ahas Wttfa a pockot-.nlfo. The Jailor had no lack of tbeso keys ino mado from alnc, olbors tin. Iron inj ooj. and onn curious-looking key liaJ been mado from a llttlo tin tubo .mil piece of wood. Anothor ono was t-otnnosed of tho wire of a poach basket and the handle of a pall. They wero all .marvel la 'tho, loQ.smlth line, and showed the lngtnuityof the men who bad mado them. Common table-knives were bo notrhod up as to bo mado keys, 'and pofkot-knlves woro also cal I ed Into requisition. Most of the keys wero In tended for tho elevator, and Jailer Kola1 explained wby that was so. "It would do thorn no good to make keys for their cell door, and they never ittouipt It. Kmj wero tbo doors not K'ked thry could not get out. Along J runs tlio entire length of each row f cell onv the door, preventing It rom Mng opened except when the rod raised, which Is dona at the end by ' f tho guardR. who twists up a lii-- hod. This brake-wheel Is locked, uhonevertho cell doors am closed lie rod lowered tho prisoners are fast wJIbin. But if. dui. ilms they can get tbo elnvauu , they can get down to tho kitchen, com up through theJaundry. out into Hn lloo, and tbca Uke their chances ol getting past the man at tbo door. If 'lie movo was mado at night and tho nan on guard at the door was overpowered over-powered the achomo would work. Somo veirs ago a schemo waa concocted by which a number of prisoners were U oscapo. The ringlcadors planned to hiivoaamall explosion tako placela the west ond of tho Jail, and wbllo the guard would make a rush to see what was tbe matter, a certain number Woro to take eneof tbeso elevator keys, go down that way and mako adasb for liberty. lib-erty. Tbo plan waa feasible, but o nipped H in tbo bud and bad tho ring-loaders ring-loaders in tho dunjroon beforo thoy unow what tho matter was. Another tlmo two prisoner escaped iiy cutting through the celling and ,fottlngout on tho roof, but they were mptured two days later. A number of tho prUonera bore at times cut out tbo xlno from tbolr ventilators. .boplng to got down through that way. "Any number num-ber of. fruitless efforts aro being mado, and wo havo to be continually on tbo watch. I can nearly aUsys toll hoa there U any mischief on foot, and tboa tbo prisoner and tbolr colls are searched." , |