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Show oo PRISONERS IKE I AIM! 10 BREAK 001 OF JAIL Yesterday afternoon Frank Smith and Jack Smith, both under charges of highway robbery, were discovered by Chief Deputy Sheriff J. L. Hobson, Deputy Sheriff Curtis Alllsou, and Sheriff E Butters of Morgan couuty, In an attempt to dig through the wall of the county jail. The men wero placed in their respective colls after the plot had been discovered and they will remain there the balance of .he time before trial, without privileges privi-leges of any kind. Had the delivery been successful, most of the men incarcerated would have been released, as Wednesday is bath day and the prisoners were given giv-en considerable freedom In the cor ndor. The two Smiths were the ringleaders ringlead-ers in the plans and they had intimidated intimi-dated a number of prisoners to the point where the men felt their lives would be endangered should they give information to the officers. George Worthington, accused of robbery in connection with Frank Smith, however, finally disclosed to the officers the plan laid by the two Smiths and, following instructions, the officers soon discovered Jack Smith busy digging a hole through the renr wall of the corridor, which partitions parti-tions the jail from the coal room In the northeast corner of the courthouse court-house building. Allison Butters took positions in the coal house, where they could plainly hear tho chisel clipping the wall, while Hobson silently silent-ly made his way through tho jail and caught Smith before he had time to got away from his base of operations Worthington, who Is quite an elderly elder-ly man, told the officers that the Smith boys had threatened his life if he divulged their plans and he was fearful that they would carry out their threats were he to remain In the jail with them after telling tho story. Thurman Steele, a prisoner who had corroborated the story told bv Worthincton. was also alarmed and Sheriff T. A. DeVine ordered that both men bo taken to tho city jail for safekeeping. Worthington told tho officers that the Smith boys had been planning for some days to break jail. He said that Jack and Frank Smith had advised him to keep stllll and for him to remain re-main in tho jail ;when tho break, was made and, when brought before tho court, to confess the two robberies. They would return to the jail, over power the jailer and Telease him. Ho said that they had told him that if he divulged tho secret they would choke him to death and then string him up in the Jail with a strap and claim that he had committed suicide. Sheriff DeVine states that Worthington Worth-ington became so nervous over tho threats and the approaching jail delivery de-livery that ho was almost a wreck and appealed to the officers for protection pro-tection against the hardened criminals. crimin-als. Worthington Is charged with the robbery of a man named West on Wall avenue In connection with Frank Smith. Jack Smith and Ira Chase are charged with robbing a Chinaman on Twelfth street. Others in tho jail who might have gained their liberty through the work .. .. n ,i -r .1. "OliJIViT-ririV 01 1110 amiias me nuuu x -" charged with tho murder of Patrick Quigley. William Lightfoot under charge of obtaining money by false pretenses, Ira Chaso accused of robbery, rob-bery, and others awaiting trial for minor offenses. The Smiths wero making the hole in the wall at a point only a few feet from where Joe Barker some time ago, dug through tho partition and made his escape. Barker was afterwardB captured and sent to the penitentiary for stealing horses. The officers say that the wall Ib not solid enough for a jail and that desperate characters can make tholr get-away unless they are kept under close observation. |