Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1886 — Gone, but not Forgotten. [ARTICLE]

Gone, but not Forgotten.

Two Burglars Break Jail and Escape.

On Friday evening of last week, about.B o’clock or a little before, Sheriff Yeoman and, family were startled by hearing’ one of the prisoners in the jail attached to the sheriff’s residence, call out to the sheriff that some of his prisoners had, just escaped. A hurried and excited examination revealed that two bars had been sawed out of the southern most window on the west side and that two of the burglars from Newton county, and who called themselves Otto Brainerd and George Winfield,- had escaped through the opening thus made. The bars were round, seven eights of an inch thick, and of wrought iron. They had been cut entirely off at their lower end, and where they entered the first crossbar above had been cut about | through and then broken out. The prisoner who gave the alarm was James Jarrell, or Gerald, of Remington. Besides him there still remain in jail the young boy who was arrested in company with the two men who escaped, and the two Smith boys, of Rensselaer. These all claim that they had no desire to escape, but if they had Jarrell’s shout to the sheriff interfered with their intentions. The men crowded out of the hole heads first, and the very instant the second of them had dropped to the gave the alarm, as himself and the other prisoners all say. They gave as their reasons for not telling of the scheme before that they feared to do so, as the men who were plotting escape threatened to kill anyone who told on them.

The work of cutting out had been going on for several weeks; the plan being to saw as the bars awhile iri the evening during the times when their fellow prisoners were making a deal of noise with their musical concerts, which have been quite frequent of late. The remaining prisoners deny all knowlege of the nature of the tool with which the bars were cut off. Froth the appearance of the cutting however, is is probable that it was done with a common table knife, which had been nicked into a rude saw, by another knife; they may have had a regular burgular’s saw, but this is not probable. The cuts in the bars were hidden through the day by filling them with a mixture of shoe blacking and soap. An excellent preparation for the purpose. Of course a vigorous effort was made to effect the recapture of the prisoners. A considerable number of men were notified and a search instituted, some parties going out on horseback and others scouting nearer on foot. The night was dark, and of course the chances were all in favor of the prisoners. Cards describing the men and offering a reward of $25 each for their recapture were printed and sent out in various directions. Various false clues were followed up, but no correct reports of the fugitives were received until too late to be of use. There is no doubt but that they stopped for breakfast, the next morning, about 7 o’clock, at the house of Nick Zimmer, about 5 or 6 miles south and two miles east of Rensselaer. About 9 o’clock the same .morning they were seen near J. J. Porter’s place, in the north end of Carpenter tp., making lively tracks for the Illinois state line, which boundary they probably crossed before they slept Saturday night These fellows are probably very bad men and habitual criminals and their escape is much to be regretted; but before anyone decides to blame Sheriff Yeoman severely in the matter they should bear in mind the great adroitness with which their scheme has been worked, and which was well calculated to deceive even the most watchful. In his efforts for, their recovery, too, the Sheriff has shown an energy and perseverance and a liberality in expenditures that is a sufficient evidence of his zeal and faithfulness as a public officer.

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