Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1904 — Nearly a Jail Delivery. [ARTICLE]

Nearly a Jail Delivery.

Richard Wilkin, a man who has been in jail a month or two for breaking into and robbing a saloon at Kniman, nearly made his escape by an ingenius method a few days ago. He procured a file in some way. and with that made a saw out of a piece of pail hoop, and with this cut out a large piece of wooden window sill. Then with the file and a piece of an iron brace from under a sink, he dug out bricks until he had a hole nearly large enough to crawl out of The mortar /he poked down a hole in the steel floor and the tricks he piled on top of the steel cage. The Sheriff got on to what he was doing, but let him peck away a day or two longer just to amuse himself. When he had the hole almost out through the wall, Bruce Hardy dropped in and “discovered” the scheme. He kept the hole covered with newspapers, to prevent its being seen. It is supposed that some parties from outside sneaked the file in to him in some way. Payne, a Newton county man, is the only other prisoner, and he could not be driven away with a club.