Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 September 1907 — SCISSORS FOR SAW BAD MEN ESCAPE [ARTICLE]

SCISSORS FOR SAW BAD MEN ESCAPE

Frank Diddle and John McCoy, Horse Thief and ———— Rapist, Break County Jail

THE ESCAPED. JOHN McCOY—36years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tail weight about 185 pounds, eyes blue, hair black, committed to jail July 24th, charge assault with intent to commit rape. FRANK DlDDLE—German, 49 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weight about 135 pounds, eyes brown, hair dark brown, committed to this jail~from Newton county Aug. 6th, charge horse stealing. Some time Monday night, probably between 10 p. m. and 4a. th., the two prisoners above describee”, made their escape from Jasper county jaiL They were not locked in cells but were admitted to jail orridors, and with a’pair of old scissors, of which they had made saws, they had sawed off two i inch iron bars from au upper section of an east window. Both of the bars were pried up and one broken off at the top, and the other bent at a right angle to the window. To this was tied a towel which was hung out of the window, and the prisoners passed, probably feet first thru the 9ixl6 inch opening then dropped probably 10 feet to the yard. The discovery of the sawed bars was made by Jimmie Brown who reported it to Joe Jackson the bus man, it about 5:15 on Tuesda morning, and Joe promptly gave the alarm at the jail. Sheriff O’Connor and his son and Deputy, Joseph O'Connor, at once got busy with the telephone wires, notifying neighboring towns and various farmers surrounding Rensselaer. An effort was made to get blood hounds to put upon the trail. There was absolutely no clue to the direction taken by the escaped men, and no one had heard any noise during the time the filing process was going on. The scissors had been nicked, probably by rubbing one section against the other, but the sections had nor been used separately. They had broken apart and had been fastened together by a nail and apparently both sections of the scissors had been used at the same time, thus sawing from each side of the bar. Soap had been used to deaden the

sound and probably to fiill the | crevice when they were not sawing. It is not known how long the sawing had been going ou and some estimate that the bars might have been sawed off in a half hour. McCoy was arrested on July 24th. On the day previous he had attempted an assault upon the person of Ellen Goebel, just north of town, and was frightened away by her screaming which her assistance Mrs Harry Swartzell and Mrs. John Potts. He was chased by the officers and finally arrested near Surrey after an exciting chase on a hand car. His trial was set for this Tuesday morning. McCoy was plainly a wreck from the use of liquor and refused to eat anything for two weeks after going to jail and altho he weighed about 210 pounds when first incarcerated it is probable he did not weigh more than 185 pounds at this time. Diddle probably executed the plan for escape. He was a resident of Paris, HL, and five stolen horses two of them from Newton county, were found in his possession. He was probably guilty of stealing them as well as having received stolen horses' from confederates. His capture was impSßJ””* as he was doubtless a member of £ that had stolen many horses in both Indiana and Illinois. His wife and two children visited him here twice, the last time only a week ago last Sunday. He was brought to this jail from Newton county and his trial would have come up at Kentland next month, when it was expected he might implicated others of his gang. Sheriff O’Connor had confidence in the prisoners and granted them the privilege of the jail corridors. He always made the rounds of the jail at night at 10 o’clock and saw that the prisoners were in’ their cells but did not lock the cell doors. It is probable McCoy will get drunk the first chance he gets and he may be recaptured, whilejit is thought Diddle will try to communicate with his wife at Paris, 111.