The Scissors That Broke the Jail: A Spokane Prisoner’s Audacious Escape Attempt
Convicted hold-up man Harry Kelly nearly freed himself from the county dungeon using nothing but a rusty pair of scissors and sheer determination, leaving Sheriff Doust scrambling to find who supplied the tool.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Harry Kelly, a prisoner in the Spokane County Jail, attempted to break his way to freedom yesterday by digging out the bricks of his cell with a rusty pair of scissors. He was released this morning from confinement in the dungeon but was not returned to his old cell; instead, he is now lodged in a strong iron cage designed to baffle any further attempts at liberty.
It seems that ever since the term of his incarceration began, Kelly has been the cause of unwonted trouble to the prison officers. His name is well known to the police, as he has been arrested several times before on charges similar to that for which he is now under sentence. Sheriff Doust says that Kelly has all the marks of a habitual criminal, as his actions while imprisoned are perfectly in keeping with the disposition of one.
He is now under conviction for holding up the Welcome saloon last spring in company with his partner, Welch, who is said to be a model prisoner in every way. The authorities are desirous of making Kelly's life as cheerful and agreeable as his position will allow, but an iron hand must be brought to bear upon him should he continue to be the source of so much trouble.
It has not yet been found out by whom the scissors were supplied to Kelly. Sheriff Doust, however, is giving the case a thorough investigation and says that he is now pretty well on the track, although he is not at this time prepared to make a positive statement.
This 1905 account of a jailbreak attempt using improvised tools mirrors modern narratives of prison security vulnerabilities and the ingenuity of inmates. While the stakes were life-and-death then, today's discussions often focus on the systemic issues of recidivism and the resources available to incarcerated individuals for self-improvement or escape.
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