A Desperate Escape Attempt in Whatcom
A clever plan to cut through jail cell bars with a smuggled file is thwarted by the county attorney.
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.
An attempt at wholesale jail delivery was foiled today by County Attorney Newman, who had been secretly advised of a plan laid by three of the most desperate of the numerous prisoners: Morris, Lennox, and Harry Hall, so-called 'The Smuggler.' Hall, who was shot in the leg a few days ago, had been allowed the freedom of the corridor for a few days and had somehow secured a file. He had nearly severed one of the perpendicular iron bars of a window, concealing his work with a horizontal bar. If the discovery had not been made today, the prisoners might easily have effected an escape tonight.
“If the discovery had not been made today the prisoners might easily have effected escape tonight.”
Jail breaks and the ingenuity of prisoners attempting to evade custody remain a staple of crime reporting. This incident in Whatcom highlights the conditions of 19th-century county jails long before modern security protocols were implemented.
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