Neglect of Duty Leads to Jailbreak
A night jailer is suspended for ten days after a lapse in security allows an inmate to escape the city jail.
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.
At the regular monthly meeting of the commissioners last evening, Night Jailer Stepier was on trial, charged with neglect of duty in allowing Frank McCoy to escape from the city jail Saturday evening, November 25. Stepier introduced an affidavit from John McCoy, who was arrested at the same time as Frank McCoy, and who was confined in a different cell, in which it was stated that the escape was between 3 and 4 o'clock, which would throw the blame on Day Jailer Bleecker. The weight of this testimony was destroyed when O. F. Fielding testified that he was arrested at about 4:30 o'clock and when he was placed in the cell with him, Frank McCoy was in the cell with him. The truth was told by John McCoy. He said Jailer Stepier came to his door about 6 o'clock and unlocked his keys for No. 4 and released Frank McCoy from the cell. He said the jailer unlocked the door and drove some one back upstairs. Frank McCoy took advantage of the door and slid out. John McCoy told him to go into the yard and climb over the fence. The commissioners, after examining the premises, notified Stepier that they considered he had neglected his duty and would suspend him for ten days.
“John McCoy told him to go into the yard and climb over the fence.”
A jailer being held to account by commissioners for security failures reflects the ongoing struggle in municipal governance to maintain order and accountability in public facilities. While the 10-day suspension seems like a minor disciplinary action by today's standards, it illustrates the strict, face-to-face nature of early civic authority in the growing city of Seattle.
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