The Jailer's Secret Cache
When nine prisoners attempted a daring escape from the Pierce County Jail, they left behind a strange assortment of contraband that revealed their desperate ingenuity.
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.
Nine prisoners in the Pierce County jail recently endeavored to escape. They had nearly succeeded in cutting a hole through the floor of the corridor when they were discovered. The jailer took from them a collection of tools, consisting of two saws made of corset steel, small files, an old razor, two pocket knives, and a piece of wire.
“They had nearly succeeded in cutting a hole through the floor of the corridor when discovered.”
The struggle for autonomy within the carceral system remains a constant in Seattle history. From the crude corset-steel saws of 1887 to modern-day reports on facility conditions, the persistent tension between those confined and those who hold the keys continues to define the landscape of our local criminal justice reporting.
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