JOHN LOOMIS FOILED

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, February 13, 1891.

JOHN LOOMIS FOILED.

Attempts to Again Break Jail—Opens the Door But Is Captured—Now Confined in a Solitary Cell.

   Since the recapture of John Loomis and his return to the Cortland jail, officers have kept a close watch upon his movements, anticipating a second attempt on his part to affect an escape. From certain conversation overheard among the prisoners at supper time, Mr. Melville W. Conger surmised that an effort was to be made Monday night to break jail, and he informed Sheriff Borthwick of his suspicions. Matters were allowed to continue their regular course, the prisoners given their suppers and in due time the dishes were removed, care being taken to impress upon the boarders minds that the officers would be out to the Kindergarden entertainment at the Opera House.

   Instead, however, Sheriff Borthwick, turnkey Conger and H. P. Dunbar stationed themselves near the entrance from the furnace room to the lower corridor and awaited the result. They heard a footstep approach the heavy door from the inside and pause as though listening, (afterward one of the prisoners stated that the person was Loomis). The watchers were thus kept in suspense for about one half hour, when the party made a move and low conversation was heard and the work of breaking out began.

   A stop taken from one of the windows to the end of which was securely fastened a small piece of wire, a piece of No. 9 wire about four feet long and two short pieces of the same size wire, one end being formed into a right angle, were the only tools used. It has long been known that the door did not closely fit into the opening, but that the bottom half, set out from the masonry a distance of from one sixteenth to seven-eighths of an inch. Through this opening a person on the inside could observe the location and position of the lock and bar fastenings on the outside. To be sure at night a light would be necessary to assist in the operation, and a piece of cloth saturated in meat gravy was attached to a wire, ignited and thrust through the opening at the east side of the door, and this supplied sufficient light and caused the watchers to recoil into uncomfortable positions.

   The window stop and wire hook was then passed through the east opening up to the large padlock on the top bar, leaving just seven inches of leverage in the operator's hands, finally the hook caught the lock in a position to throw it from the hasp and it fell to the floor. Next the long piece of wire was used to pull the lock bar off the hasps and the short wires served in place of a key to unlock the large old-fashioned lock on the door. Only nerve was now lacking to make the task complete.

   Opening the door Loomis stepped outside and by the aid of the light from the corridor, looked into the dark recesses of a revolver in the hands of Mr. Conger. Throwing up his hands he exclaimed: "My God, don't kill me! Don't kill me!" He was returned to the corridor, searched, had a regular display of convulsions and was locked up.

   Hereafter Loomis will occupy a solitary cell which will be triple-locked. How he came in possession of the wires is yet unsolved. He now threatens suicide before he will go to Auburn. He also swears vengeance on Jim Reynolds, who is held for the Willett robbery case.

   The door was taken from its hinges Wednesday and the butts removed from the wall for the purpose of placing more permanent ones in place thereof. Those removed were about one inch thick, 2 1/2 inches wide and only set in the masonry about 2 1/2 inches, being secured by lead run into the opening about the iron. Only one of the hinge butts were set in solid stone, the other two being between the stone casing and brick wall. As now repaired it will not be as easy to work the door as heretofore, from within.

Union Army General Franz Sigel.

FROM EVERYWHERE.

   The Pension bill as passed by the Senate appropriates over $135,000,000.

   Gen. Franz Sigel has been voted a pension of $100 a month by Congress.

   The 1st National Bank of Wichita, Kan. has suspended. Liabilities $125,000.

   Ten thousand farmers have left their homes in Kansas, ruined by poor crops, privations and hardships.

   At a dinner given in New York the other night to thirty-three persons the bill was $6,500, or just about $200 a plate.

   The new State of Washington has a bribery case in connection with its Senatorial election. So young and yet so bad.

   Sarah Bernhardt is to receive $600 a night and one third of the receipts during her American tour—and $200 a week for her expenses.

   The Cincinnati Enquirer estimates that in the last fifty years over $100,000,000 in cash has been raised to teach the African to love his neighbor as himself.

   Martin Yagens, a participant in the battle of Waterloo, and probably the oldest resident of Herkimer county, died at his home in Utica, last week, in the 102 year of his age, which anniversary would have occurred May 25th next. Mr. Yagens was born in Schleswig Holstein, coming to the United States in 1848. The old gentleman was the father of 21 children.

   A New York paper sums up the Indian troubles tersely as below: "Reduced to a sentence, the Indian status is this: For lands they owned they were promised, in event of evacuation, money. They evacuated. White settlers entered, built houses and farmed successfully. The Indians wait for their money, not a dollar of which has yet been paid. That's the whole story."

   A passenger train from Los Angeles was boarded by robbers at Alita, Cal., Friday evening, and under cover of pistols, Engineer Thome and Fireman Radcliffe were forced to pull out one mile and halt. The engineer and fireman were taken back to the express car. The messenger saw what was up and blew out his lights, and instead of opening the door, he commenced firing at the robbers. Many shots were exchanged. One of the shots struck the messenger in the forehead, causing a slight wound, and another struck the fireman in the side producing a fatal wound. The robbers were beaten off and abandoned the undertaking.

A Windfall.

   A messenger from Lyons, Wayne county, arrived in Cortland last Tuesday at 10 A. M. to engage the services of Hon. A. P. Smith as counsel in settling the estate of Messrs. Hazen Brothers, deceased, of the former place. It is understood that the estate will show for $75,000 to $150,000, and that several Cortland county residents will come into possession of a handsome portion of the property. The deceased brothers were without family, having never married.

Creditors Make a Move.

   Tired of continued delay local creditors of the defunct bucket shop of Cooke & Co. swore out attachment papers upon the $593.12 cash deposited in the Second National bank of Cortland, last Monday. They were none too soon, however, as the first mail following this movement brought a draft from New York for the full amount on deposit. A settlement was effected through attorneys W. J. Mantanye and H. L. Bronson, whereby the creditors received some 20 cents on each dollar of claim.

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

   CHENANGO.— H. William Clark, of Oxford returned from his southern trip Thursday, bringing five young alligators, which he is rearing in the Blue Stone Co.'s office.

   Drills are being bored in the bottom of a worked-out stone quarry at Oxford, and at a depth of thirty feet indications of a good quality of coal were found.

   The number of prisoners in the county jail, we are informed, was reduced from fifty-two to fifty, Wednesday morning. It was a snug winter for tramps, and they prefer the extra bunks recently placed in the Bastille to lodging in hay mows. A generous public "pays the freight."

   MADISON.—Seven coons were killed in one tree in Peterboro, the other night.

   Measles made speechless the little son of Augustus Gerbhart, of Brookfield.

   Creditors mourn the disappearance of Frank Noxon, an Oneida liveryman.

   Wallace Vreeland, a West Shore brakeman, lost a leg beneath the cars at Oneida Castle, Tuesday.

   William McCreary of Oneida, was struck by a train while drunk, Saturday. His left arm was twice broken and his head badly cut.

   A bill appropriating $5,000 for the building of a spillway for the state reservoir at West Eaton has been introduced in both Senate and Assembly.

   W. H. Lindley, ex-game constable at Oneida Lake, secured a verdict of $875 and costs against Fred Wright and others, who stoned him while in pursuit of his duties.

   TOMPKINS.—The Ithaca Glove and Mitten factory was closed by the Sheriff on Thursday last.

   The scarlet fever patients at west Groton are reported as getting along nicely.

   The Earlville Friend has become the property of the editors of the Dryden Herald.

   The work of the Society for the Prevention of Crime, in Ithaca, is attracting so much attention that other towns are preparing to organize like societies.

   George Grant, of Danby, indicted for forgery, plead guilty to the charge in county court, and was sentenced to serve a term of five years in state prison.

   A few days ago Manning Atwater, of Trumansburg, submitted to an operation in Rochester, for the removal of a diseased portion of his left jawbone, caused by a bullet while in the army.

   The McGraw-Fisk mansion is to be sold on Feb. 19 by instructions of the executor. A collection of eighteen paintings, fifteen articles in bronze, and other costly articles will be sold at the same time.

   The wife of James Lumbard died Saturday last at Earlville, aged 17 years. She contracted typhoid fever while living with her husband in a lumber camp near Ellis. She was married at the age of sixteen.

   Last Year Prof. Roberts, of Cornell, offered a prize of $10 for the most complete, neatest and best kept record of the weight of the milk of a dairy of cows, in this state, from April 1st to Dec. 1st. The prize was taken by James W. Reed, of Caroline.