Bits & Pieces

Youthful Bandits Break Out of Jail

Hampton, July 6 - Two young lads, apparently 17 and 15 years of age, were captured about six miles north of this place Saturday after breaking into the Rock Island Depot at Chapin. Both lads had guns on them when captured and when apprehended were hiding in a barn on a farm about one and one-half miles from Chapin.They were brought here to the jail and an account of their age was placed in the women's ward on the second floor, there being an older prisoner on the first floor.

Monday Sheriff Schwieger and family left for Iowa Falls to celebrate the Fourth, leaving no one in charge of the jail. After they left the boys in some manner cut a hole thru the floor, thru which they dropped to the ground floor. They then unlocke the lower part of the jail and went in where the other prisoner was confined and unlocked his cell, bidding him follow them to freedom.This man, however, refused to go. They then went into the living part of the jail and found a revlver, which they took with them, and were seen to leave the jail and start down one of the main traveled streets by one of the nearby neighbor women.

The Mexican who refused to go with them immediately started to call for aid, but was unsuccessful in getting anyone there until about an hour and a half after the boys had gone. As soon as the city marshal found they had flown he immediately enlisted the services of H. L. Proctor and a search was instituted thruout the railroad yards and several frieght trains which were in the yards at the time. The search however, was unsuccessful and no clue of the culprits has yet been found.

Evening times-Republican; July 6, 1920