DARING ESCAPADE ---- Escape from the Springfield Jail--Two Prisoners Cut their Way Through a Slate Roof and Gain their Liberty. ---- [From the Springfield Union, Nov 18] One of the most daring escapes ever effected from out county jail took place about two o'clock Sunday monring. The prisoners who thus gained their liberty are William Parker, alias William Henry, who was awaiting trial by the Superior Court for picking pockets on the Hampden Park during the recent meeting of the Hampden Park Association and Geo. Colgrove, who had about twenty months longer to serve for bigamy. Colgrove has acted as "bail man" and trusted only to the extent usual for persons serving in his capacity. His duties were various, and he had keys to some of the inner rooms, but none to outer doors. Parker has been visited by his wife several times and ** ** *******, has twice managed to slip notes to her in a handkerchief through the grated window in the jail office, through which visitors are allowed to converse with prisoners. As he had about $125 in the bank, he wrote an order for it and gave it to his wife. Then he and Colgrove talked up a plan for escape, the terms of which were that Parker should pay Colgrove $75 for releasing him from his cell. Sunday morning offered a favorable opportunity for putting the plan into execution. Mr. Norway, the turnkey, was sick, and Sheriff Bradley and the other guardinans had been up several night caring for a man suffering from a severe attack of deleriun tremens and slept soundly. These facts Colgrove knew, and he accordingly released Parker from his cell, which he ******dly had not locked, although he has pretended to do so. Proceeding to a cupboard in the hall they found one or two old razors and passing into the wing which extends westerly from the main building went up in the south-west corner under the roof, where prisoners clothing is stored. Here they worked away for a while at a grated window, trying to remove enough of the masonary to enable them to slip aside the end of a bar. They gave this up, at last as a bad job, and with their razors and a heavy piece of cast iron taken from the top of a steam radiator, cur and broke through the plastering, lath boards and slate of the roof, and were enabled to feel the fresh air. Tying together some blankets and sheets, they swung off over the eaves, dropped to the ground and made their way rapidly to a ****** on Congress street, where Parkers wife is stopping. They left there about 3 o'clock, and since that time no traces have been gained of them. The escapade was discovered when the prisoners marched out of their cells for their Sunday morning ********* and a large force of constables and sheriffs immediately started in pursuit. The noice made in breaking through the roof was of course unheard by the officials, or if they heard it, they supposed it was the prisoner laboring with the deleririum tremens, whose cell was directly under the place where Parker and Colgrove were at work. Sheriff Bradley has offered a reward of $500 for Parker and $800 for Colgrove, and is really not to be censured for the escape having used all usual precautions for the safety of his prisoners and in fact many that are not usual in such institutions and might be deemed unnecessary. The old and long established custom of employing a prisoner as "hall man" will however be discarded now that its uncertainly has been thoroughly demonstrated and the county will find if for their interests to empower the sheriff to employ some auitable person for that responsible office. Paper: Daily Register Date: 20 Nov 1872 Location: Springfield, NY Source: http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%204/Hudson%20NY%20Evening%20Register/Hudson%20NY%20Evening%20Register%201872%20Grayscale/Hudson%20NY%20Evening%20Register%201872%20Grayscale%20-%201645.pdf#xml=http://fultonhistory.com/dtSearch/dtisapi6.dll?cmd=getpdfhits&u=466625bc&DocId=6187591&Index=Z%3a%2fFulton%20Historical&HitCount=4&hits=a75+a80+af0+1306+&SearchForm=C%3a%5cinetpub%5cwwwroot%5cFulton%5fNew%5fform%2ehtml&.pdf Terry Colegrove My goal is simple - to help you reach yours! Pampered Chef Consultant Consultant # 546527 410-768-4013(h) 443-517-7294(c) www.pamperedchef.biz/tcolegrove