Alexandria Jail Break
"Inmates Saw Jail Bars
At Alexandria"
From the Kentucky Post December 20 1929,
Page 1
A dragnet was spread Friday by northern Kentucky authorities by in an effort to apprehend five of six prisoners, who Friday night, sawed their way to freedom from the Alexandria jail.
Leonard Dalton, 306 Chestnut-st. Newport, one of the six prisoners to flee, was captured at 1 a.m. at his home by William P Holland, detective, with Desmond Tehan and John Moore, patrolmen. Herman Kemper, jailer, discovered the delivery shortly after 11 p.m. and notified police of adjoining cities. Kemper discovered the prisoners sawed a hole thru the top of one of the tiers of the jail and then climbed thru a skylight onto the roof. From the roof the prisoners lowered themselves to the ground with a rope made of blankets. (Note: this rope can be seen at the Campbell County Historical Society Museum)
Police Seek These
Those to escape were: Harrison Swopshire, Negro and Chester Clark, both of Newport, serving a $100 and costs fine and a 30-day jail sentence imposed recently in Circuit Court for carrying concealed weapons. They were also awaiting grand jury action on a robbery charge. Ira Bowmer and Delbert Spicer, both of Chestnut-st, Newport were awaiting grand jury action on charges of auto theft. William McCracken and Leonard Dalton of Alexandria Pike of the Highlands were charged with robbery and awaiting grand jury action.
Several other prisoners were there at the same time with those who fled made no attempt to escape, Kemper said. Six other prisoners, James Klump, 23, former pugilist of Scott-st. Covington, charged with the murder of Wilbur C White, 18, of 329 Chestnut-st. and Daniel P Madden, former prohibition agent, charged with the murder of Hugh Fleming, 32, of 632 Washington-ave. Newport, are confined in a separate tier.
Saws Smuggled
Kemper and Jacob Roil, sheriff, are making efforts to learn how saws, used by the prisoners, were smuggled into the jail. Kemper recently thwarted a wholesale delivery from the jail after he discovered several prisoners sawing on bars. An hour after the escape Dalton phoned Leo Livingston, night police chief, and told in details of the escape. Dalton told Livingston he became separated from the other prisoners after they gained their freedom and hitch hiked to Newport. He also told Livingston that he would surrender himself as he thought it would be best to give himself up. The phone call was traced and he was captured a short time later.
This marked the initial escape from the new county jail.
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Kentucky Post, 23 January 1930, page 1
Harrison Swopshire, 27, Negro, of Fourth st. and Central av. Newport, one of six prisoners to escape on Dec 19 from the Alexandria jail, was in the country jail again Thursday following his capture Wednesday night by Albert Howe and Oscar Wells, deputies and Edward Hamilton, county detective and Cincinnati police. He was arrested in a house at 826 W Fourth st. Cincinnati.
Swopshire was serving a fine and jail sentence imposed in Circuit Court for carrying concealed weapons and also was held for grand jury action on a robbery charge at the time of the escape. The six prisoners sawed their way to the roof and lowered themselves to the ground with an improvised rope made of bed clothing.
Leonard Dalton and Ira Bowmer, two of the prisoners also were recaptured while the other prisoners, Chester Clark, Dephert Spicer and William McCracken, are still at large.