The following is information from an October 1886 article about a Kosciusko County jailbreak. The article is from the files of the Kosciusko County Historical Society. 

WARSAW — At about 8 p.m. Sunday night, Oct. 7, 1886, the sudden ringing of the fire bell caused many to assemble on the streets in large numbers. This time, it was not a fire that caused the alarm but rather the escape of three prisoners from the jail.

Information for this retrospective series is courtesy of the Kosciusko County Historical Society.

Prior to retiring for the evening, Sheriff Jerry Stephenson, as is customary for him, visited the jail for the purpose of attending to the wants of the prisoners. The inmates, who are confined on each side of the jail — there being no means of communication between them — wanted water, and the sheriff provided it for them. After handing in the bucks of water on the north side, prisoner Peter Seagle requested him to carry out the ashes, at the same time handing him the coal scuttle, filled with ashes.

As soon as the sheriff took hold of the scuttle, Seagle grabbed him by both wrists and, being a powerfully built man, was able to hold the sheriff until another prisoner, James Turner, came to his assistance and clasped his arms around the sheriff, thus imprisoning him so that he was powerless. The prisoners forced Stephenson into a corner against the railing of the south door, and at this moment prisoner Ed McClaren, alias George Parks, ran past the party and escaped to the front part of the house. The two men holding the sheriff then jerked themselves loose and also escaped.

At this moment, Mrs. Stephenson, in order to prevent the escape of more prisoners, threw the principle door connecting the jail with the residence shut. This door, supplied with a spring lock, fastened the sheriff in as safely as any of the prisoners.

After gaining the vestibule, Mrs. Stephenson, with pluck hardly expected of a woman — especially one as small as Mrs. Stephenson — boldly seized McClaren and held him until the prisoner nearly lost his coat in the scuffle. Becoming desperate, he flung her to the floor with such force that she was almost stunned. He then made his escape, following the two prisoners who had preceded him. George Stephenson, the youngest son of the sheriff, along with a hired girl, were sitting on the front steps of th jail residence and saw the prisoners leap the front fence and turn the corner at Bennet’s residence where they ran east on Main Street. 

Upon recovering herself, Mrs. Stephenson sent someone to ring the fire bell, and the streets were soon filled with an excited crowd. Steps were taken at once to intercept the prisoners, but at press time no clue of their whereabouts had been procured. 

During all of this time, the sheriff was locked up in the vestibule loading from the residence to the jail and was also in a suffering condition with his right arm so badly sprained as to be almost useless and being in an enfeebled condition, at best, his situation was anything but pleasant. 

The sheriff was soon released from his close quarters. There is no doubt that this escape was a premeditated movement on the part of the prisoners involved and, in all probability, they were so desperate they would have taken Sheriff Stephenson’s life rather than fail in their attempt to regain freedom. 

Sheriff Stephenson was armed with a revolver, and it is evident that the prisoners were aware of this from the manner in which they proceeded; for they held him in such a way as to prevent him from using it. Nevertheless, he would have been able to have brought it into play at the moment they tore loose from him if not for the fact that Mrs. Stephenson, unaware of his condition and indeed not knowing if they had knocked him senseless, threw the door shut in order to prevent the escape of the prisoners who still remained in the jail. If not for this, we feel confident that some of them, if they escaped at all, would have done so with a bullet in their backs. Sheriff Stephenson was greatly prostrated after his struggle and on the following morning, his arm was so lame that he could not use it at all. 

Everything that could possibly be done to ensure their recapture was done instantly and with the large rewards offers for their apprehension, we have no doubt that they will be apprehended. 

Seagle, the principal prisoner engaged in making the escape, had been arrested on a charge of breaking into Kering’s store in Syracuse. Last week, when placed on trial, he pleaded guilty and was awaiting his sentence to the penitentiary. Turner and McClaren were in jail on the charge of robbing the express office in Etna Green. Their trial was set for Wednesday of this week. All were desperate characters and none of them were residents of this county. 

Descriptions of the escaped prisoners have been printed and sent out, along with the amount of reward offered – $100 in each case – and it is not likely that they will be able to affect their final escape. We know that Sheriff Stephenson, through his able assistants, will do everything in his power to accomplish a result so desirable.

No blame attaches to Sheriff Stephenson whatsoever, as he was simply overpowered, as the most powerful man in the county would have been under similar circumstances.

— Compiled by InkFreeNews reporter Lasca Randels