Prisoners Dig Holes in Floor and Wall
Portsmouth Times, 20 Nov. 1959
Ironton, Ohio-A break at the county jail was foiled by Sheriff Carl E. Rose’s deputies when it was learned a plan was underway to escape from the 100-year-old building.
Chief Deputy Sheriff John Drake and Sgt. Elmer Carrico reported 16 prisoners on the first floor had dug three holes in the floor and walls and planned to escape through the jail basement.
Deputies said prisoners had been working around the clock, taking turns digging and listening for officers. Sgt. Carrico said prisoners turned up the volume on radios and ran the shower during the digging.
He reported prisoners had devised tools from iron bars and were using a large hinge for a hammer and a possible deadly weapon. Officers confiscated the hinge, which weighs about 10 pounds, two saw blades, and portions of iron bars.
Chief Drake said all radios and other luxuries, which the prisoners had been permitted to have, were removed from the cells. He told the prisoners: “This is a jail and not a hotel.” Visiting has been prohibited.
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