98 Years Ago
The November 10, 1927 Colorado Transcript described a daring escape from the County Jail. There was an opening that normally used to pass food from the kitchen to the jail. The opening was only 18″ x 6-1/2″–far too small for a grown man to pass through. As it happened, one of the prisoners that week was a 14 year old boy. He covered himself in soap and his fellow prisoners pushed him through the opening. The boy then found the key in the sheriff’s desk and released the others.
The prisoners–a bootlegger, three chicken thieves, and the boy (charged with “taking property") stole the Sheriff’s car (a Rickenbacker). They drove it as far as southwestern Colorado before running it into a telephone pole. After that, they stole another car and fled the state.
A week later, the group attempted to rob a store in Arizona. One of the men was shot and put in a hospital under guard. The other four were brought back to the jail in Golden. They were recharged with greater crimes and sent to the state penitentiary. The 14 year old boy was sent to the State Industrial School on South Golden Road.
