Great Escapes from the Squirrel Cage Jail

Great Escapes? Any Were There

YES! calaboose. A short time later, the city marshal his pal went through like a rat through a cracker found that the suspects had sawed one of the box, cutting a hole wherever they desired and January, 1899 — Two Pattonsburg men, hinges nearly off the door. A search revealed carrying off pieces of the grates as mementos."sentenced to 90 days for carrying concealed no saws. So, the two prisoners were handcuffed weapons, performed the magical feat of walking securely together. And yet, a short time later, This escape from the rotary jail prompted a through the bars of "chilled steel to liberty, and officers discovered their prisoners had cut grand jury investigation, which condemned the a return to the freedom of plying their pilfering these handcuffs entirely off. jail as "unsafe for the safe keeping of prisoners" vocation." Nobody quite knows how — and a in 1899. The county court approved the grand jury convened at that time described this The two prisoners were searched again before condemnation ...but provided no means for jail rotary jail as “unsafe for the safe keeping of being escorted to this rotary jail. This time the repair and the county kept on using it. prisoners.” search revealed a number of saws and burglar tools, taken Ed Conley and Adam Brown were partners in from their clothing. On Jan. 12, crime with a tramp hoodlum called "Moxie" who 1899, the Gallatin Democrat was responsible for the death of Constable Wm. declared: Parker on Oct. 29, 1898. During court proceed- "How they got their implements ings, Conley was shown to have provided Moxie of destruction (while in jail at with the pistol used in the killing. Pattonsburg) is as much of a Conley and Brown were arrested the day after mystery as what was done with nighttime robberies occurred at Pattonsburg. the bars of chilled steel that

Officers found a complete outfit of skeleton keys Daviess County paid the

on Conley and Brown, arousing suspicions. The contractors to put in the cages

men were promptly locked up in Pattonsburg's and gratings, which Conley and

The following lists a few of the more notorious local crimes during the latter years the jail was in use:

(NOTE: Not all listed below involved incarceration in the Squirrel Cage Jail)

1955 – Sheriff A.F. “Buster” Clements crushed his hand in a car crash while chasing two Gallatin boys who escaped from the Caldwell County Jail. The sheriff underwent surgery after the thumb on his left hand was torn from the socket and bones shoved through the palm of his hand. The escapees were apprehended in KC after a 20-block chase involving six squad cars and four gun shots. 1957 – A bad check artist, using six different aliases, was finally jailed here; five Gallatin businesses robbed

1959 – Pattonsburg man faces murder charges, held in the Squirrel Cage Jail 1961 – Authorities ponder future of Squirrel Cage jail after state review; jail later significantly modified in 1964 1965 – Jamesport bank robbery 1967 – Murder trial to Buchanan County on change of venue, ends with conviction Aug. 31, 1967 – Three escaped from this Squirrel Cage Jail but were promptly captured in Liberty, MO, within the hour by Missouri State Troopers. Two prisoners, a Kansas City man facing murder charges and a Pattonsburg man facing burglary and larceny charges, broke out of jail and forced another prisoner to flee with them. The jail was not guarded since the sheriff and his wife were visiting a hospitalized deputy in St. Joseph at the time of the break. The escapees destroyed a cot and used a steel rod to break the cell lock. They then stole a car which had been impounded during the investigation of another case. Sept. 10, 1970 – One prisoner, jailed here on charges of disturbing the peace and forgery in Caldwell County, escaped by pushing up a loose roof section in the jail. He was later caught hitchhiking north on Hwy. 13 by a city night watchman. 1970 – Man murders wife outside a tavern on the Gallatin square, later sentenced to 10 years at the state penitentiary; 16-year-old Pattonsburg youth faces charges of murdering another youth 1974 – Man incarcerated here after pistol whipping two Gallatin men at the Daviess Co. Country Club 1975 – Two men jailed after armed robbery at business west of Gallatin Learn more about the 1889 Squirrel Cage Jail online. Click on this website: