Bob Lee Escapes

The Negro Bob Lee, who was held for wrecking a train in Jackson jail, escaped yesterday evening when Sheriff Beauchamp was servicng dinner to them.  A white man in jail, named Planter, flew to the sheriff assistance, or all of them would have escaped.  The sheriff had simply unfastened the door to hand in the buckets as usual.  Then the prisioners ran against it, knockin him down and running out.  He and Platner caught three of them, but Lee escaped and is still at large.  The majority  our people don't think the Negro is guilty, or that the accident had any malicious cause, but that the ground being wet and accidents happening all along the line, that this came about by some defect in the track.  It is a wrong law that relieves the road responsibility when they have shown maliciousness in the matter for the reason it makes too great an lucentive (      ?    ) somebody to relieve the road.

Jackson Argus - Week of June 14, 1895

Submitted by Don Bankston