The Rover Boys in New York | Page 7

here," cried Tom, as he
consulted his watch.
A man who lived close by was approaching and he readily agreed, for a
small amount, to guard the biplane.
"Have they caught those men who escaped from the jail?" asked Sam,
of the man.
"Got two on 'em," was the reply. "Dacker and Penfield."
"What of Crabtree?" asked Dick.
"Nuthin' doin', up to an hour ago. The sheriff is out with about ten men,
lookin' fer him."
"Then there is no use of our going to the sherif's office," said Dick to
his brothers "We'll go right to the jail."
"Will they let us in?" asked Sam.
"In the office, yes. We won't want to go to the cells," answered Dick,
with a short laugh.
When they reached the office of the jail they found several men present,
including the head keeper and one of the State detectives. The keeper
had seen the Rover boys at the time of the capture of Crabtree and the
others and he smiled a little as he shook hands.
"Bad business," he said, in answer to a question Dick put. "But I can't
exactly blame my men for what happened."

"Weren't you here at the time?" asked Tom.
"No, I was out of town-- calling on my mother, who is very old and
quite sick. There was a fire in the pantry off the kitchen, and for a few
minutes it looked as if the old jail would burn to the ground. Of course
the guards got excited, and all they thought of was to put out the blaze--
and it's a good thing they did that. That's how the prisoners got away. I
suppose you've heard that we rounded up two of them."
"Yes," answered Dick. "Have they any idea what became of Crabtree?"
"I haven't. If the sheriff knows anything he hasn't told it. By the way,
boys, I'll tell you something, now you are here. That man is a
hypnotist!"
"We know it," said Dick "I thought I told you."
"He tried to hypnotize one of the men one day,-- almost got away,
doing it!"
"Did he hire any lawyer to defend him?" asked Tom, curiously.
"I don't know about a lawyer. He had a man out to see him, several
times. The two were very friendly."
"They were?" cried Dick. "I never knew Josiah Crabtree had any
friends, outside of the rascals he associated with. Who was the man?"
"He gave his name as John Smith. But I guess that was false, for he
acted as if he didn't want to be known."
"What kind of a looking man was he?" asked Sam.
"Why, he was a tall, thin fellow with a very pointed chin, and bushy
black hair and heavy black eyebrows. When he spoke his voice had a
regular rumble to it."
At this description the Rover boys shook their heads. They could think
of nobody they had met who would fit the picture.

"When was that man here last?" asked Dick.
"A couple of days ago. I didn't like him for a cent, but as the prisoners
haven't been convicted of any crimes as yet I had to let 'em see their
friends," explained the jail keeper.
"What of Sobber, Larkspur and the others?" questioned Tom.
"All safe enough. Nobody else is going to get out of here if I can help
it," and the keeper shook his head decidedly.
The boys remained at the jail for a while longer, and heard the
particulars of how the fire had originated and of how the prisoners had
gotten away. Two of the men had kept together, but Crabtree had gone
off by himself, and the last seen of him was when he was running for
the river, which flowed some distance back of the jail.
"Let us go down to the river and take a look around," suggested Dick,
at last, and bidding the jailer good-bye, they hurried away.
Along the river bank they found several men and boys, all looking for
Crabtree, some thinking there might be a reward offered for the capture
of the criminal. The Rovers joined in the hunt for the best part of an
hour, but without success.
"It's worse than looking for a pin in a haystack," grumbled Tom,
presently. "We might as well give it up."
"Let us walk around the town and see if we can learn anything,"
suggested his big brother.
They walked down the main street of Plankville from end to end,
questioning several people they knew. At last they got word that a
mysterious automobile had passed through the town about midnight of
the day Josiah Crabtree had broken from jail. But who had been in the
touring car nobody could tell.
"He may have escaped in that," declared Dick.

"And