Laura Jane Harvey Murder: Part Sixteen

After a nearly all night grilling session by Sheriff Derby, son George finally confessed to the truth. 

Both McComb and Taylor had repeatedly over the months, shared gifts of fruit they received from visitors with George and he had reciprocated by volunteering to purchase things that the prisoners desired, often allowing George to pocket some of the change. At the same time, the prisoners told George of all their plans to see the world when their trials were over, often involving shows, circuses, and theaters. George, like most 11 year old boys, got caught up in the excitement so when they offered him a large sum of money to help them escape and even promised to take George with them to see all these marvels that he had only read about or heard others talk of seeing. 

After weeks of grooming, the date of their escape had been set for Monday, August 22, 1864 but when the prisoners heard of Derby's departure to Keokuk the following day, when Deputy Sheriff Jones would be watching over them, the escape was delayed until Wednesday. As promised, George came down at the appointed time, and after receiving an initial installment of a small amount of money, dutifully unlocked both their cells and provided McComb and Taylor with a file to get their shackles off. They walked out the unlocked rear door of the jail leading to the yard and into the dark and cloudy night. George provided them with a spade and the prisoners soon had moves some large stones and dug a hole underneath the fence next to the neighboring Court House, crawled under it and proceeded down the alley. They walked up the hill with the boy, excited to finally see the world, between them and came to John Devin's stable where they then hid in some bushes alongside the street. 

McComb and Taylor finally told young George that from here on out, they would need to walk fast and since George wouldn't be able to keep up, he should return home. George, hurt, refused and began to cry at the betrayal. Taylor jumped up, whispered something into McComb's ear and strode off into the darkness. McComb began coaxing the boy to stop crying and promised to send him the $1000 they had promised to pay him as soon as they could make their final arrangements. This didn't codify George any and he kept on crying forcing McComb to finally shout out George and threaten to harm him if he didn't leave immediately. This attempt was successful and George finally scampered into the night back towards the jail. After composing himself, George walking into the jail five minutes after his parents.

Word had already got out to the local newspaper and other places around town about the escape but it wasn't until after 2 a.m., when George finally told Sheriff Derby all the details, that the warning bell of the jail was finally sounded. People came running, assuming something was on fire but learned that McComb and Taylor had escaped. Immediately, nearly 40 concerned citizens set off into the night looking for the escaped prisoners and by 8 a.m. Thursday morning, word came in that the men had been seen in Alpine and even more men set off in that direction. They were tracked for 13 miles to a place where the prisoners had stopped for a drink but that was where the trail ran cold.