Today in Wheeling History: July 19--A daring escape took place at Moundsville Penitentiary when convict John O. Smith, assisted by another prisoner, hid himself inside a crate filled with rice boilers (1904).
The crate was labeled as a shipment and Smith managed to leave the prison undetected. He leaped out of the box while being transported on a wagon near the Fostoria glass factory and fled. Despite efforts to recapture him, Smith remained at large, with authorities suspecting he aimed to avoid arrest for a potential crime in California. Smith, also known as George Monroe and William Marshall, had been serving a two-year sentence for the 1902 burglary of the home of Wheeling resident James Cummins and was due for release on September 10. (https://rb.gy/y3p79)
The crate was labeled as a shipment and Smith managed to leave the prison undetected. He leaped out of the box while being transported on a wagon near the Fostoria glass factory and fled. Despite efforts to recapture him, Smith remained at large, with authorities suspecting he aimed to avoid arrest for a potential crime in California. Smith, also known as George Monroe and William Marshall, had been serving a two-year sentence for the 1902 burglary of the home of Wheeling resident James Cummins and was due for release on September 10. (https://rb.gy/y3p79)
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