Opening day of the Pottawattamie County, Iowa "Squirrel Cage" Jail

September 11, 1885

Last evening quit a number of citizens gathered in the vicinity of the old courthouse to watch the transfer of prisoners to the new jail. At a quarter past four, Sheriff Guittar, Jailer Schontz, and Constable McFadden, with a GLOBE reporter, entered the jail. The prisoners were called out of the old jail, two at a time, and handcuffed together. When six had been secured, they were marched to the "Squirrel Cage" Jail and placed in the exercise room in the second tier, on the right side. Then the officers returned and six more were transferred. The third trip two women were taken over, and assigned to the women's cells. The fifteenth prisoner had been allowed his freedom during the day, and was assisting in the moving work.

The names of the prisoners being transferred are as follows:

Cuff Johnson - murder.

Henry Jones - great bodily injury

Miles Mullen - horse stealing

Frank Scofield – forgery

Ed Rankin - confidence man

M. Dorry - cutting affray

John Turner - cutting affray

Peter Norton - highway robbery

James Kinney - who is serving a 30 day sentence for larceny

Alva Tripp - counterfeiting, federal prisoner

John Gordon - violating the revenue laws, federal prisoner

Henry, Gertrude, and Lena Brock - larceny.

(These parties were arrested for stealing at Manning, Iowa. They are father, mother, and daughter.)

The last on the list is Lee McInturf, a Carroll county horse thief, who with the Brock family are here for safekeeping.

The "Squirrel Cage" Jail was accepted from the contractors by the county board. The structure cost nearly $30,000, and was built by Wickham Brothers, Mr. J.M.Carter being the superintendent of construction and Eckel & Mann of St. Joe, the architects. The various classes of work were sublet as follows:

Iron Work - Haugh, Ketcham & Co. of Indianapolis;

Cornice work and roofing - John Epeneter;

Painting - B. Terwilliger;

Carpenter - G.S. Lawson; and

Mason work - Wickham Bros.

You have just read about opening day at the Pottawattamie County "Squirrel Cage" Jail. The jail closed in 1969 and is now a museum. The "Squirrel Cage" Jail is the only three story revolving jail ever built. Come listen to the "Tales from the Cells" and view the historical displays dealing with the history of Pottawattamie County.

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