On this date (Nov. 11) in 1895, a jail escapee wanted in Watsonville made news across Northern California. This brief was published in the San Francisco Call (now the San Francisco Examiner), Volume 78, No. 164.
HEWITT ESCAPED JAIL
The Young Man Wanted at Watsonville disappears From Placerville.
PLACERVILLE, Cal., Nov. 10.— Young Hewitt, charged with stealing clothing at Watsonville and held here in jail, has escaped.
Deputy Sheriff Ryason of Watsonville arrived here last night to take Hewitt. The stolen clothing was identified and the papers were served this morning.
When Sheriff Hilbert went into the jail to feed the prisoners he found Hewitt had escaped. He is still at large, and officers are scouring the country in pursuit.
It's amazing that more than a century ago, a petty thief was tracked hundreds of miles across the state. It makes you think that some of the more severe crimes the city deals with now should be solvable.
