25 October 1892: Outsmarting the Jailbreakers

On this day in 1892, the Weekly Banner  explained the problems faced by Sheriff John W. Wier in his jail:

At the time, the courthouse and jail were on Prince Avenue; the jail Sheriff Wier was trying to secure is still standing on Meigs Street, where it now houses offices for the Oconee River Land Trust, the Georgia Land Conservation Center, and the studio for artist Charles Pinckney. The bars are still on the windows.

John W. Wier was elected Sheriff of Clarke County in 1880, and served a total of 26 years. He died while in office, and was replaced in a special election one month later by Walter E. Jackson. His family was allowed to stay in the Sheriff's house on the courthouse square during the election period. Wier was also known for keeping several pets in the jail, including a frog.

Learn More:

• Weekly Banner, Jul. 1892 - Dec. 1893 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Banner, Mar. 1906 - Dec. 1907 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• A Postcard History of Athens, Georgia by Gary L. Doster in the Heritage collection.
• Athens, Georgia: A Pictorial History, 1801-2001 by James K. Reap in the Heritage and general collections.
• The Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society, edited by Norval Morris in the general collection.
• Mastering Hand Tool Techniques by Alan and Gill Bridgewater in the general collection.
• Civil War Prisons and Escapes: A Day-by-Day Chronicle by Robert E. Denney in the general collection.
• A Museum of Early American Tools by Eric Sloane in the general collection.
• The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill in the general collection.
• The Great Escape in the DVD collection.
• Voices from a Southern Prison by Lloyd C. Anderson in the general collection.
• Getting the Most Out of Your Abrasive Tools by Rockwell Manufacturing Company in the general collection.
• Escape from Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War by John D. Lukacs in the general collection.
• Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons by Stephen King in the large print collection.
• The Shawshank Redemption in the DVD collection.
• You Got Nothing Coming: Notes from a Prison Fish by Jimmy Lerner in the biography collection.
• Tools: A Tool-By-Tool Guide to Choosing and Using 150 Home Essentials by Steve Dodds in the general collection.
• Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War by Bruce B. Henderson in the general collection.
• Miracle at Sing Sing: How One Man Transformed the Lives of America's Most Dangerous Prisoners by Ralph Blumenthal in the general collection.
• Handy Manny's Pet Roundup in the children's DVD collection.