By the mid-19th century, Centre County stood as a cradle of industry and statesmen in the wilds of the Alleghenies. Ironworks dotted the landscape, logging was at its peak, railroads cut through the vast wilderness, and the county seat, Bellefonte, had established itself as a beacon of “unshakeable character and civic order.” Yet that very order would be rattled in 1860 after a string of daring robberies unsettled the community. At the center of it all was a cunning thief whose violent actions, dramatic capture, and audacious escape would become the stuff of local legend, nearly forgotten amidst the events of Centre County’s Civil War era.
On the evening of Nov. 7, 1860, a month after Bellefonte native Andrew Gregg Curtin was elected governor, a brazen robbery was committed just a few miles from Curtin’s home. A party of seven men descended upon a house in Penn Township, armed with pistols and a plan. Jacob Gentzel and his wife were sitting in their home when the thieves, using a large piece of wood, shattered the front door and poured into the room. Holding the family at gunpoint, the burglars set about their task. Fearing for their lives, the Gentzels gave up a chest that contained nearly $1,400 in gold, silver, and bank notes (over $50,000 today).
After an investigation, it was surmised that the crime was likely the handiwork of well-known former local and currently “on the lam” burglar Lewis Sherman. A posse of seven was formed and on the evening of Nov. 10 set out for Sherman’s mother’s house in Stone Valley, where they hoped to find and ambush the thief, who was rumored to be lying low there. The posse arrived in the night, and near daybreak they observed Sherman come outside and return inside.
With pistols loaded and cocked, the posse stormed the house, only to find old Mrs. Sherman sitting in a rocking chair by the fire, looking on with indifference. The posse thoroughly searched the house, even pulling up rugs in each room, but there was no sign of Sherman. Before leaving, the posse checked one final spot, a floor mat they hadn’t moved under Mrs. Sherman’s chair next to the fireplace. After Mrs. Sherman reluctantly moved, the men discovered a trap door under the mat, and inside was the elusive Lewis Sherman, seated, looking up at the posse with disappointment.
Lewis Sherman was quickly secured and brought to Bellefonte Jail while investigators built their case. Careful attention was paid to Sherman, who had already broken out of at least one prison in Illinois. Upon a search of the Sherman residence in Stone Valley, items were found from several other robberies, including some goods from a general store robbery in Boalsburg that had gone unsolved. It was quickly discerned that many crimes in the area could be connected to Sherman directly, or that he likely knew of those who might be committing the crimes.
In early December, locals were less than surprised that a “stampede of prisoners” occurred at the jail in Bellefonte. Sheriff Alexander of Bellefonte had already been receiving little assurance from public opinion that he would be able to keep Sherman behind bars, and his fears were realized when he learned that Sherman was involved in the escape despite the extra precautions taken to hold him.
Sherman’s multi-faceted escape is the stuff of movies. Using a steel pen, he first “divested himself” of his manacles. He then opened the first lock to his cell with a handmade wooden key. The next lock, a padlock, was too low for Sherman or his cellmate to reach with the key, so Sherman heated a poker from the fireplace in their cell and burnt out the staple holding the door. He opened another cell door with the key before arriving at the exterior wall. With the help of some accomplices outside the prison, Sherman and his cellmate, along with two other prisoners, acquired a pick and an axe and chiseled their way through a recently repaired hole from an escape attempt several months earlier. Sherman was free.
The community couldn’t linger on the likes of Lewis Sherman. Nine days after his escape from the jail in Bellefonte, South Carolina seceded from the United States, America would soon be plunged into the Civil War, and Centre County would be swept up to answer the call to uphold the Union.
Unfortunately, no information exists of Lewis Sherman following his 1860 escape. He likely moved away from Centre County and assumed a new identity. Maybe his close call with the hangman changed him, or maybe he went straight back to what he was good at. T&G
Visit townandgown.com for a full list of sources. Local Historia is a passion for local history, community, and preservation. Its mission is to connect you with local history through engaging content and walking tours. Local Historia is owned by public historians Matt Maris and Dustin Elder, who co-author this column. For more, visit localhistoria.com.
Sources:
Centre County. (1860, December 20). Lewistown Gazette, pp. 2–2.
Linn, J. B. (1883, January 1). History of centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania : Linn, John Blair, 1831-1899. CN : Free download, Borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofcentrec00linn/page/103/mode/1up?view=theater
Pennsylvania items. (1860, December 5). Raftsman’s Journal, pp. 2–2.
