The prison conditions were awful, and Slim couldn’t imagine spending any more time in jail. He was assigned to work the coal pile and noticed a shed outside that the guard locked at the end of the day. Slim’s cellmate admired him and was willing to help, so Slim asked the roommate to position a dummy in his bed during the nightly count. After a coal shift, Slim snuck into the shed and hid there until the guard came to lock it. He then waited until the final whistle of the night, which indicated that the count was successful. Slim then snuck out of the shed, climbed onto the roof, and maneuvered his way across another room to the steep roof of the cellhouse. As he climbed, he watched the guard in the tower, hoping that the man would not see him. Slim managed to reach the other side and had a painful, rough landing on the ground below. He limped away, physically hurt but free, and made his way to his aunt’s house.