"like drunken sailors". Pierpont and Skeer were extradited to Kokomo for trial and held in the Howard county jail. They were brought back to Kokomo under heavy guard, coming from Detroit to Peru by train and then on to Kokomo by auto. Escape attempt, Howard County, Indiana jail Police denied reports that Skeer confessed to the Kokomo holdup in order to spare his sweetheart, Louise Brunner. In his confession, it was alleged that he implicated Pierpont in the Kokomo, Noblesville, Upland and Marion bank robberies. While being held in the Howard County jail in Kokomo, an escape attempt by Harry and Skeer was thwarted with the discovery of ten saw blades in the cells. Pierpont had reportedly boasted when captured in Detroit that he would never be held for trial. Pinkerton operative, F.C. Huntington, found the saws when the prisoners were being examined in city court. One bar in Skeer's cell had been severed. Four saw blades had been used, and a bar in Pierpont's cell was found partially severed. Harry's brother, Fred, was arrested on charges of aiding his brother's escape attempt, but was later acquitted of the charges. Trial, Howard County, Indiana Circuit Court Pierpont's parents came to Kokomo from their home in Brazil, Indiana on Saturday, April 4, 1925 and arranged with the firm of Overman & Healy and Carl Bree to look after the interests of Harry when arraigned and to defend him in his upcoming trial. Pierpont's attorneys did not yet admit that his name was anything other than Frank Mason, the alias given in Detroit. On April 5, 1925, Pierpont and Skeer were taken into city court in Kokomo, where Howard County prosecutor Homer Miller announced to City Judge Joe Cripe that by agreement between him and the attorneys for the prisoners, the preliminary hearing might be set for Thursday (April 9) afternoon, and the judge agreed. Prosecutor Miller expected the prisoners to be bound over to the Howard circuit court, bonds to be fixed and a hearing held before Judge John Marshall. Howard County Sheriff Joseph Lindley adamantly denied reports that Pierpont and Skeer would be spirited away to another jail for safekeeping, presumably the Pendleton reformatory. Local reports indicated that citizens were concerned the ancient jail would be inadequate to hold experienced criminals Sheriff Lindley kept Pierpont and Skeer under heavy guard and denied visitors to the cellhouse for fear of a