 After news of his mother 's death reaches Luke , the Captain , anticipating that Luke might attempt to escape in order to attend his mother 's funeral , has him locked in the prison punishment box . After being released from the box , receiving word that his mother 's burial is completed , and being told to forget about her , Luke is determined to escape . Under the cover of a Fourth of July celebration , he makes his initial escape attempt . He is later recaptured by local police and returned to the chain gang , but not before one of the blood hounds sent after him dies from strain caused by struggling through barbed @-@ wire fences . After his capture and return , the Captain has Luke fitted with leg @-@ irons and delivers a warning speech to the other inmates , explaining , " What we 've got here is failure to communicate . Some men you just can 't reach . So you get what we had here last week , which is the way he wants it . Well , he gets it . I don 't like it any more than you men . " 
