Wild Tales of the Buzzard Gang: The Great Lancaster Prison Break of 1883

As we count down to the April 12, 2025 launch of the $5,000 Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure Hunt, I’m sharing true stories about these infamous criminals—their daring heists, notorious hideouts, and dramatic showdowns with the law.

Here’s the second installment. Click here to read other Wild Tales of the Buzzard Gang.

The Buzzard Gang

The Buzzard Gang was once a household name in Lancaster County and beyond, earning headlines in major newspapers like The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. They were so notorious that even the New York City Police Department was put on alert when rumors spread that Abe Buzzard, the gang’s leader, might be heading their way. Dubbed the “Jesse James of the East Coast,” Abe and his brothers terrorized the region with burglaries, prison escapes, and shootouts that rivaled anything seen in the Wild West.

The Great Lancaster Prison Break of 1883

On the night of October 10, 1883, Lancaster County witnessed the most daring and elaborate jailbreak in its history—an escape orchestrated by none other than the infamous Buzzard Gang. The plan, masterminded by Isaac “Ike” Buzzard, involved deception, quick thinking, and an unlikely accomplice: a pet canary.

The Lancaster County Prison was unusually understaffed that evening. A major boxing match in the city had drawn the attention of many, leaving only two guards—Amos Lutz and Edward Sample—on duty. Sample was distracted, getting a haircut from inmate Billy Weider, a known Buzzard associate, while Lutz was making his rounds.

Ike and his younger brother Joe Buzzard were housed together in a cell across from their older brother Abe. Over time, Ike had trained his canary to return to its cage when its young chirped, a behavior he cleverly exploited to send messages between cells. The brothers had been planning their escape for weeks, and this night provided the perfect opportunity.

As Lutz passed their cell, Ike made a simple request: Could he pass his caged canary to Abe? Seeing no harm in the request, Lutz unlocked the cell, took the cage, and then opened Abe’s cell to hand it off. But the moment the door swung open, Ike and Joe pounced. Ike wrestled Lutz to the ground, snatched his keys, and locked him inside Abe’s cell.

With the keys in hand, Ike set about freeing other prisoners, including the notorious one-eyed horse thief John Frankfort. Several inmates rushed to cell number 9, where guards stored weapons and extra clothing, arming themselves for the escape. Meanwhile, Edward Sample, still in the midst of his haircut, found himself locked in a cell with Weider, neutralizing the second guard.

The escapees made their way to the prison yard, but their final obstacle was Bruno, the prison keeper’s fiercely loyal guard dog. Trained to attack fleeing inmates, Bruno lunged at the first escapee to reach the yard. In the chaos, the dog was severely beaten and left behind as the prisoners climbed the outer walls to flee into the night. Though he had fought bravely, Bruno succumbed to his injuries two weeks later, the only casualty of the escape.

A total of twelve prisoners broke free that night, including Ike and Abe Buzzard. However, Joe Buzzard, despite being part of the plan, surprisingly chose to stay behind—his sentence was nearly up, and he saw no reason to risk further trouble.

As alarms rang across Lancaster, the escapees scattered into the night. Many were quickly recaptured, but Ike and Abe managed to evade the authorities. Ike made it as far as Davenport, Iowa, before being arrested in July 1884. Abe, the most wanted fugitive, with a $1,000 bounty on his head, vanished into the Welsh Mountains, where he resumed his criminal exploits.

After nearly two years on the run, Abe made a surprising decision—he turned himself in on June 3, 1885, likely to prevent bounty hunters from collecting the reward. Later that year, both brothers were transferred to Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary, where they served out their sentences. While their time behind bars wasn’t over, the Buzzard brothers never attempted another jailbreak.

As for the canary, its fate remains unknown, lost to history like so many details of the Buzzard Gang’s infamous exploits.

This 1883 jailbreak held the record as Lancaster County’s largest for nearly a century until the 1980s when a dozen prisoners escaped, equaling its scale.

Click here to read other Wild Tales of the Buzzard Gang.

---

---

Never miss a new post!

Never miss a new blog post by signing up for email updates. Be sure to follow Uncharted Lancaster on Facebook or Instagram for exclusive content.

---

Thank You To Our Treasure Hunting Sponsors

JBT | Brookfield Renewable U.S. | White Chimneys | Lickity Split | Hammel Associates Architects | Keperling Preservation Services | LancasterHistory | Lancaster Troll Market | Pocket Books Shop | Catering With Care

References

• Most Creative Use of a Canary
• The Buzzards Are Here! The Buzzards Are Here!
• A look back at the Buzzard Gang’s lawless exploits
• Who Were the New Holland Buzzard Gang? – March 2023
• Video Lecture: History of The Buzzard Gang