Excerpted from the Beacon Flashes column:

Alex NIXON and Willie WALKER, both colored, broke jail on Friday night last, or rather they kicked out a few of the rotten bricks which was only the work of a few minutes.  The jailer offers a reward for the capture of NIXON.  He is a yellow man about 6 feet high.  We do not think the Sheriff of jailer either should be held responsible for the escape of prisoners unless a better jail was built, the present one is almost useless.

Source: Roanoke Beacon, 4 April 1890, pg 3. Available online at digitalnc.org.