The Old Jail saw a number of escapes, a few of which are recorded here. The most dramatic undoubtedly was that of Hugh Waddell, awaiting trial on a charge of arson. The building in question was a hotel at the corner of Water and Frederick Streets called The American House. The account of the escape suggests that it was made possible by the collusion of Mrs. Murchie, proprietress of the Hotel, where Waddell was boarded at the time of the fire. It is later remembered that Mrs. Murchie left St. Andrews under a cloud of suspicion. The recollection of the event in the St. Andrews Beacon, 1889, is dramatic but in some particulars inaccurate.