The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-02-04
A Felon Spends Nine Months in Dig
ging to Liberty.

The Stockton, Cal. i, Herald reports the fol-
lowing rather remarkable case of jail breaking
Since the capture of Johnny Sansome, the
noted safe cracker, and his return to Folsom
the manner in which he made his exit has be-
come known. He is known among the Off
Gals as ''bad burglar and safe robber," and
among his associate eonvicts as a splendid
fellow. During his Imprisonment he was
looked upon as leader to put up jobs, of
all kinds, particularly escapes His pals
would never squeal on him when he was car
rying out his well laid plans. Nine months
ago, while confined in a cell at Folsom, he
planned his last escape. His cell floor is made
of granite blocks held together with cement
BY removing the cement between two blocks
and prospecting with wire, he discovered a
hollow below him, and he decided to ascertain
its extent. From the workshop he smuggled
a cold chisel and piece of hard wood, which
he secreted in his CELL The granite block he
decided to cut in two and he did it by striking
his chisel every time door opened or slam
med. 1t was a difficult job and required a
great deal of time, which was taken only at
night, as he worked outside during the day.
The block was nine inches in thickness, and
when he succeeded i'll removing half of it he
propped the other half up with a stick of tim
Der, and covered the hole with piece of
wood cut to fit exactly. He plastered the
wood over with cement, which he whitewash-
ed. making it look like the granite floor.
When he made an examination of the hollow
space below he found that, by cutting through
stone and cement three and half feet thick,
he could reach an abandoned sewer, which
had been constructed and abandoned before
the completion of the building. In order to
avoid detection by the guards as they made
their regular rounds he hung some of his
clothes upon the WALL and the rest he made
into dummy, which he tucked nicely under
the blankets Naked, he worked night after
night, until he had entered the opening of the
stone sewer. The holes he cut were so small
that he had to grease them so as to allow his
body to slip through. After passing through
Che sewer some fifty-two feet he met with an
Obstruction in the shape of stone and cement
ten feet in thickness, which had been filled in
when the sewer was abandoned. This he re-
moved slowly piece by piece, carrying
it back like a squirrel into the hollow
space underneath his cell. He met with an
other obstruction when this was removed. 1t
was granite block two and half feet thick.
When he made his way through this he ran a
tunnel into the ground eight feet long, just
wide enough to admit his body, and then
started an incline upward, which, after run
closet in small room with an asphaltum
floor, and with window barred with chilled
iron bars. Sansome had provided himself
with steel saws made out of case knives to cut
the bars. The only opportunities he had at
forded him to complete this work were given
when the guards were changing shifts or when
they were in some remote portion of the in
stitution. 1t was during the time ofthe change
of shifts that he escaped and gained his liber..
ty. When once on the outside he procured
clothing from some tramps and he then made
his way through to Marysville. Often while
he was working in the sewer the air was so
foul that he had to withdraw to save himself
from sufocation. In the nine months re-
CURED to complete the job Sansome lost
twenty-five pounds of flesh. When Sheriff
Cunningham covered him with his revolver
at Marysville he found small unloaded pistol
on him, and when Sansome was asked what
he intended doing with it he said that he had
bought it from tramp to kill rats with. The
felon had three years and eight months to
serve, counting his five years credits. His
sentence was fifteen years for safe cracking.