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

The Stockton, Cal, Herald reports the fol
lowing rather remarkable case Off breaking;
Since the capture of Johnny Sansome, the
noted safe cracker, and his return to Folsom,
the manner i'm which he made his exit has be-
come known. He is known among the OH.
Gals as a chad burglar and safe robber, and
among his associate convicts as ''splendd
fellow. During his Imprisonment he was
looked upon as a leader to put up jobs OF
all kinds. particularly escapes HIS pals
would never Squeal ON him when he was car
rving out his well-laid plans. Nine months
ago. while confined in a cell at Folsom, he
planned his last eseaTfe. His cell floor is made
of granite blocks held together with cement.
By removing the cement between two blocks
and prospecting with a wire, he discovered a
hollow below him. and he decided to ascertain
its extent. From the workshop he Struggled
a cold chisel and piece of hard wood, which
he seereted in his cell. The granite block he
decided to cut in two, and he did 1t by striking
his chisel every time door opened or slam
med. 1t was n difficult job, and required
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 ne succeeded in removing halt OF 1t he
propped the other half up with n stick of tim
Der. aud 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 halt feet timex,
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
the sewer some ffty-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
/, back ike Squirrel into the hollow
space underneath his cell He met with an
other obstruction when this was removed. II
was a granite block two and half feet thick.
When he made his way through this he ran
tunnel into the ground eight feet long, just
Wide enough to admit his body, and then
started an incline upward, which, after run
ming four feet brought him into an unused
y
floor. and with window barred with chilled
iron bars. Sansome had provided himself
with steel saws made out of case knives 10 cut
the bars. The only opportunities BE- had af-
for,led him to complete this york were gwen
when the guards we're changing shifts or When
they were in some remote portion of the IN
sfituti0n twas during the tine of the change
81 shifts that he escaped and gained his iIber.
tv When once on the outside he procured
clothing from some tramps and he then made
bis way through % Marysyille. Often while
he vas working in the sewer the sir was 50
foul that be had 90 withdraw to save himself
from Suffocation. In the nine months re-
qaired to complete the job Sansonc lost
twonsv.fve pounds Of flesh. When sheriff
Cunningham covered him with hts revolver
at Marvsville he found a small unloaded pistol
on him, and when Sansoae vas asked what
he intended doing with il he said that be had
bought i from tramp 10 Kill rats with. The
feIou hsd thrive wars and eight months 20
serve, counting his ave years credits. His
sentence was fftren YEARS for safe cracking.