Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-28
FOXY RUSSELL.
He illustrates the CrOcker
Boys Plans.
They Had Arranged to Strangle
Him and Escape.
Several of the Clever Schemes They
Had Arranged.
Deputy Sheriff who Wisely Declined
to Accede to the Wishes Of His
Prisoners-How Sheriff Nc
Kenzie Was Buncoed.

Deputy Sheriff Henry Russell has just
returned from San Francisco, having
taken up the two Crocker boys, George
and Joe, who were sentenced to San
Quentin prison for five years each, on
charges of forgery.
Russell says that his trip from Los
Angeles to the prison was one of the
most eventful that has fallen to his ex-
perience in conveying convicts to the
pen. Knowing that the Crocker boys
participated in the recent attempt at
jail-breaking, Deputy Russell received
special instructions from Sheriff Gibson
to be particularly watchful of his
charges. Russell had also received a
tip that an effort to escape would be
made by the Crockefs, with the aid of
outside assistance, if an opportunity
occurred while they we're in transit be-
tween this city and San Francisco.
The Crocker boys were joined together
by heavy leg shackle, and soon after
the train started they asked Russell,
who was sitting behind them, to turn
the seat over and sit vis-a-vis with them.
This Russell declined to do. When the
train stopped at Mojave for dinner, the
Crocker boys plead with him to go across
the square to smaller and more unpre-
tentious restaurant than the regular
dining place. This he also refused to
do, whereat they seemed much disap-
pointed. On the train, all the way to
Oakland, Russell sat behind the two
men with his gun in ready reach. When
they reached Oakland station George,
the younger brother, began complaining
that the shackle was hurting his leg and
moaned and groaned as if he were suffer
ing excruciating agony. Both of the
prisoners plead with the officer most
earnestly to loosen the shackle and let
it drop down on Georges instep over
his shoe. This, too, RUSSELL refused to
do, and as usual, the depot was crowded
with passengers waiting for the
ferry boat, and some kind-hearted citi-
zens standing in the throng, who were
moved by the means, roundly rated the
officer for his apparent cold-hearted-
ness. When they reached the other
side of the ferry q woman dressed in
black and heavily veiled made several
attempts to get between Russell and the
prisoners and endeavored to communi-
cate with them, but was checked by
Russell, who anticipated a dose CT red
pepper in his eyes. The opportune ar
rival of policeman, to whom Russell
beckoned, caused the woman to dart
away with the speed of an arrow and
Jump into hack and drive rapidly up
Market street.
Russell finally landed his prisoners
within the walls of San Quentin, and
then it was that Joe Crocker, the eldest
of the two, turned to him and said i:
"Well, you're pretty good one. If you
had let up on us at any stage
of this trip you would never
have landed us here" He then
told Russell that if he had turned
the seat around and sat with them that
they intended to strangle him in the
night; secure the key Of the shackles
and jump the train. Failing in this, if
he had been persuaded to 60 to the
smaller restaurant across the square at
Mojave, they had friends in waiting to
help them away. The complaint about
the shackle being too tight, which they
made at Oakland. was another ruse.
They said that if Russell had unlocked
the shackle, to loosen it, they intended
to jump on him while STOPPING and
make their escape in the crowd; and
lastly, if the San francisco copper had
not arrived 80 opportunely, another at
tempt would have been made. They
both admitted that they had put out
sufficient forged checks in California to
keep them in prison for the rest of their
natural lives, if they got one days i'm
prisonment for each check is
sued. As it is, they will prob
ably spend the balance of their
lives in the prison, in view of the nu-
merous charges which have been placed
on record against them. They both say,
they are back in Los Angeles, as they
are confident of breaking out of San
Quentin. They say that, Los Angeles is
the softest town on earth, and that in
company with their brother, who is also
doing time in San Quentin. they intend
to come to this city and whitewash the
town. They claim to have raised several
thousand dollars in this section on
forged checks for amounts ranging from
$40 to $50, and that the great majority
of the losers have said nothing about
their losses, being ashamed to say that
they had been fleeced. The night be-
fore they were arrested they dropped
$500 against faro game in San Ber-
nardino. The Crocker boys are the two
slick individuals who managed toefeece
Sheriff Mckenzie OF Napa county out OF
$225O on pretense that they would dig
up the Greenwood murderers for him.
Sheriff Mckenzie Is sadder but wiser
man, even if somewhat simmer in
purse. On one occasion they wired to
him toward the close of their regotia-
tions with him, to send them $3.50, as
they had the murderers "dead sure to
rights" Mckenzie promptly wired
them $500, but they we're obdurate and
insisted on receiving the additional $50,
and Mckenzie sent it. They then wired
him: prisoners now on way to Napa
county," Mckenzie spent two restless
days and was somewhat astonished on
the third day by receiving wire box
in which were two mongrel yellow dogs,
bearing the inscription: "We are the
Greenwood murderers. Ha, ha, ha."