The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-12-01
FIVE BURGLARS IMPLICATED.
How the Plot Was First Dis
covered.
CONFESSION OF A PRISONER
The Doorkeeper and Desk Sergeant
to Be Murdered if Necessary
to Effect an Escape.

by prisoners to effect their escape from a
prison was discovered and frustrated in
the City Prison last night.
About o'clock Sergeant Shields, who
was on duty at the desk. was informed
that two of the iron bars of beds,ead in
cell &c, which is located at the end of the
corridor east of the entrance in the little l.
running north. were missing.
The sergeant and CORPORAL Parrotte, the
doorkeeper, at once commenced an in
vestigation.
In the cell were eight prisoners, five Of
whom were awaiting their preliminary
examination for burglary. These five are
G. w. Black and D. Black. brothers.
arrested by Officers Dillon and Crockett on
November 16 for q daylight burglary In a
house on Tehama street; f. Ssrgent. E.
Scharge and A. p. Tenvoorde, arrested by
Officers j. c. Maloney and w. Handley on
November % for daylight burglary in a
house on Point Lobos road.
Each of the prisoners was taken out of
the cell separately and closely searched.
the sergeant and corporal not knowing ex-
actly what the search might develop.
They had an idea that the prisoners
might have had opium struggled in to
them. Nothing was found to arouse the
slightest suspicion IN tnelr minus tuat
anything was wrong.
1t was deemed advisable, however, to
place the prisoners in an iron cell where
saws and knives would be useless.
About an hour afterward one of the other
three prisoners told the sergeant and cor
poral startling story.
The day after Sergent. Scharge and
Tenvoorde were locked up in the CELL" he
said, they had long, whispered CONVEX
sation with the Black brothers. and plot
was concocted whereby they thought they
might succeed in making their escape out
of prison.
"They took the two iron bars from the
bedstead and placed them on the ledge
over the iron grating where they coulo not
be seen.
"They managed to keep two of the din
ner knives without discovery, and with
these they began to pick out the mortar
between the bricks in the wall running
east to west and facing north, in that por-
ton next TO the iron bars.
They succeeded in removing one of the
bricks, when they saw that ii would take
too long to make an opening by that means
wide enough to enable them TO crawl out.
Through some means that | ain not
aware Of. they got into the cell a piece of
broken metal saw, which they tied firmly
into a piece of stick to stiffen il. With
this saw they began to saw through one of
work, each taking turn at it, while the
others kept watch. got 1t sawn about half
through.
"They concluded TO give up the chance
of escaping by this means and then they
Matched the plot which was to be carried
into execution about 10 o'clock last night,
about an hour after the discovery was
made that the iron bars from the bedstead
were missing.
THE plot was to start up big row in the
cell among the five. When Corporal Par
rotte would make his appearance 10 Quell
the riot they would commence fighting
among themselves, so as to compel him to
open the cell door and stop the fight.
"As soon as Parrotte opened the cell
door two of them were TO seize the iron
bars and beat Parrotte into insenslbiIity
OF death, seize the keys, rush in a body
upon Shields. kill him If he offered any
resistance and then open the prison door
and break away to liberty.
"They did the work of loosening ard re-
moving the brick from the wall and saw
ing the iron bar during nights " hen there
was little or no chance of discovery"
Sergeant Shields closely questioned his
informant. but be did not vary in any es-
sentiGl point.
In confirm alton of his story the wall was
examined and at the point indicated
piece of paper was found pasted, and on
removing it the loosened brick was seen.
On the ledge above the grating the two iron
bars were found, and hidden in the cell
were found the two knives and the impro-
vised saw. These were taken possession
Of by the sergeant and are held as evil
dence against the would-be jai-breakers.
Cell % is completely hidden from view
and would afford an excellent opportunity
for removing bricks or saving the bars,
but for any prisoners to attempt to escape
by either of these means was a piece of
the greatest folly. The plan however hit
upon as a last expedieut to raise a dis
turbance and brain the doorkeeper and
desk sergeant and any trusly that would
have the hardihood 10 interfere might have
been crowned with success.
Each Of the five burglars and attempte
ail-breakers is comparatively young in
years, but they are all hard-looking char
acters. The Black brothers ages are re-
spectively % and %; Scharpe is IL years of
age. but looks older; Sergent IS and Ten
voorde 20.
They will have now to answer to the
additional charge of attempting to break
Jail.
The other three prisoners who were in
the cell were not concerned in the at
tempt, but did not divulge the doings of
the other five. as they were afraid of hav-
ing their heads smashed with the iron bars