The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-05-14
ESCAPE FROM A n1ExroAN PRISON.
An Americans Experience in the Ro-
merez Rebellion.
By J. B. Fleurante.)


A prison is never a pleasant abode. but
it is especially disagreeable to the pris-
oner who knows not what day he may be
called out and shot. Such at least was
my impression during three months in
the Conception prison in the state OF
Sinoloa.
We were sixty four political prisoners,
insurgents, who had taken part in the
rebellion of General Romerez against
President Diaz, and as such expected no
mercy.
1 was the only American in the number.
We had all been wounded and captured
in the disastrous battle of Las Huntas.
l was engaged developing an old min
ing property in the Sierra Madra noun
| tains near Tiolteta in the state of Sinoloa.
l had invested all had in the world in
working the mine, SO that when the peo-
pie of the state arose in arms to resent
the forcibJe imposition on them of gov
ernor whom they detested, the commo-
ton meant to me financial ruin. Should
General Romerez, the peoples choice by
election, succeed in establishing his
right, our enterprise would be success.
was thus led to take up my Winchester
III defense of the popular right OF self
government as against President D az and
nominee, Rubio.
How we fought, first in the open and
afterward guerilla fashion in the noun
tains, the world knows, and how we were
hopelessly defeated in the battle of Las
| Huntas.
1 was wounded in the thigh in that
battle and made prisoner by the Diaz
| troops. AS / have said, we were carried
TO Conception prison, there to be kept un-
| til the government should be ready to
dispose of us-how we had little reason to
doubt. The fate of rebels caught with
arms in their hands in Mexico is easily
| foreseen.
La Conception prison was large. ramb-
| ling structure, formerly Jesuit monas-
terry. The walls were thirty-five feet
high, built of stone and adobe. Our cells
| looked into court which was open to the
heavens overhead, but surrounded on
three sides by the walls of the prison and
by the guard rooms in front.
The wound in my leg at first kept me
confined in my cell, and when it began
| to mend could walk only with crutch,
and it quite suited me to foster the idea
that l was too lame to think of escape. In
what direction 1 should eventually make
the attempt could not tell, but l was
determined not to remain there to be
shot.
The escape of prisoner decided my
plans. In broad daylight, almost under
the eyes of the guards, an Indian clam
bered up the adobe wall at point where
the partition wall of the guards quarters
Joined the main structure. The clay had
in course of time crumbled and had left
the stones uncovered, and their uneven
ness afforded footing.
His escape decided me. / took advan-
tage OF one Of the ever-recurring feast
days to make the attempt. The guards
mescal, and | was half way up when, un-
fortunately, one of them cast his eve at
the dangerous corner and there espied me.
| came down in quick time, expecting to
be fired on.
There was a great hubbub among the
officials, and the governor of the prison
next morning had us all file out in line
before him to listen TO his speech. He
was very angry, and there publicly auth
orized, nay ordered, the guards to shoot
to death without further explanation any
prisoner who might thenceforth attempt
to escape
AS for meat the close of his speech he
ordered me out of the ranks and into the
guard room, where | found two black
smiths waiting to iron my legs.
The prospect was not encouraging.
From carefully guarded queries put to
the other prisoners / learned that the
main wall was five feet through at the
base, and that it was fanked or both
sides by private houses. No chances for
escape by boring through the wall.
There was only one way. That was to
follow the same plan as the Indian.
Every time looked at that cracked and