The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-24
BRUGGY AT LARGE.
Second Escape of the
Murderer.
FIVE OTHERS ALSO FREE.
Sensational Jail Delivery at
Santa Rosa.
PRISONERS SAWED A CELL BAR
Scrambled Over the Roof and Dropped
to Freedom While the Jailer
Was at Supper.

the Petaluma murder this city was thrown
into a fever of excitement tonight over a
jail delivery, in which George W. Bruggy,
the noted murderer. and LOrin Espev.
another murderer. escaped with four
other prisoners. The break occurred be-
tween and o'clock, just after Jailer
Wise had inspected the interior of the jail
before going to supper.
The prisoners who escaped with Bruggy
and Espey were Craig and Smith. burg
lars; Pridgett and Owens, petty offenders.
The break was made by the same means
and in the same manner as before, when
Bruggy and Frencby got out. only to be
retaken. One of the cross-bars in the
cage was sawed at the north end of the
Jail near the water-close and from there
the prisoners climbed to the top OF the
cage and broke out light OF heavy glass
in the roof.
After gaining the opening it was an easy
matter to climb to the edge of the roof and
drop down into the alleyway along the
east side of the building.
The Sheriff organized posse, which is
now in pursuit.
The break is supposed to have been
aided by Mrs. Bruggy, who was IN to see
her husband last Saturday.
Espey was sentenced two weeks ago to
twelve years Imprisonment at San Quen-
tin for the murder of man named Ban
mister at Windsor. His case had been ap-
pealed.
Craig and Smith were to have been tried
on charge OF burglary Thursday. The
| burglary was committed at Bloomfield in
this county six weeks ago.
Young Pridgett. who is II years of age
was to have been tried this week for an
assault with deadly weapon upOn man
named Casey near Petaluma. Owens is a
petty thief.
A mail-carrier named Halbert saw the
men on the roof of the Jail between 6 and
/ Z o'clock, but did not think enough of the
| circumstance to notify the officers.
Walter Byington saw twOmen, supposed
to be Bruggy and Espey. driving eastward
on Fourth street, about o'clock. but
knowing nothing about the break at the
time he thought the man in the cart merely
bore a likeness to Bruggy. After learning
of the break he was certain the man was
| Bruggy.
Suspicion seems to center on Mrs.
| Bruggy as being the chief outside confed-
crate, though many hold to the belief that
Espey's father had as much to do with the
escape as any one. The latter is Sheriff
| Aliens belief Every precauton is sup
posed TO have been taken at the jail,
though some blame the Sheriff's officers
for allowing Mrs. Bruggy so much liberty
in the jail with her husband. Sheriff
Allen telegraphed to all the towns in the
county and put twenty men in The field
within twenty minutes after the break was
discovered.
By his murderous conduct and daring
escapades George W. Bruggy has fur
nished considerable material for news
paper stories during the past four years.
The crime for which he was sentenced to
pay the death penalty is still only too well
remembered. During carousal at Wind
sor, near Santa Rosa. he met and killed
Richard Louison on February II, 1890. On
that day Louison and Bruggy met in a
saloon in Windsor and drank together for
several hours. Bruggy was very quarrel
some, but Louison was larger man and
easily withstood several attacks upon him.
Finally Louison threw Bruggy down.
Springing to his feet. Bruggy drew pistol
and pursued Louison, who ran around the
side OF the saloon while his pursuer went
L
followed him around the side of the build
ing, Louison opened the rear door and
was encountered by Bruggy. who caught
aud shot him to death.
Bruggy was tried. convicted of murder
in the first degree, and was sentenced to
| be hanged on June IL, 1890. During the
trial it was shown that Bruggy had pre-
viously planned the murder of Louison,
who had q good reputation and who was
the sole support of widowed mother.
Bruggy, on the other hand, got himself
into trouble before the shooting scrape by
| running the half-witted daughter of a
| Windsor farmer.
Bruggy's attorneys appealed twice to
the Supreme Court, but that body only
| confirmed the decision Of the lower court.
On the morning of May 2, 1892, at A. NJ,
Bruggy and a fellow-prisoner known as
Frenchy managed to escape from Jail by
filing through the bolts of the doors of
their cells. For three days they were at
large, but were finally captured at Wind
sor, near the scene of Bruggy's crime.
They made no resistance and were taken
back to Jail. where Bruggy was afterward
confined.
When questioned by the officers Bruggy
| refused to relate the details of his escape.
Soon after this for the third time he had
the death sentence passed upon him.
June 80, 1892. was the day set for his exc
| cution. A sister of the condemned man
soon after visited Governor Markham and
asked that her brothers sentence be COM
| muted. The Governor. however, remained
obdurate and refused to grant the request.
A few days before the time set for the
execution another appeal was taken to the
Supreme Court. Again the effort to obtain
a new trial was unsuccessful, and through
various legal technicalites the attorneys
managed to delay the execution. The
fourth date fixed for the execution was
drawing near, however. when Bruggy
| made his second escape.