The herald., 1895-12-29
Chain Gang Prisoners Make a
Break for Liberty
1T WAS FAIRLY SUCCESSFUL
James Lewis, a Fifty.Day Hobo, ID.
augurates the Bold Attempt
he Is Recaptured, But the Remaining Twelve
Have Not Yet Been Reported Chief
Glass Opinion

Thirteen members of that select party
of forty that GO to maize up the city prison
chain gang made break for liberty yes
terday. Eleven have not since been heard
from, but it is supposed that they are
doing fairly well. Two have been re-
ported and are no. doing at all well. They
are in dark cells at the city prison on q
diet of bread and water.
This is the largest number of prisoners
that has ever escaped from the officers of
the law in Los Angeles county at one time
that has yet been recorded up to this date.
Att O'Clock yesterday morning the pris.
oners that 90 TO make up1the chain gang
walked out of the j Ill and boarded the
wagons that were at hand TO convey then
to the First street cut, where they put in
the days working off the dirt that is regu.
larly dyna nited off private prop 'rty and
blown into the street. The forty city
prisoners load the dirt on the wagons and
It is .rried 10 some lots on Grand avenue,
between First and Court streets. Hero it ID
dumped onto private property. Every
load thus dumped adds to the value of the
private property, that is at present value
less.
The prisoners took their positions in the
wagon as usual yesterday morning and
everything seemed 10 he progressing
nicely. C,ptain Huston, who has bossed
the chain gang for 10 these many yeal s.,
was on hand. One mounted guard was
there and one OH foot. The cavalc ,de
moved up Second street to Broadway, and
here he curtain was rung up on the Hrst
act. James Lewis, IA flfty-day prisoner,
concluded thai he had about all he desired
of prison fare and the First street cut. So
he urceremoniously departed. Jumping
from the wagon he started down Broad
way. The mounted guard was after him
in a few seconds.
As soon as the other prisoners noted
what had transpired and also saw that the
mounted guard was busy, eleven OF them
followed tie example of Lewis. They ran
in ali dire ctiOns by the nearest routes that
would take them away from the Jail and
the First street cut. Captain Huston and
the one remaining guard concluded to stay
with the ship. There were about twenty
five prisoners left in tue wagons and they
considered them to be worth holding. So,
acting on the theory that twenty-five prs-
oners in hand were worth eleven running
in all directions, the escape OF the gallant
eleven was successful.
Lewis, tile first mat 10 make si5 break,
was brought in triumph back to the wagons
by til mounted guard. Then the detach-
Here Capt. Huston marshaled ,he prison.
ers and called the roll Those who we're
numbered among the missing we're:
j. johnson, 100 days; Bergen, 240 days |;
Stewart, 1870 days; Tom Ma,tiu, 80 days !;
William Evans, 90 days; William DAILY,
81 days; }. Moreno, go days; u. Sudds,
80 days; L. Alviso. % days; George Will
son : o days, aud James Collins. 80 days.
VIII 10 the roll Was being Cal ed prisoner
William McGee found hat he had business
el sew here. % he leisurely climbed the
hill and walked away. The roll was called
several times, tut no two times did the
number who answered to their names
agree. Then il was discovered tina the
prisoners present we're answering for those
who. bad drifted away
Captain Huston got mad and had each
man come forward as his name was called
a, d stand off by himself. In this way an
ac-ur te number OF the escapes was Sc
curelD !:
There is no possible excuse for the sue
cess of this break of the prisoners for lib.
erty. 1t s simply due TO the fact that the
guards were lacking in vigilance and COM
mon sense. aptain Huston claims that
the only safe way is 10 put an Oregon boot
on every prisoner. Chief Glass says that
no such inhuman thing is required. He
claims that the guards were der.lict in the
performance of their duty, aud makes no
excuses or apologies for them. The mat
ter will be reported to the police commits.
sion Tuesday, and there Is a very promis-
ing outlook for three chain gang guards to
be out OF a job on aud after January LIST.