The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-21
BURN THEIR WAY OUT.
The Walls Pierced by an Iron
Cap Heated Over a
Lamp.
ARMED POSSES IN PURSUIT.
1t Is Thought the Escapes Are Hiding
in the Vicinity and VIII Soon
Be Retaken.

VALLEJO, CAL. April 2o.-Five des-
perate men escaped from the jail at Fair
field this morning They had been con-
fined in one cell, and took an unusual
means of gaining freedom. Fire was the
medium used to break through TO liberty.
The eonvicts are still at large, though the
surrounding country is being searched by
posses.
The plans of the escapes were cooIly and
skillfully executed. Their freedom was
gained by means of an iron bar, which one
OF the five had secured while working on
the rock pile and secreted beneath his
clothes. After being locked up for the
night, the bar was brought into use and
plan OF escape devised.
Just outside the cell lamp was burning.
The chimney was knocked off, and the
men in turn held the bar over the fame
until it became red hot. They then pushed
it through the interior wall of the cell As
the fumes of smoke from the burning wood
arose it was industriously waved aside,
and suspicion was thus allayed.
After burning through the inside wall of
the cell an outer wall of planking, almost
four inches in thickness, was attacked, and
again the iron bar was made to perform valu-
able service. With energy and perseverance
the conyicts worked at their task for hours.
By midnight they had reached the outer
and last wall Of the jail, composed Of rus
tic. Fearing detection if the hot iron bar
was used knife made Of hoop iron sharp
ened to a razor's edge soon severed the
boards and they reached free air. No one IN
the jail was aroused, so skillfully did they
do the work, and not until the rounds
made this morning was the escape dis
covered.
1t appears that the men had intended to
set fire TO the prison after escaping, and
had carried that plan into execution.
After the blaze had been started they aDpar-
emily changed their minds and extin-
guished it. Had they allowed their incen-
diary fire to get under headway the other
prisoners in the Jail would undoubtedly
have been cremated. The hole burned by
the prisoners in the jail measured 81 by
13115 feet.
The escaped prisoners had been under
restraint, more or less, and had shown a
disposition to shirk duty, When COM
PEELED to do hard work at the rock pile
they rebelled. At this working-place the
escape was planned and thence the imple-
ments carried to the cell.
Immediately on discovery of the break
word was sent to all points throughout the
State to apprehend the prisoners. The
belief exists that the men separated on
leaving the jail All are hard characters
and fight can be expected OF them before
they give up. Every avenue is closed
against their leaving the county. They
wear conYict's clothes, and the opinion Of
officers is that they are in hiding in the
vicinity. Sheriff Ruff is determined that
every man shall be retallen.
The escaped prisoners are Watts Wilson,
convicted of petty larceny; Spud Murphy,
who attempted TO murder several citizens
a short time ago while suffering from
insanity; George Rose, who attempted to
kill Constable Fleming; a man named
Bryant, doing time for arson, and a
soldier named Carter, who attempted to
kill companian in Benicia few months
ago during drunken row.
At late hour tonight none OF the
prisoners had been caught, although the
county and city is full of vigilant officers.