The record-union., 1895-09-30
THE WORST PRISONER At FOLSOM.
Wilson, Alias DonneIIy, the Weber
Murder Suspect.
He VIII Lose All His Credits Because
of an Attempt to Escape
From Prison.

At the meeting of the State Prison Di-
rectors at the Folsom Penitentiary on
Saturday, the cases of several convicts
were considered.
Cyrus Corrick, who was sentenced to
ten years from Fresno for menslaughter,
and who had eleven months to serve,
was admitted to parole. Convicts Clark
and Short each lost four months credit
for stealing from the Commissary De-
partment.
The case of j. Wilson, alias Donnelly,
was then called. Donnelly is the man
whom the defense in the Weber murder
case are expected to call as a witness. He
Is also the man who assaulted Judge Wal
lace in San Francisco last spring when
his honor sentenced him to forty years on
two charges OF burglary. Warden Aull
said out OF 500 prisoners Wilson was the
worst; that he WAS mean aud ugly; re-
fused 10 work, and he was constantly get
ting into trouble with his tellow-prison-
ers. Although but 19 years old, Wilson
had served a term in the Whittier Reform
School, and another in the penltentiary
in Salem. Or. In Seattle he had been
shot several times while trying to es-
cape from officers.
The particular charge against him this
time was attempting TO escape. On the
10th OF the month, while the convicis
were standing in line, two OF them inn
medlately in front of Wilson began
lighting. In the confusion which fol-
lowed Wilson managed to slip past
the guards and ran up stairs, hiding
under bed In room occupied by
one OF the guards as sleeping apart
ment. When guard retires at night he
always carries his weapons with him and
generally lays them on stand close to
his bedside.
This was known to Wilson, and there
ia no doubt but his intention was to re.
main In hiding until the man in the bed
was asleep, when ne would slip out and
get possession of the weapons, killing
their owner, if necessary. He would
then be prepared to make running fight
through the lines for liberty. The reason
that his plans miScarried was due to the
fact that one Of the clerks thought he saw
shadow pass his window near the foot
OF the stairs. Search was instituted at
the place Indicated and the prisoner was
found. W arden Aull was convinced that
the man would stop at nothing to escape,
and that stringent measures were neces-
sary.
BY way OF punishment the board re-
moved all Of the credits which it would
uaFo oSou pOhsl4le iOT w llSOu 10 make,
amounting to fifteen years. They also
instructed the Warden to use any punish
ment permitted by law and the rules of
the prison in order to reduce the prisoner
to subjection.
Tug" Wilson. who is in for five years
for burglary, and has been in the penl-
tentiary three times. also made an at
tempt to escape two weeks ago by cover
ing himself up In a woodpie. He escaped
without punishment, as be had prev
iously lost all his credits for an infraction
of rule.
Convict Morton. serving fifteen years
from San Francisco for assault to murder
and burglary in the second degree, and
Convict Phillips, alias Frisco Slim" in
for life for murder in Solano County, also
escaped punishment for attempting to
regain their liberty, owing to the fact that
they had no credits to lose.
Two weeks ago last Sunday Morton and
Phillips crawled into a tunnel which they
had dug eight feet under The east end of
the laundry building, and into which
they had carried quantity of bread and
water. Then they ran a three-inch gas
pipe through the roof OF their tunnel
under the floor of the laundry, for the
purpose of emitting air, and filled in the
mouth of the tunnel. That night it
rained. The tunnel caved in, and the con-
victs were compelled to call for help