The herald., 1896-08-21
Convicts Try to Communicate
With Engineer Worden
THE MISSIvE INTERCEPTED
An Iutimatlon that tie Will Be- Provided
With Poison
Chris Evans One Of the convicts Concerned In
the Affair-The Conspirators Placed
In the Dungeons

A Sacramento special to the San Fran
ciso Examiner of Wednesday says that
Chris Evans. the desperate bandit who
is serving a life term c. r. Bachman,
undergoing thirty-five years imprison-
ment for setting fire to ship in San
Francisco bay, and another convict
named Murphy, sent up from San Fran
cisco for three years for burglary, are
in the dungeons of the Folsom state
prison for writing and then attempting
to smuggle q letter to S. d. Worden'
who is awaiting execution for the wreck
ing of the overland train in Yolo county
during the strike two years ago, in which
Engineer Clarke and four regular SOL
diers met their death. The supreme
court having refused Worden new trial
he will be taken to Woodland early next
month to be re-sentenced to death.
The convicts realize the fact that
worden is not allowed to converse with
anybody, and that he is totally ignorant
of what his friends are saying in his be-
half on the outside. To post Worden
was the reason the letter intended for
him, but which he did not see. was writ
ten. He knows nothing whatever about
the letter. for the prison officials have
kept him in ignorance of 1t.
Probably the brightest convict in Fol-
som is Bachman. Of his thirty-five
years sentence he has served about four
years in San Quentin, and about five in
Folsom. While at San Quentin he made
a. great deal of trouble for Warden Nc
Comb He was transferred to Folsom.
where he was given about the best con-
vict position about the prison. He was
made the bookkeeper in the deputy war
denis office. Last year Bachman raised
considerable trouble He was confined
in a dungeon for some time, and on
being released was sent to do hard work
in the quarry, where he has laboreC
ever since. Bachman, If anything, is
good writer. and since he has been in
prison has written a book. He wrote
the letter intended for Worden. After
consulting Chris Evans, the latter gave
the letter to Murphy, who is the prison
lamplighter, to give to Worden. AS
lamplighter Murphy has access TO eve
ry part of the prison.
On Saturday last while Worden was
walking for exercise in the corridor of
that part of the prison set apart for
condemned men, Murphy made his ap-
pearance, ostensibly TO clean the lamps
He dropped the letter to the cement
floor so that Worden, when his guards
back was turned. could pick it up and
secrete it on his person. The guard
who was Turnkey Heggerty, was too
quick for Murphy. He saw Murphy drop
the letter. Heggerty picked up the let
ter, and saying nothing. locked Worden
up. He Immediately Informed Warden
Aull what he saw Murphy do, and turned
the letter over TO him
Although the letter has no signature
Warden Aull recognized from the writ
ing that the author was Bachmann. The
lamplighter admitted to Warden Aull
that he dropped the letter and that
IL was given to him to pass to Worden by
Chris Evans. and that the latter and
Bachmann got the letter up between
them. When Bachmann was questioned
he said he wrote the letter Evans
would not deny or affirm his part of the
transaction.
The letter read that Worden would
never be hanged under any circumstan-
ces; that he would be handed some
goods" which would prevent the hang
ing. The goods. Warden Aull learned.
| was poison, which was to be smuggled
into the condemned mans cell in the
event that there was no hope for him
to escape the gallows. In the letter
Worden was advised to write to his
friends for financial assistance with
which to engage new attorneys. 1t
was the opinion of the writer that the
supreme court would grant Worden a
rehearinS. the letter also stated that
Harry Knox, the ex-strike leader. was
his friend, and that he was doing every
thing in his power to save his neck.
The action of the American Railway
union III San Francisco adopting reso-
( lutions in behalf of Worden was men-
| toned Governor Budd and Attorney
i Strong Of Woodland who defended Wor-
| den were spoken of in uncomplimentary
| terms and called vile names. The writer
| of the letter urged Worden to brace up
| and not lose courage.
How long the three convicts will be
| kept inSolitary confinement in the dun
! geon ceYls Warden Aull will not say. He
! says they will be confined until they
| have reelected over what they have
| done. In addition to this punishment,
| Chris Evans viii not be allowed to smoke
! his pipe for a year or correspond with
| his family or anyone else during that
/ time. Bachmann lost his credits for
| the trouble he made last year, and for
| his conduct this time any hope he had
| of having his credits restored has van
/ ished.