The San Francisco call., 1896-01-23

of the truth of his information. The
bricks were all loose and could be removed
to the depth of twenty-five inches. That
left but two inches between the inmates of
the cell and the outside world.
Cell al was therefore on the black list.
and so were the prisoners. A thorough
investigation was made, but nothing fur
ther was discovered to indicate that the
outside confederate had made any prog
ress in his work OF release. Thereby
hangs the tale.
A man named E. J. Hawley, waiting
trial for burglary, was placed in the cell
with Mason and Shear. Though they did
not admit him to their confidence at once,
Hawley soon discovered what was going
on and communicated with his lawyer,
Harry Massey. The latter lost no time in
communicating with Chief JaiIer Sattler.
That official was out of town last Saturday
when the letter arrived, but the officer
next in charge had the investigation made,
with the result as already set forth.
Chief Jailer Sattler returned the next
day and ever since then has been trying
to get confession from either Mason or
Shear or both. He vas unsuccessful until
last night. Mason talked first, and with
apparent freedom, laying all the blame on
Shear, whose mistress he said had made
the arrangements with the confederate on
the outside. He accused Shear of being
the one who conceived of the scheme.
When Shear was informed of what Mason
had told, he asserted that Mason was the
one to suggest the plot.
When first approached by the reporter
on the subject, Chief Jailer Sattler was
disinclined to give any information or
even discuss the affair. When he learned,
however, that the newsman was in pos
session of the facts he spoke freely and
told all he knew and undertook to see if
anything more could be got out of
either of the conspirators. He explained
the reason of his silence and the desire to
keep the attempted jaiI-break from the
public by saying that it was wholly in the
interest of justice-the authorities were
anxious to get ciew which would lie ad to
the identity and arrest of the outside con-
federate.
"Yes, it is fact" said Mr.. Satter, "and
the story may as well be told in full.
From what Shear told me tonight think
e pretty clear idea of the whole plan may
be cleaned.
arrangements were made through
Shears mistress with some man on the
outside to take lodgings in an Italian
tenement on Kearny street, few doors
above Broadway and dig his way through
the outer twenty-six-inch wall. The dis
tance was carefully calculated, and if the
confederate had carried out his part of
conspiracy all no doubt would have been
we'll but for the fortunate accident OF
placing Hawley in the same cell. Shear s
mistress was to pay the confederate $50
for the job. He was to rent room from
old Rotanzi, ILL Keerny, and begin
work on the outer wall as soon as he was
ensconced in his new quarters.
"The woman paid the mysterious per-
sonage $50 on account. She was to give
him the rest of the $50 as soon as he
showed that his part of the contract had
been carried out. Instead of going to work
IN Rotanzi's cellar he pocketed the double
eagle and emulated the example of the
tireless Arab, who is eternally packing
his little trunk and gripsacE and stealing
away. Be that as it may, the prisoners
would have had fair chance of escaping
when they cut through the last two inches
of wall. There is blind alley, two feet in
width, between the Jail and the security
wall. and any one from the roof or porch
OF the adjoining houses could easily lei
down rope to them. / think before We
get through with Mason and Shear we car