The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-08
WOLFER IS PLEASED
INVESTIGATION COMMISSION MIGHT
HAVE HAD AN ESCAPE TIC IN
CURE INTO.
TWO MEN WERE PLANNING 1T.
JOE WHITE AND JOHN QUINN PRE-
PAIRING TO GAIN THEIR
LIBERTY.
GUARDS SAW A NOTE PASSED.
This Alleged Attempt 10 Get Away
Recalls One Of Which the State
Has Record.


! at having discovered what he thinks
was plan whereby Joe White and
/ John Quinn, both Hennepin county
prisoners, expected to get out Of prison.
! 1t was noticed when the prisoners
went out of their cells to the dining
| room Saturday noon that White sought
to get near Quinn, and, when they
were near the dining room, White was
seen to pass a note to Quinn. The
latter, considering it unsafe to keep a
note in his pocket, slipped it under his
shirt and went into the dining room
and took his seat, as unconcerned as II
nothing had happened. The guard re-
ported his discovery to Deputy War
den Lemon, who instructed his assist
ant, Colligan, to apprehend White as
he came out of the dining room. Col
ligan did as he was ordered, and Lem
on stepped toward Quinn, who turned
as white as a ghost. Lemon told him
he wanted the note that White had
passed to him, and Quinn stoutly de-
MED that ne had received a note.
| When they ordered him to take off
his clothes, Quinn pulled out the note,
which was as follows:
Il have not had visit yet. Don't know
what is the matter. No letter, either. Now
don't make any more inquiries about night
| screws. l have them o. X. One is on THIS
side of the third gallery, right above that
desk as you come in the door in the morn
ing from leaving buckets and the other is
right opposite him on other side, so you are
all right, only don't leave your cell until the
school blows. AS soon as you hear the bell bell
ring come out. 1 am having trouble with
paint. Can't get only the yellow, and l want
red to get the right shade. l asked - to
throw in a small vial CT red. have examined
lock, and it's a box. Don't know II 1t has a
back or if that plate is the back. Don't
matter anyway; she will come out right.
Make that slot in which the bolt OF lock goes
a little larger, and it will come out. Can't
help it, as it's not rveted to door anywhere.
l saw Colligan that side this morning 1t
don't look good. We will have to get him
in dining room to get that window. Wait till
Lemon goes away or make a sneak on Coli
gan. Duck in that passage and into the first
cell around the corner till he blows. Well
fix it some way. That stuff Is what we want;
that's all that's worrying me. VIII try and
get rubber at this screw. get good rub
Der at the Dutchman every day that locks
you up"
White and Quinn were marched to
the solitary, where they were placed
in confinement. There are certain
statements in Whites note that can
not be understood by people on the
outside, who are not acquainted with
prison and prisoners terms. BY refer
ence to screw he means a guard,
and by getting a rubber at them he
means to attract their attention in
conversation.
An investigation of their cells was
made yesterday to determine whether
or not further preparations had been
made for their attempted escape.
Nothing was found in the cells. but
Deputy Warden Lemon and other Of
ficers proceeded to the shoe factory,
where Quinn and White are employed,
and, after a careful search, near where
they are working, say they found a
Well-made Jimmy, small saw and
box of vermillion paint. They evil
IDENTIFY intended to make a break some
evening when the convicts are called
out to school, and the prison authori
ties think it would have been done
very soon After getting out of their
cells, they concluded it would be an
easy matter for them to reach the
rear end of the solitary, where they
would pry the bars apart and pass out
into the yard. After reaching the yard.
they presumably figured it would be
an easy matter for them to get over
the wall, which is unprotected at night.
A week or more ago bar of soap
was sent III 10 w nlIe,D II lOoheu Suo-
picious and was sent to Warden Wolf
err, who opened it and found a small
sack full of little pink pills. 1t was
first supposed that the pills contained
morphine, but they were sent to the
prison physician for analysis, and he
pronounced them something else. War
den Wolfer now thinks that they were
sent in so as to give White another
color of paint to mix with what he
had White figured that if he had a
little red paint to mix with the color
he had in his possession he could paint
the lock of his cell in such a manner
that no one could detect that it had
been tempered with. There may be
other prisoners mixed up in the deal,
and a thorough investigation will be
made.