The San Francisco call., 1897-11-14
Sam Brandt Wounded Aim ost
to Death by John
Nolan.
SAN CULINARY COMBAT IN A
CROWDED CELL.
Fellow Criminals Look On While
the Two Foes Struggle for the
Mastery.
special Dispatch TO The CALL

SAN QUENTIN PRISON, Nov. 13.-
Another sta bbiug affair between desperate
convicts took place within the walls OF
the BIZ penitentiary last night, and Sam
uel Brandt, alias Harry o. Brien, lies on q
cot in the prison hospital, under the care
OF Resident Physician Lawlor. His head
was slashed with the keen edge of knife.
Once again it must be recorded that the
convicts of San Quentin carry knives with
edges keen as razors, and the prison
authorities fail or are powerless 10 prevent
it. The battle which occurred last night
was a fight for life between convlcts
known to be desperate characters. 1t look
place in a room where eight or more men
are locked up for the night. TIE princi-
pals were John Nolan, who is serving a
nine years sentence for a crime COM
mitted in Colusa County, and Samu-I
Brandt, otherwise known as Harry
O'Brien, who was received at San Quen tin
on July 80, 1894, under a six years SEN
tence for grand larceny com mitted in San
Francisco. Nolan was received at the
prison in 1898.
The affair occurred at about 5 o'clock,
shortly after the convicts had been locked
up for the night. Brandt and Nolan
marched into what is known as room 4,
which is one of the largest cells in the big
stone building where a mum Der of con-
vic!s are confined together. Nothing IN
usual was noticed in the action of the con-
victs by the guards as they marched into
their cells after the supper hour. The
only witnesses to the duel were the con-
victs locked up II room 4. From their
s, ries and those of the principals it is
armed that after the iron door had
Il ashed to and the guard had turned the
kew and thrown the bolts Nolan and
Brandt quarreled. Both men were uSIy
and threatening, and it was apparentthat
trouble was approaching. Finally threats
led to curses, and both men sprang to-
ward each other, each grasping a knife in
his right hand. They came together and
clinched. Nolan with his left hand
grasped the wrist of Brandt's right hand.
so that he rendered his antagonists DOW
eriess TO use the weapon he had in his
grasp. Then Nolan N ade vicious sta b
at Brandt. The blade of the weapon cut
the skin on Brandt's face and blood COM
menced TO trickle down upon the stone
floor of the cell.
Both men were fighting fierceIy, while
the conviCts in the cell watched the COM
bat. Nolan again drew back the knife
and made another lunge at Brandt. The
Dlduc again IedCueU Lue u6Sn ana the
blood poured out. while Brandt sank to
the floor. Tne knife had caught the con-
wet on the left side of the head, just a bove
the temporal artery, and the cash it in
ficted was eight inches in length, extend
ing over the left ear pa ckWard.
The duel was over. Nolan had won and
his opponent lay at his feet, with his life
blood streaming upon the floor of the cell.
The weapon Nolan used was half of a pair
of scisE0rs, sharpsned to a fine degree.
This knife Nolan has been carrying about
with him Tor some time. Brandt's
weapon was a common knife. How the
men came into possession of these
weapons the prison authorities cannot
say. How they managed to keep them in
their possession Is another unanswered
question.
To-nightit IS not that the cuts received
by Brandt will prove fatal, although blood
poisoning NAV set in. In that case there
would be little prospect of saving the
criminals life. DR.. Lawlor, who has
charge of Brandt in the hospital, said to-
night that he believed the man wonid
pull through all right