The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1897-03-13
ALEXIS BLANC
Makes a Desperate Attempt to Over
power Sheriff Broussard
For the Purpose of Securing His
Pistol, But the Sheriff Did
Not Have it.

The Prisoners Were Taken to New
Orleans for Safe-keeping.
- Wednesday at about 2 O'Clock in
the morning Ernest and Alexis
Blanc made an attempt to ESCAPE,
but fortunately it proved unsuccess-
full. Sheriff Broussard's experience
in handling desperate characters
and his nerve and coolheadedness
despolled the young murderers of
perhaps their liberty. 1t was
bold and reckless undertaking on
the part of the Blanc brothers, and
had the sheriff not taken the neces-
sary precautions the result might
have been of a deplorable nature.
Even if the prisoners had failed to
accomplish their escape the life OF
the sheriff or that of one of his aids
might have been lost. From the
beginning the sheriff has aPpre-
hended that the Blancs would, If
gwen the slightest chance, make an
effort to escape. Their pretended
resignation to the decree of the
law and their evident desire to i'm
press their keepers with their will
ing submission to the inevitable
consequence of their crime, had
created suspicion in the sherlft's
mind that they were all the time
planning an escape. Their sus-
picious demeanor caused the sheriff
to take more than ordinary precau-
tions, and while he always treated
them kindly he never gave them the
ghost of show to escape.
AS the Jail Is being repaired and
considerable work must be done on
the cells by the contractor it be-
came necessary to- remove the
Blanc brothers to another Jail tor
safe keeping, Sheriff Broussard
made arrangements to take the
prisoners to New Orleans on the
Z TAI train Wednesday morning.
At about O'Clock he went to the
Jail in company with MIR. Aurellen
Olivier and Marshals McFaddlr
and Himel to prepare the prisoners
FOR the trip. The Blancs
the corridor. The prisoners have
access to the corridor only wher
the cell door is unlocked an'
opened by some one who invari
ably performs this work from the
OASSANN Va IAN oSNN' NNS0'
rule is always adhered to as mea
sure of safety. When the sheriff
arrived at the Jail he placed two
new suits on a chair in the corrldo
opposite the cell of the Blancs
He then got out of the cage LOCKED
it's main door and unlocked the doc
leading to the young murderers
cell, telling. them to step IN tn
corridor and dress with the neH
suits that he had purchased TO
them. 1t required only te'
minutes for the prisoners to do
their new garments. Tie clothe
fitted Ernest, but they were to
small for Alexis, who remarke
that he supposed they would do TO
man who was going to be hanged
When they were through dressln
they were requested to return t
their cell, which they did. The
their cell door was locked, the mai
door of the cage was opened an
Sheriff Broussard entered the corr
dor for the purpose of manaclln
the prisoners. Deputy Mouto
who was outside of the cage
threw open the cell door, leavin
no separation between the ce
and the corridor. AS soon as tn
was done, Alexis, who was the fir
to walk from the cell into the corr
dor where Sheriff Broussard wa
advanced on that officer as quick 3
lightning, clinched him with boz
arms Fortunately Sheriff Brou
sard, being very active and stro1
man, succeeded to overpowcr n
assaillant. He whirled around ar
held Alexis by the arms and at Il
same time watched the movemen
of Ernest who had not yet show
any desire to join in the tussle.
this stage Ernest stepped up al
discovering that the sheriff did n
have his pistol, beckoned /
brother to give up as it Won
be futile to try to escape Wit
but the use OF weaPo
During the scufffe the sheriff to
<, AZ ~, q re-