The herald., 1897-01-07
A BOLD BID FOR FREEDOM
Mccarthy. the Bank Tun-
neIer's, Scheme
FRUSTRATED BY THE OFFICERS
The Plot Was Given Away by a
Negro Pal
A TURNKEY ACCOMPLlCE
Who Suddenly Decided to Resign on
Tuesday Morning
AZ Soon as the Ingenious Plot Was Dis
Az Soon as the Ingenious Plot Was Dis
covered
Mccarthy Had False Keys Made and
Laid His Plans Most Carefully.
The Turnkey Was to Have
Received $500

What promised to be successful at
tempt at escape from the county jail
has been frustrated through the visi-
lance of the officials, and J. J. McCar-
thy, the convicted bank tunneler, who
is now behind the bars under sentence
of ten years and awaiting the action OF
the superior court on appeal, Will not
breathe the air of freedom as he had cal
culated Elaborate plans for jail
break had been made by him, it being
reported that an employe of the jail was
implicated and for the consideration of
$500 was to lend his assistance toward
furthering the escape.
Carefully made plans of the Jail had
been furnished to Mccarthy, and also
Impressions of locks, from which false
keys were to be made. negro trusty
in the Jail, who was released after having
served his term only day before yester-
day, was to have been admitted after
visiting hours with a coil of rope thirty
feet long secreted about his body to be
transferred to Mccarthy. The prisoner
had calculated to release himself from
his cell by means of the false keys, saw
the bars of one of the second-story win
dows and by means of the rope lower
himself to the ground.
The scheme was ingenious and would
probably have succeeded but for the
vigilance of Jailer Kennedy, who got
wind of the affair and took prompt
measures to prevent the contemplated
escape. On Tuesday morning Mccarthy
was taken from his cell and thoroughly
searched. being stsipped to the skin in
the hunt for saws, files. keys or other
implements. What was brought to light
has not been made public. the jail off
cials refusing to disclose any of the par
ticularS. 1t is understood. however. that
the plot was exposed by the negro, James
Mathews, who was to have taken the
rope into the cell.
Very few of the officials about the
Jail know or profess to know anything
about the matter ard all keep close
mouth. refusing to say a word. That the
facts are as above stated was admitted
however, last evening. and the further
admission was made that Charles Ma
hone, a turnkey. had suddenly resigned
on the morning of the discovery of the
scheme and was no longer connected
with the sheriff's office.
Mccarthy is now in close confine ment,
no one being allowed to see him. He is
desperate man, known as far east as
New York as a criminal of the worst
stripe who would hesitate at nothing to
gain his ends. When he was arrested
in San Francisco several months ago
he attempted to shoot the officer and was
only prevented by several additional de-
tectives coming TO the rescue. III the at
tempt to tunnel under the vaults of the
First National bank he was the ring
leader and worked with desperate en-
ergy.
Since his trial and sentence he has
been moody and sullen and a close watch
has been kept upon him in anticipation
OF just some such break as has been
discovered. 1t would have been prac-
tically impossible for him to have made
his escape without assistance from some
one inside the jail. and while no direct
charge has as yet been made against
Malone, it is we'll understood that his
sudden resignation was called for owing
to the discovery that he was implicated
in the affair