The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-02
HIS SIGNATURE A NECESSITY
SAN QUENTIN OFFICIALS AID
IN THE HUNT.
And He Is Finally Traced to a Colo
RADIO Prison-Holds the Key to /.
Distribution of a Rich
Uncle's Estate.
. Special Dispatch to The CAN.

Gan QUENTIN PRISON, Sept. L.
After, a long and fruitless search, ex-
tending over nearly the whole Of this
vast American continent, three. Ger
man girls have finally obtained q def
mite clew to the whereabouts of their
only brother, one of the heirs to a
large fortune left b.. the death of a
wealthy uncle in Berlin. But another
discovery has transformed their Joy
iIto sorrow. Their brother turns out
10 be a common jailbird, with the
brand OF q felon on his brow
Yet, in, order to obtain their share of
large fortune left by the death of a
tive, this brothers signature to a GER
tain document is an absolute neces-
sity.
| In the year 1890 a man named George
/ Bloch was sent to San Quentin from
San Francisco for burglary. BY his
fellow conVicts he was termed
',Blackie'' on account of his swarthy
T complexion. He proved to be pris-
Toner of the most intractable type and
was a. dope fiend." O'Connor, who
has held the position of carpenter al
the prison. for nearly thirty. years. met
Blackie" frequently, and the convict
oti account Ol SInall ldVorS, grew TO De
his fast friend
One day in August, 1892 Bloch con-
fided to his friend that he had a
wealthy uncle In Boise City. Idaho
named Fletcher. He said he wished
to write this uncle for money but did
not wish him to know he was in prison,
so would ask the uncle to send the
money to O'Connor for the pretended
reason that he (Bloch) was seldom in
one place long, and O'Connor would
know where to forward the money to
him.
The plan worked well and in a short
time O'Connor received check in
Bloch's favor for $50. When the money
arrived the convict was confined in the
dungeon for eating opium and O'Con-
nor returned the money to: his uncle
with a statement that Bloch found he
did not need it. The convict was re-
leased in 1893 and disappeared.
About six months ago a wealthy
uncle of the ex-convict died in Berlin,
leaving a fortune of many thousand
dollars, to be divided equally among
the nephew and the three nieces
clause in the will provided that each
one should sign certain agreement
before the money could be partitioned.
The sisters notified their, Idaho uncle
of the facts and he began a search
which led him all over the country fol-
lowing up willie the-wisp clews. Three
weeks ago, in looking over some pa
pers, he found the registered letter in
which the $50 had been returned him
by O,Connor in 1892, and Immediately
came to San Quentin.
Once here the search seemed as futile
as ever, for Bloch had been missing
five years. .O'Connor, however, took
pity on the gray headed old fellow, who
was evidently sorely distressed at find
ing his nephew to be a breaker,
and went to Warden Hale for assist
ance in looking up Bloch's where
abouts. Patient inquiry at last revealed
a definite clew. A convict named
George Wilson, whose term of sentence
ended last Friday, had received let
ter of recent date from former COM
panion in the prison, who was now held
for another offense in the Canyon City
penitentiary of Colorado One of the
passages in the letter read as follows
do you remember George Bloch,
who was with US in San. Quentin? l
mean 'Blackie.' Wen, he is in here,
too, for the same old thing-Wasn't
slick enough"
When Fletcher heard this news his
joy was unbounded. He wrote i'm
. mediately to the sisters In Germany
and telling O'Connor that If Bloch were
found he should receive a suitable re-
ward for his services as detective, took
the next train for the Canyon City
penitentiary The precious paper re-
qutring Bloch's signature went with
him. O'Connor Is in daily expectation
Of. letter recounting the success of
the. uncle's quest.