Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-04-18
THE FATAL ATTEMPT.
Convict Stephenson Killed, Others
Wounded.
BURsUS's TRUSTED WINCHESTER.

The particulars of the attempted
escape Of convicts from the New
Mexico penitentiary at Santa Fe yes.
terday morning. I'm connection with
what The Citizen published in n spe-
Cial. telegram yesterday afternoon. are
as follows. taken from the New Mex
lean:
Twelve prisoners who are detailed
10 work in the bakery. were lined up
In the prison yard directly In front OF
the door Of the cell house. Among
these was George Stephenson. Of
Grant county, n desperate character,
serving five years for murder. and who
Is also under Indictment for killing
Deputy Sheriff George Scarborough In
Grant county. In the cell house was
another convict not belonging to the
detail. william Simmons, from Cha
yes county. who Is serving a sentence
Tor cattle stealing and who Is indicted
IN Colfax county for highway robbery.
A third convict was In the conspiracy
To make a break for liberty. Frank
Carpcr. who was also sentenced from
Chaves county for cattle theft. All
three men have been Jail breakers,
stephenson having liberated himself
and four fellow prisoners at Silver
CITY, and the other two having broken
out uf the Jail at Roswell. stephen.
son had armed himself with a 3S-cali.
her Smith Il Wesson revolver and had
fifty cartridges in his pocket. Sim.
mons and Carpcr had each a solid
iron rod two feet long and an inch
thick.
THE three made n lash out Of the
dollhouse through the key into
the main hall. Stephenson ran into
the dining room where the guards
were assembled. all unarmed. He had
his revolver cooked and commanded
the guards to throw up their hands,
Captain of the Guard Felipe Armljo
seized n chair and threw 1t at ste
phcnson and then rushed out Of the
dining room and out of the building
to the first watch tower. where he
seized n shot gun and returned to the
building. In the meantime stephen
son had shot n guard named Pedro
%Sandoval. the bullet grazing Sando
walls head and flooring him. stephen
son then made for the front door "a
await Felipe Armijo and as soon as
the latter came In fired at him three
times. one of the bullets piercing Ar
mijo's cheek and entering the jaw
IbIf AllhlJo ohbN ~ Nv I'll I'M
two or three shots taking effect, but
not seriously wounding Stephenson
A moment later Superintendent II. o
Bursum. who was standing on the
second floor thirty feet above stephen
son. fred n Winchester three times
two bullets piercing Stephenson'i
heart and a third entering his right
eye, killing him instantly.
Tarnar had hapnmp friphtaua1 IA,
this time and stood between Sim
mons and Assistant Superintendent
James. who was unarmed. and thus
probably saved the life OF James
simmons made for the office and Their,
held at bay DR.. David Knapp, the pen
itentiary physician, and one OF the
guards. Carlos Dominguez, both un
armed. Armijo. though seriousl.
wounded, rushed out of the building
to the Office window, and through l
shot Simmons. MORALLY woundini
him. the shot entering Simmons groin
back and arms. Onc OF the convicts
/, Jose Monica Sena, from a Migue
county. who was mistaken for n o
the mutineers by the guards. who b.
this time had come upon the scene
, was shot and wounded in the arm
and I'm the back with buckshot.
"Dr. David Knapp at once ATTENDED
, to the wounded men, b%andaging thei
1 wounds. Captain OF the Guard Armij
was taken to st. Vlncent's hospital
|, His injury is serious, but not fataI
| Simmons will die. but Sena and Guar,
Sandoval are moi se~seriously wound
cd.
"A thorough investigation Is in pre-
gress to discover how Stephenson Sc
cured the revolver and cartridges an,
the two other men the iron bars, Tn
discipline at the ~penitentiary Is Fl
strict and the supervision so thorougI
that II seems very strange that "A re
volver and cartridges could be SNUG
, gled into the penitentiary unobserve,
, by any OF the guards.
/ The GOODNESS and courage Of ST
, perintcndent II. O. Bursum as well a
of Captain of the Guard Felipe ArmijC
who Is from Socorro, prevented tn
success of the plot OF the three cor
yicts to escape, and perhaps n genera
mutiny. The other prison official
also did their duty, although beinI
unarmed they were somewhat hell
llacg