The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-07-31
A DOZEN TRACYS
GAIN THEIR LIBERTY
Desperate Convicts Overpower
Guards at California Peni-
tertiary and Escape.
rWO GUARDS ARE KILLED
Prisoners Make Desperate Assault
With Razors and Carry Away Cap
tured JaiIers With Them
Militia Called Out.

Sacramento. CAL. July ga special
TO the Bee from Folsom says:
Thirteen desperate prisoners confined
in the Folsom penitentiary made a sue
cessful break for liberty at the break
a s hour yesterday morning. After q
fierce fight in the captains Office, u
Ing which a turnkey was fatally
stabbed, a guard killed and another
officer wounded, the convicts seized a
quantity of arms and ammunition, and
using the warden and other officers
for their shield from their pursuers.
made good their escape. 1t is believed
they are making for Bald mountain.
State militia ordered out by Govern
or Pardee have gone to the scene.
The dead and wounded are:
G. J. Cochrane, turnkey, stabbed in
the back; will die.
William L. Cotter, a guard, cut in
abdomen; died soon after.
w. c. Palmer, cut in head.
Desperate Knife Battle.
h break occurred about 7 o'clock in
the morning. The convicts made i'm
:hediately for tho office of the captain
ef the guard, R, J. Murphy. There
they seized Warden Wilkinson, his
grandson, Harry Wilkinson; Captain
Murphy. and several other officers and
guards. A desperate fight took place.
The convicts were armed with knives
and razors, and with these they as
saulted Warden Wilkinson and his Off
GERS. The warden's. clothing were
slashed into shreds with a razor, but
the blade did not touch the flesh.
Turnkey Cochrane fought the convicts
with a chair, raining blows upon them
right and left. Finally he was felled by
q knife thrust In the back. Guard Cot
ter was u in the abdomen so that his
Gntr3lIS nT0trl1do1 while pc 1rr1ar w. q
severely cut in the head.
The floor of the office was covered
with blood.
The officers were outnumbered, and
soon were relieved Of their arms.
Then, using the officers as a shield,
the convicts started to the armory
post, or the outskirts Of the peniten-
tiary grounds. They passed a Calling
gun on n of the walls, but the guards
were afraid to turn it on the convicts.
Wnen the ar1nory post was reached
officers there attempted to interfere, but
were quickly oVerpowered. Their, aft
er terrifying themselves with knives,
pistols and ammunition, a dash for the
countr was made.
Carried Off Their Jailers.
The convictS, each armed with rifles,
marched one on either side of Warden
Wilkinson, whe was threatened with
death If he made an attempt to escape.
and the officers were told that if any
of the pursuers took the life of one OF
their number they would retaliate, life
for life. At Mormon bridge, about a
mile from the penitentiary, the war
den, his grandson and Captain Murphy
were released and sent back The 9TH
els were marched along with the con-
victs.
Further on the convicts went to a
farmers house, seized his four-horse
team and wagon, Quilted the house Of
everything of value, took the farmer
with them as driver and headed for
Bald mountain. Eventually it is their
Intention to reach Alabaster cave, sit
uated nea this mountain.
All the convicts are still at large.
Among the officers carried off by them
Is General Overseer McDonough. Some
fears are felt for his safety, as he bears
the especial i'll will of the convicts.
Later in the day Governor Pardee
c. N. G., Of P~lacerville, to the scene,
and Company c, Of Nevada City, was
ordered to be in readiness in cas-. they
should be needed
The several hundred remaining pris-
oners made no attempt to get away,
and We're quietly returned to their cells
and locked UP
Warden Wilkinson was the first to
return to the penitentiary. He was
hatless, the conVicts having taken his
hat. Captain Murphy appeared after
ward, minus part Of his clothing, and
later Wilkinson came in.
The Warden's Story.
Warden Wilkinson, in his statement.
says:
II went up to the prison, as is NV
customary duty, to see the convicts eat
their breakfast. l stopped at the cap
tain's office to wait for the prisoners
to walk out from breakfast. We were
sitting in the office wheA. the line made
its appearance from the breakfast
room, and started for the grounds. Sud
denly seven or eight of the prisoners
made q rush from the line with razors
and knives drawn, and came directly
for us. They We're joined by others I
Judge there were about fifteen in all.
Blood began to low. 1 saw that it wa
hopeless 10 put up a fight against such
odds. One Of the convicts came I'D be-
hind my back, reached over with a
razor and tried to cut open my abdo-
men. You can see how my belt ia
split from end to end, and how my
coat is hanging in shreds. The con-
picts got me and Murphy and five or
six other officers, whom they disarmed.
They kept us and proceeded to the
yard and out Of it by the front gate
toward the armory post. The Calling
guns In the station, hilltops and along
the prison walls might have been fired
by the guards, but had they lone so
the officers, as we'll as the prisoners,
would have been killed. The guards
were unable to either rescue us or to
prevent their escape. AS we neared
the armory a guard came out and they
seized him. They took the KEYS away
from him, entered the armory and
equipped themselves with all manner of
weapons. They then started along the
dusty road and crossed the prison
ranch toward the Mormon island
bridge. After I had gone about a mile
they let me &C. They also released
Captain of the Guards Murphy and nv
randson Harry Wilkinson. The rest
OF the men they AVE taken along win
them, including General Overseer Nc
Donough, Guard John Klensendorf
Guy letter, foreman Of the rock quarry
Ioiy Brown, stage driver. and Guard
l.. ;. Vertres, ana two or three others
whose names I have not at hand"
Most OF the t}gitives are desperate
characters. WI" we're serving long
forr,o . toA6