The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-02
BILL DAILY.
aged ~ years.
Shot while attempting to escape from this
prison, Jan. 4. 1885.

pflSoH, jan T. loNo
An old Californian who knew Aul and
his famous prison when both were in their
prime and spent much time with Aull
and his flock of desperadoes years ago
gave the following interesting account OF
both the other day
THE fact that such an outbreak rs that
reported is possible at Folsom now." he
said, "is proof positive TO me that since
Aull passed away there has been no one
to take his place and keep the institution
up to the high mark he set. In Aull's
time such an outbreak would have been
possible for few minutes had there been
any prisoners desperate enough TO make
the attempt, but at least dozen new graves
would have had to he dug the next day
for the dead.
-Aull was a remarkable old man. He
was AZ gentle and soft-hearted man rs
ever lived, but that Jail was his idol, and
he would have killed a thousand men before
he would allow an escape to mar it's good
reputation,
about the prison. He said he could keep
any number of men, no matter how des-
perate they were, without the protection
Of walls, and, though it cost much blood
for him to prove il, he proved il in the
end.
-Aull had system for keeping prisoners
In the first place on all the watch towers
he had gatling guns These guns covered
every possible avenue of escape, so that
no matter how serious an uprising came,
the fire Of at least one gun could be turned
on the spot where II was worst.
mo man who couldn't Use a rifle with
skill could remain at Folsom under Aull
as keeper Once every week the keepers
~ hi. NJ.
the target, and if n man fell below sb out Of
possible 100 three times he was dismissed
from the service Of the prison
Now Aull got the most desperate kind
Of men as prisoners. There were train
robbers, murderers. outlaws, bandits every
kind Of Western criminal. and almost all
OF them men who came to him for life, or
for terms so long that there Was little chance
of their ever finishing them. They were
men who had very little to lose in sltirmish
for liberty and therefore they had to he
handled with the greatest care They
were men who constantly plotted some
means of escape and it had TO be firmly
impressed upon them that death, certain
death, was the result Of even an attempt
to get away.
Al any rate, that was the theory that
Aull held, and how he carried out his theory
makes the most interesting chapter in the
history of this remarkable man and his
remar kable prison, When a man came
TO Folsom for life or long sentence, Aull
To sit down and talk TO him like this:
pete, reckon you figure on escaping
from here sooner or later, and maybe taking
come of the other boys with you. Now,
Pete, want to tell you haven't the slight
est objection to you trying.
"'Theres no bread and water dieta in
this prison and no dark cells. and when
a man tries TO get away from here and we
get him back. Pete, we either bury him
or We treat him Just az well as we ever did.
Most of the time we bury him. Pete.
"'There's few men working out there
in the yard, Pete, with red shirts on. Those
are some fellows who have made attempts
TO get away and have been brought back.
When that happens We put red shirts on
them.
-'Now. if you'll take little walk with me.
Pete, I'll show you some of the other fellows
that we brought back and didn't have to
put red shirts on and then old Aull would
take his man out, and stroll through the
graveyard with him.
"The man would read the inscriptions
on the headstones, and by the time the
situation had had q chance to filter its way
through his head. Aul would take him
back to his principal keeper and assign
him to a cell and 10 certain kind of work.
From the principal keeper the new
wore red shirts it was the order to all
keepers to shoot them down instantly at
The first sign of a revolt, no matter whether
they had hand in II or not. At the first
sign Of trouble all red -shirted men were
killed offhand. That was the penalty
they paid for having once made an at
tempt to escape.
Now see the cuteness of Aull Those
men In red shirts knew that revolt meant
instant death TO them, no matter how in =
nooent they were Well, at the first SITS
pcion Of plot, at the first sign of an at
tempt to escape, information of 1t would
get to Aull or his keepers. It was death
for a radshrt not TO inform if he knew
anything was going on,
"Aull was always having heart TO heart
talks with the prisoners. Time and again
when he had reason to believe he had nipped
a revolt in the bud, he would go to the men
and tell them he was SO sorry that he had
discovered the plot, On one occasion he
actually made this speech to some prisoners
who had planned TO get away
Boys he said. I feel it's my duty TO
stop these things when they're discovered
and feel ought TO warn you not to try to
escape. but II you feel you can get away
with one of these revots, go ahead. If
you can get away you will show me the
flaws in my system, and that's what I'm
looking for all the time. Nobody ever
got away yet
This sort Of thing rather knocked tho
nerve out Of the desperadoes, and although
there We're individual attempts 10 GET
away, there was never a big revolt until
the one am going to tell you about now.
II was probably the last one before this
one the other day, You will understand
why it put an end to rcvolts under Aull
forever and ever when l tell ii to you.
There came up from Frisco once, about
twelve years ago, life prisoner who had
been robbing trains and stages for years.
but who before that had been an engineer.
He came out West with surveying party,
and being a crook at heart stayed 10 rob
coaches and trains
"The minute he got at Folsom he began
to plot escape. For two years he worked
away at his plot. He figured that he could
dupe certain of the convicts TO get he
tween himself and the guards when the
revolt came. and that ther, fore all he had
to foar was those gatling guns.
HE knew the general belief was that
they covered every point Of the compass,
80 being an engineer, he proceeded to see
If he couldn't figure out some ono spot
srrtn he nyI - 49,