The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-28

/ IS usually open, but Captain Murphy
Z found II locked and he was beset by
/ two convicts. who threatened to muir
| ger MN If he did not get back into the
I once ana line up. He made a virtue
( OF necessity and went back
IN inc meantime, $50 convicts had been
slal0ihS IN line in the prison yard. The
/ conspiracy had been guarded so carefully
] that II is doubtful III a half dozen Of
I them had an inkling Of what the desDer-
adoes intended doing. The discipline 10
/ which they had been subjected keld them
J IA line. Not half dozen men stirred
/ every man saw and probably understood
/ that a break for liberty was being made
/ by their fellow prisoners.
Gatekeeper at His Post.
: Gate Keeper Chalmers was at bis most
OF DUTY while the convicts vvere fiIi1T
"uI- When the two who had been DE
10 te'i 10 10 attend TO his case rushed him
/ ~ uaIc% one OF them 10 the floor and In
! the tussle that followed ne was severely
~ on MS left hand and arm but later
at.eI ms wounds had been dressed Went
l @poul MS duty as If to be asSafled nv
conVlctS was an everyday occurrences
Inc prison entrance proper has two
u el,,-,Li or gates The outer gate was
guarded by Mr.. Chalmers, the inner bv a
convict named Joseph Casey. who is
serving life term. Casey proved that
/ tIhe spark OF manhood was not extinct
/ IN MIN AS soon as Chalmers was at
/ tackled. he flung to the inner door. shot
the bolts and the cnnvfcts remaining in
side the prison wern as secure as IL
locked IN then cells. Gate Keeper
Chalmers secured the outer gate and
IN the passage between the two gates
~ cUnvicts were securely locked
Seized by a Convict.
4 When the rush was made c. II. Ward
was crossing the prison yard to his quar-
I motion and about-faced. At the same
/ moment Lieutenant Of the Guard Kipp
shouted TO him to come on. Mr.. Ward
started back on a run, but before he
reached the office was seized bv a con
/ Wet who flourished an ugly-lOoking knife
and he. too. became a prisoner
/ The convicts, having thus quelled all
/ demonstrations made by the free men,
started with their prisoners across the
I yard going within few yards Of the
/ line of $50 convicts who had passed out
/ of the prison in the direction Of the prison
armory. which IS fifty yards from the
main entrance to the ground and to the
northeast OF the captains office a hun
D dred steps. and across the way from the
officers mess room.
Threats to Murder
| Four guards were at the armory. re-
ceivinR their rifles preparatory to taking
| out their lines. The COnviCtS marched
I their prisoners up to the armory and
holding their knives over them. demanded
I that the doors be opened. It was a case
I of open the doors or slaughter the war
] den, captain and other officials, and the
cOnvicts declared that If a shot was fired
thew would murder every prisoner
Warden Wilkinson realized the useless
ness Of resistance and told the guards 20
I open the armory doors. This was done
and the cOnVictS took possession, secured
ten rifles. twenty-five revolvers and all
the ammunition they wanted. ana then
marched 70 the main entrance and de
manded that the gate be opened. They
again threatened their prisoners and the
The convicts marched out and up the
hill in the very teeth of the Calling guns
trained upon them Their plan had
worked even beyond the widest scope of
their lima gination. Their prisoners were
their safeguard, and they had not lost
a single man.
Warden Short of Wind.
UDon leaving the armory. Guard Jolly.
who had been wounded and who was
faint from loss Of blood was left be-
ers. moved boldly over the hill. Warden
Wilkinson. who is stout grew short Of
wind, and when "A quarter Of mile from
the prison. asked his captOrs to release
him and they did so. They had taken
his watch al first bat returned it to him
at the last moment.
The march was resumed. and when the
convicts and their prisoners were about
three-QuaTters of a mile from the prison,
the big siren sent out its notes Of warn
ing announcing the escape and at the
same time word was teleDhOncd to Fol
som and thence throughout the state.
When the attack upon the captain
VINO is doing twenty wears for forgery,
was al his desk to the left and rear.
ma kim out his report When the rush
was made ne dropped down on the floor,
craWled into the annex and after the
trouble left by the back door. went 80
the warden's office to the west Of tire
building and turned in the alarm Il
was then that the big siren announced
the escape.
Robbed Of His Trousers.
When threo-otiarters of a mile from
the prison Captain Murphy. who had
beeD iOllying his caDtors, was released.
he was first despoiled Of his trousers.
hut he declined TO don those offered TO
him nv the convict who fell nelr to his.
The captain returned In his pajamas
with the prison stripes and his coat drap-
ing his legs.
Harry Wilkinson. the warden's nephew.
was released at the same time. he was
Obliged 10 take off his coat. vest, trousers
and shoes and was not accommodated
with y suit IN return.
T-nderclothinr was good enough for him
to make mis- return triD 70 the PRISON m
Chief Engineer Ward also Appeared 20
tho convicts 60 release him. and afier en-
Joining his trousers they let MN go
They next proceeded to change clothing
with the rest of their prison. rs so tnat
they the convicts. were I'm citizens ap-
parel. the guards i'm stripes.
Crossed American River.
The march was resumed. The convicSs
led their prisoners north and east and
crossed the American river on the Nor
mon Island bridge. lhree miles above the
prison Just as they passed the bridge
Gulrd Tommy Ryan who had followed.
gun who caught sight o. the fugitives
from the hill south OF the river. took
pot shot at the crowd. There was a
scattering For rocks, logs, etc, and Guard
Continued on page 81