The San Francisco call., 1904-04-11
MAKES A FORT
OF HIS CELL
George Sterling, Desperate
Convict, Fiercely Resists
Removal to State Prison
DEFIES THE OFFICERS
Holds Them at Bay Until He
Is Subdued by Stream of
! Water From the Jail Hose

The virtues of cold water as a pro-
moter of good cell manners were thor
oughly tested yesterday morning at the
County Jail in the case of George
Sterling who was sentenced on Satur-
day by Judge Dunno to twenty five
years in Folsom prison. 1t required
seven men and two-inch stream of
water from a fire hose to- induce Ster-
ling to leave his cell for his trip up the
road. and he surrendered only after he
4, had badly scalded one of his cellmates
and when his cell was nearly full of
water.
This notorious desperado, who Is
deemed by the police one CT the
lnast dangerous In the State, was
convicted of robbing George Evans
in his restaurant, 31S1a Third
street, on the night Of No
vember II. His capture, after that
crime had been committed, was a work
of difficulty and came near costing De-
I.tective O'Dea his life Sterling was
found by O'Dea in a Mission-street
lodging house. When the detective
called on him to surrender, the thug
drew revolver and tried to shoot
ODea, but the gun missed fire, and
Sterling was fioored by the officer strik-
ing him on the head with a pair of
handouts. StiIl the desperate crook
managed TO get away before the
handouts could be fastened upon his
wrists.
Several weeks later Sterling was ar
rested in the South and locked UP in
the San Bernardino County Jail. Here
he scalded newspaper reporter with
boiling coffee when the latter tried to
interview HIM, and when the San Fran
a. oft hi ta f~0ff1 caHi
to surrended until they had played
water from d hose on him for several
hours So Sterling was not a stranger
yesterday to the effects of aqua pura
as means of discipline.
STERLING'S THREATS.
On Saturday night Chief Jailer j. E.
Sullivan told Sterling to prepare for his
trip TO Folsom the next morning. mot
on your life, old man. the convicted
highwayman responded. Il am well
enough satisfied TO stay here, and the
man who tries to get me out of this
cell will be sorry for it,
Sullivan accordingly took extra pre-
cautions in planning for Sterling's re-
moval Instead of using the ordinary
Jail wagon, he called on the police de-
partment for assistance and the patrol
wagon was sent up from headquarters
in charge of Policeman Merchant soon
When Sterling was ordered to come
out of his cell, he refused and chal-
lenged any of the jailers to come in
after him. He brandished a frying
pan, which he and his two cellmates
had been permitted to have in their
cell. where they did some cooking. On
the oil stove he also had can fun of
boiling water. with which he promised
to scald any officer bold enough to en-
ter the cell. But his most formidable
weapon was a two-foot piece of lead
pipe which he had broken off the closet
in his cell. Besides these visible means
of defense he claimed to have a razor
in his pocket and invited any of the
jailers who wanted his throat cut to
come on.
|. Naturally the jailers hestated. There
were four Jail officials-Captain Sol
omon. Charles Dugan, Charles Feehan
and Mike Lynch--but none of them
desired to grapple with Sterling
his alleged razor and his
other less disputable armament. They
called in Policemen Cavanaugh and
Nelson from their beats near by, and
as Merchant came up just then with
the patrol wagon he made the seventh
limb of the law on the ground.
1t was finally decided to try the same
means that had proved effective at
San Bernardino. A two-inch hose was
turned INTO the little grating OF Ster-
ling's cell and the water was turned
on. In an instant there was some
thing doing" inside.
SCALDS A CELLMATE.
Sterling's cellmates were G. c. Suit
ner and v. Giovanni. AS soon as the
terrible stream of cold water began to
make things lively inside the cell. they
begged to be let out, but Sterling re-
fused to permit the cell door to be
opened. These differences led to a fight
inside the cell, which eliminated in
Sterling throwing the boiling water
AnuERr1