Arizona republican., 1904-04-30

no account should the safety of an of- ficer be allowed to be made the means of facilitating an escape.
 Colonel Griffith highly compliments Guard Stevens on the promptness with which he carried out his instructions. Full credit is given to w. T. c. Buck, the fife convict, for the part he took in frustrating the attempt.
 Thomas D. Molloy, clerk of the dis trict court of Yuma county, came to town yesterday morning. He furnishes additional details of the break which he said was for a moment a very seri- ous affair. It had been well planned. 1t Is thought under the direction of a convict by the name of McNeill, who was at Folsom at the tine of the suc- cessful break there last summer. This attempt was organized on precisely the same lines. McNe!n, however, who has only short time to serve, had no part in the execution of the plot.
 Though it had been as well planned as the Folsom plot, there were two reasons why it did not succeed. One was the determination of the officers to die rather than that prisoner should escape. The other was the fur ious interference of Convict Buck.
 At the time the officers were sur rounded. Guard Stevens was at his stand. but his view was partially ob- scured by some trees. He ran along the wall and at the orders of the su- perintendent he began to shoot. He did not shoot into either of the strug- gling masses, but whenever a prisoner in the struggle became slightly de- tached from the mass, the guard fired at him. In this way he wounded six Assistant Superintendent Wilder was stabbed and struck senseless early in the fight. He was taken back to the office by the prisoners in order that they might get shelter from the gun of the guard. Colonel Griffith was al- so taken back, but before reaching ,ths | office he saw Buck and called upon him to assist. Buck ran back to the cook house and got a knife. In the meantime the superintendent had been dragged into the office. Buck followed and used his knife with bloody effect | One swipe cut a convict by the name | of Soto from back of the left shoulder | half way down the front and so deer | that the arm was almost disjointed al the shoulder. Soto had already beer | shot Buck himself was stabbed in the 1 abdomen, and at the time that MT l Molloy left Yuma the chances weri | agairst the recover of either Buck cl ! Soto. NIT. Molloy says the sentiment | at Yuma is strongly in favor of 1 pardon for Buck.
 In the melee which took place in tn, office, Colonel Griffith escaped ant ! hastily arming himself. mounted in ! wall at the main entrance. Most O the prisoners by this time had becom, discouraged and had given up tn fight. By this time several guard were on the walls. Four of the con victs, however. kept hold of Wilder and dragging him to the main el trance, demanded their release. The. did not, though, threaten to Kill tn
 assistant superintendent. Wilder wa
 taken from them at the gate and the,
 were driven back into the yard. Tn
 whole thing happened within a yer.
 few minutes.
 Soto was a CoclIise county man sen
 up for murder. He had burned tn
 body of his victim. Another of tn
 sent from this county. In the cases 0
 most of the men engaged in it, Nil
 Molloy said that they would not hay
 gained a great deal if the plot has sue
 ceeded. The leader, Three Fingere
 Jack" did not have long to serve.