Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-04-12
FRUSTRATED
IN THE BUD
John 0'Brien, About to Leave
Prison, Tries to Snug
gle a Note.
LIFE men TO SKIP
Four Anxious to Enjoy Liberty Of Bound.
less Plains. Interesting Letter
In q Quirt Handle.

In Quirt Handle.
Yesterday afternoon John O'Brien,
convict whose sentence of one years
Imprisonment in the Territorial Peni
tentiary for horse stealing had expired
was discharged on account of expira
tion of sentence. Assistant Superin
tendent Garrett who, in the absence Of
Superintendent Bursum, exercises the
greatest watchfulness over the institu
tion and who seems to have eyes like
hawk, had somehow or other gotten
On to the fact that O'Brien intended
to smuggle note from some of the
life prisoners to outside friends. Act
ing upon this clue, he examined
O'Brien carefully before he allowed
him to leave the prison and in the
handle of the quirt which O'Brien car
ried, discovered the following note:
"Dear Old Friend:
after SO long time find it neces-
sary to call on you for some help. !
want you to let this boy have five
Colts As and box of cartridges for
each one. Let him have horse and
saddle and a few dollars in money to
pay his expenses coming up and back.
He will explain all to you and don't be
afraid of him for he Is all right and
will do just what he says he will
Don't let no one, even the 2 know any
thing about this until we come down
1t is all dead easy and there are four
of us that are good men and that are
very anxious to go. All are life-timers
Hike myself You know only two of
us, Bronx B. and myself. Now dad
we want you to fix UP this boy with
good outfit and give him good talk
when he starts back and it will only
be little while and we will come
down and do the right thing for you.
We will all give you good piece of
money. Now dad you know when
tell you anything will do it and we
have all got great hopes in you help
ing us. This boy will explain how
easy it is. You will find this in a
quirt handle.
Yours truly,
BILLIE T. q.
The above note was written by con-
vict w. 3. Hall, sentenced from Chav-
es County for life for murder, Janu-
ary 9th, 1908.
Assistant Superintendent Garrett
Immediately took prompt steps for the
foiling of this conspiracy. O'Brien
was Immediately re-arrested by him
and the good time allowance of 60 days
cancelled, this putting him back into
prison for two months more. When
these go days are over information will
be sworn, out against him, charging
him with conspiracy and attempt
ed liberation of convicts in the terri
torial penitentiary, and he will be
brought before the September grand
jury to answer to these informations.
The penalty for this offense, If found
guilty, Is four years Imprisonment in
the territorial prison. Hall and the
other convict who is known to be in
the conspiracy, "Bronko Bill William
Walters, sentenced from Socorro Coun-
ty for life for murder, November %,
1899, have been placed in solitary
confinement and will be kept there un-
til the return Of Superintendent Bur-
sum, WHO'S now in Socorro County.
The other two life men implicated in
this plot to escape have not yet been
discovered but it is only question OF
time before their names will also be
ascea'tained and due punishment meted
out to them.
From Halls letter 1t is evident that
he and his co-laborers in this case are
very desperate and had these five pis-
tolls been smuggled to anyone Of them
there certainly would have been trag-
edy and more than one life would sure
ly have been lost. O'Brien, during his
confinement. has been quiet and order
ly and well-behaved and hence no sus-
picion Is attached to his conduct. The
regulations of the prison when con-
victs are discharged are very strict
and they are thoroughly searched be.
fore leaving the prison in order to de.
tect cases Of the very kind above de-
scribed and to foil any attempts to.
smuggle out or into the prison weap.
ons, utensils or tools to be used for
escapes. The boy looked very inno.
cent when he attempted to walk out
thinking himself free man, but when
the quirt was taken from him he be-
came frightened but nevertheless had
the nerve to deny that he knew what
was in the quirt The quirt had been
made by one OF the life men and Civ
en- him as present. O'Brien's denial
Ia Of course entirely too thin to be be.
lieved and 1t may be that before he Is
much older he win give the names Of
the other two Life men interested in|
the matter. He has up-to-date been
absolutely unwilling to give the names
Of the men to whom he was to have
given the Quirt but this may also b.
's433#tss4 is Ntiss SNf gsfs -vs
Y a Z n lf ~