Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-11-09
CONVICTS PLOT
IVES ROMANCES.
Four Of San Quentin Prison Inmates
Spend -Four Months in Making
Diving Suits

san FRANCISCO, Cal, Nov. 3.--The
recent attempt Of four couvicts at San
Quentin to escape from prison by means
of diving suits constructed by themselves
has added another chapter to the long
series Of thrilling prison escapades.
To gain an adequate idea Of the full
extent Of such logged perseverance one
must turn to those old thrilling tales
such as the prison memoirs Of SIlEIo
pellicO and CananOva, die daring eS-
eapadcs If Baron JrCuck or the LnIon
soldiers who dug their way out Of LIB
by prison, and to that classic Of PRISON
romauces, The Count Of Monte CrIsto.
Old Tales Lose Romance
Tie wonderful tale Of tie prisoners i'll
the Chateau DIFF secretly digging their
way 10 freedom for fully a year with no
other tools but Ill lmprOTlsed cAlsel, a
knife ana a wooden lever and the mir
aculoGs escape of .mOnu Dantes
through being pitched into the sea
Bewcd up III the winding sheet of his
dead comrade nc longer appear far
fetched when compared with the recent
jaiIbrcaking attempt at San Quentin.
One day Robert Jones, q subforeman
Of a construction gang Of convicts en-
gagged in leycling the cemetery hill which
runs down to the bay at San Quentin,
WINE WJlhIilS dIbIlS lHb DtdCll SluIIlDItu
Apon dirty yellow bundle under the
exposed roots of Il tree. When Jones
andId the bundle he found it to be u sub
marine cOntrlvance for swimming under
water evidently constructed by prisoners.
1t was Il swimming suit worn somewhat
like the famous rubber suit worn by
Capt BoyntOn when lie fastened a
harmless torpedo under Il British battle
ship in New York harbor, only it was
not made Of rubber.
Could Be Made Air Tight.
1t was canton flannel shirt coated on
the outside with resin and wax and pro-
yided with headpiece of the same ma
terial with small pane of glass over
the face aad Il breathing tube with a
spigor aud plug. There were sleeves
ending III water-tight mittens and belt
guards at the waist so that with the aid
of Il tournlquet the suit could be made
absolutely air tight
The guard replaced the bundle and in
formed the prison warden. Watches
were set on the conyicts belonging to
the construction gang. \ guard with a
powerful field glass was placed at Nc
RAGS point, where, unseen by the con-
lyicts. he could keep this strip of beach
under observation.
Four Men in Deal.
Two days later another diving suit, al
most identical with the first, appeared in
the same spot. Two days after that an
iother, and finally a fourth. -Four prison
ers were observed lowering around i'll
the vicinity of the hidden suits
Meanwhile the plotterS grew suSpi-
cious. During the hours recess for din
ner one of the four stole an axe and
with it cut n lot of brush He dragged
tthe brush through mud and threw it
over the ill-concealed diving suits. The
'prison authorities concluded that there
ht1t +I, IL L
that they meant to escape on the NOR
row.
On Saturday, the day most propitious
for escape because OF the longer lunch
recess followed by half holiday War
den Edgar, with Superintendent Wilkins
OF the construction gang, stationed him
self near the hidden suits. A few min
utes before recess time Foreman Jones
told Convict Downes, the leader of the
gang, to go down to the waters edge
and fetch the hidden suits. Downes
pleaded ignorance. At the same time one
of his fellow plotters. Big Bill'' Brown
acting as lookout. discovered the warden
and superintendent
al Four Desperate Men.
The game was up. Downes broke
down and confessed. assuming all the
guilt. lie refused to implicate the 9th
ers, but nevertheless all four were
marched to the dungeon, where they
finally confessed
All four men implicated in the plot
were hard case convicts recently trans
ferred from Folsom prison. They were
Rupert Downes, sentenced to serve nine
years for burglary; j. 3. Blackwell,
serving ten years for robbery, and VIII
liam Brown, with three years vet to
serve for burglary. All four men. by
their bold attempt to escape. have wiped
out all the diminished time accruing to
them on the score of good conduct. The
discovery of the plot has also led to
the material curtailment of the liberties
allowed to certain prisoners at San
Quentin