The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-25
JA|[-BREAK PLAN
IS FRUSTRATED
Clever Design of County Jail
Crooks Nipped in
the Bud.
LARGE NUMBER OF TOOLS
FOUND in THE CELLS
Work Proceeding in Good Shape
When Deputy Sheriff Made
Discovery.

Elaborate preparations for a general
break for liberty were frustrated at the
county jail Thursday by the timely dis
covery OF Deputy Joe Burbidge.
All of the worst prisoners serving time
or awaiting trial in the District court are
confined in tho lower tier of rotary cells,
and ii is the practice to turn them into
tho lower corridor three times day Tor
exercise. At noon Burbidge caught the
sound OF q saw grating against tne oafs
of tho corridor window
Sheriff Is Notified.
Sheriff Emery was at once notified, and
in a few minutes the whole force OIL
deputies were at the joil. prepared 10 stop
any break that should start -,
Tho rotary cells and the corrluoT Wete
cmptied OF all prisoners and q thoroush II
search was instituted. 1t was dlscoNosed
that one Of the steel bars or the corrlo0r
window had been sawed almost ehuroIly
through and that the floor and ROOF OF the
cell occupied by Burglars James McCor.
nick and Frank Harrison had been cut
through in several places.
The search brought to light pig oana, an q,
saw, brace and at least q dozen hack-saw
blades OF the hardest temper
Located the Tools.
All OF these and several files. case and
Jack knives were taken from the call OF
Mccormick and Harrison except hnck-
saw which was found In the cell OF Her
bert Williams. who was sentenced week
ago to 100 days for obtaining money pg
false pretenses, Willlnmss VIE, 10
whom he was married in the county jail
last March, is also serving term at the
prison, and II was al his request and on
his plea OF guilty that Judge Diehl hxed
the term Of his Incarceration at exactly
100 days so that the terms OF husband
and wifo would expire at the same time
Hard Brace Of Crooks.
There can be no doubt that tho attempt
to saw their way out of jail was designed
l,,e1 gAF,rN nv AlHG HTT
Harrison They are the hardest brace or
crooks the authorities have had to deal
with for many q day, and are awaiting
trial on charge OF burglary.
These men were arrested April l6 by or,
flcer Joe Bush. AT the station he turned
Harrison over to officer Morrison. who
to search MIN. AS they entered the en-,
closure behind the rail, Harrison slipped
out OF his overcoat and throw 1t across
the back OF a chair.
Planned q Murder.
Morrison proceeded to search him. over
over Morrison turned TO make an entry
In the desk record book. In an Instant
Harrison slipped back into his overcoat
and plunged his hand into one OF the
pockets as though TO draw weapon Of
1lcer Timmons entered at the moment
and noticing the burglars menactng man
ner grabbed him. TimmonS terked the
mans hand from his pocket and brought
to light a big six-shootcr. AS the gun
was wrested from him Harrison Informed
Morrison coolly that in another moment
he would have been dead man. And few
persons who know the desperate charac-
ter doubt that he was. for once. telling
tho truth.
Placed in Dungeon.
After the discovery of the attempted
fall break both Mccormick and Harrison
were placed In the prison dungeon, where
they will be kept In close confinement un-
Till the day of their trial.
Will Not Confess.
Every attempt 10 induce Harrison and
Mccormick TO make a confession OF the
details OF the plot to break jail failed
signaIy. About midnight II was de-
cided TO trice them up This was done
by means of straps made fast 10 the
wrists Of the men and the bars of the
cell window, and they were drawn up so
that their toes hardly touched the floor,
Though this method OF treatment Is said
, to be highly conducive to conversation,
both the prisoners remained dumb after
the first hours torture. II they continue
in their stubborn resistance something
different will be tried today