The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-25
PRISONERS PLAN
BIG JAIL BREAK
Desperate Men Had Wooden
Key With Which They Ex-
pected to Win Freedom.

plan for wholesale jail deiVefy
was frustrated yesterday by Sheriff G.
A. Sebring. For days there has been an
air about the county Jail that foretold
something was about to happen. 1t was
this that induced Sheriff Sebring to or
der a complete search of the Jail on
Thursday. Articles of every description
were found secreted in every conceiv-
able nook in the big cage. Included in
this cole ctiOn of junk were number
of improvised tools, believed TO have
been manufactured by the prisoners 20
aid them in breaking out OF the prison
When the search was made on Thurs
day il WAS thought that all of the stun
that could be concealed in the interior
had been found. Yesterday, however, IN
formation leaked out that daring break
was planned for today and that there
was yet something in the prison Which
the prisoners expected to u/s In bringing
this about.
This BIZ of information caused the Of
ficers to make another search OF the prlS-
on cage. When about to admit that Il
there was anything secreted by
the prisoners in the interior of the jail
they had done their work so well that
1t was impossible TO find IL, one or the
deputies ran his hand in the ventilator
shaft in the toilet room and pulled out
a wooden key, made to fit the outslde
door of the Jail With the aid OF a knife
and one of the saws made in the jail, a
key had been carved that was almost a
perfect duplicate of the one used TO turn
the big lock in the main jail door.
1t was then learned that the key had
been made by Charles H. Johnson, alias
J. H Mack, who was arrested here some
time ago by Police Officer Ed Aorrissey,
while in the act of boring his way INTO
the rear of the Watson-F1ygare haT I'i-
ware store 1t was also learned that this
was the second key that had been made
since johnson had been confined IN the
County Jail awaiting trial on a burslary
charge The first attempt was entirely
f..l faFrt haT
in the lock one day to be sure that Al
did the work. one of the deputies showed
up, and in taking the wooden Key out
hurriedly il was broken. This necessl-
tated the making of the second key. The
main stem of the key was made from
wood sawed from the handle or a plunser
used in the jail, and the way in Wnlch
IL was put together demonstrated thaI
il was not the first attempt at such WORK
on the part of the man who manufac-
tured it johnson has served several
terms in California prisons and is said
to be a most dangerous criminal
The plan was to wait until Saturday,
which is cleaning up day. Thomas Luz
kos and Stephen OHM, the two prison
ers awaiting trial for participating IN sew
eral of the most daring roboerles ever
committed here, and who are confined IN
the solitary part OF the prison, were,
when it came time for them to be let
out In the corridor to take exercise and
clean up. to work the lever that would
oDen the door of the cage and permit
all of the prisoners TO get out into
the corridor. Then, when there was but
one man in the sheTiffs office, the WOOD
en- key was to be brought into use and
the prisoners were to rush the man on
guard in the office.
The scheme is believed TO have been
matched by Frank Estes and the prisoner
Johnson. There were but five OF the
men confined in the jail who had de-
cided to participate in the beak. This
five however. are the most desperate in
~ soff Estes f
ing trial for third degree burglary; Charles
Johnson, alias j. H. Mack, confessed
burgler, awaiting sentence; Thomas Luz
kos and Stephen Quinn, awaiting trial
for burglary and David A. Gardner,
awaiting trial for forgery.
Although the Jail was emptied of all
such stuff as bottles, wire, etc, on Thurs
day, a large empty whisky flask was
found in the cage yesterday morning,
showing conclusively that the prisoners
still have some way OF getting stuff into
the Jail. In addition to this, 1t was dis
covered that two of the iron screens on
the windows on the north side of the
1ail had been broken and bent outward,
evidently for the purpose Of receiving
tools from friends on the outside. Steps
will be at once taken TO prevent any
thing more from getting into the jail
through this channel.
County Commissioner Frank Moore is
much interested in the discoveries made
by the sheriff and stated yesterday that
within a short time the prisoners serv-
ing Jail sentences would not have time
enough to work out any such ideas as
that Just unearthed The county rock
crusher will be placed at the Utah Hot
Springs, as soon as the Ogden G. North
western railroad has been electrified; a
stockade will be built about the quarry.
and the prisoners from the county Jail
will be taken out in a special car each
morning and made to work on the rock
pile. The crushed rock will be used for
macadamizing the county roads. 1t g
thought that this will accomplish con-
siderable good. as ordinarily those serv-
ing Jail sentences are averse to working
and it is believed that enc dose of the
rock pile will cause them to give Ogden
a wide berth in the future