Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-20
SHERCLlFF Is fOILED AGAIN
Diamond Robber Plans Second Escape
and Dynamite Of Jail
ovERPowERED BY THE OFFICERS
writes Letter 10 Hts wife AskinE
Her 10 Come 90 Him Armed with
Dynamite 10 Destroy
N Prison.

Sherman w Morris. or shercliH, the
Pollock diamond robber, As he is better
known la This pBrt Of the country, has
made a second futile attempt TO break jail
al Leadvinc, Colo. and failed in q scheme
10 blow NJ the prison by dynamite.
Shercliff Is awaiting trial for the murder
Of John w. walsh on the night OF June
%. 1885. and is becoming more desperate
every day. the authorities Of Leadville re-
port, in his determination TO cheat the
process Of Law.
After the discovery Of ms plot to escape
jail and the writing Of the letter TO Elmer
L. Thomas Of Omaha. who got him out
Of the Iowa penitentiary) asking him to 20
to Colorado and act as his counsel the
criminRl was placed under closer survei-
lance snd had IL not been for this fact he
probably would now be a free man.
Sheriff Bonner Of LeBdviue had occasion
TO enter the prisoners cell the other day
90 give him q new suit Of clothes He
hanged his apparel and was putting on
his shoes. Meauv hie the sheriff was sit
ting in a chair. reading q paper, but keep
ing a closer watch on Shercliff than ne
realized. for the door o. the cell had been
left open. ShercIiff was an unusually long
time tying his shoes. This came TO the
notice Of the sheriff. Directly the sheriff,
looking over the top Of his paper, dis
covered that his prey was watching him
and the next minute Shercltff mace z leap
for liberty, getting through the door and
out near the kitchen when ne frightened
the cook. BY that time the sheriff and q
deputy were upon him and ne was returned
10 the cell and placed under closer guard.
scheme 10 Blow Up Jail.
Here lie a letter which Shercliff wrote 10
ms wife in Des MONIES which disclosed TO
the sheriff his plan to dynamite the jail:
Ny Dear Mae: ! will write you & letter
Lhis time that / am getting mailed Prl-
vHtely.
II you are able to raise the funds TO get
ont here 10 my trial, you get some one 10
inches of fuse ana two dynamite caps.
! " rap IL w iE as small 3 bundle as YOU
can Break the stick IN Two IN The middle,
then wrap il VI with d handkerchief or
something. You may have q cnance TO pass
II TO me when visiting, but don't Try II the
first time you come ln-not until ! see YOU
and have a talk with you.
] know that ! will beat this case.
Come clear here, for ! am innocent Of this
charge as you are, but ! have heard thai
they viii arrest me before i get out OF the
court room again.
Now, don't worry. il won't help matters
now.
j can put 3 hole through the brick wal
big enough 10 jump through with this
stuff. You have johnnie get II Tor you OF
Frank Sargent or some one. ! have not
much hope Of my -elstives sending YOU
out. You know how damn tight they are
when il comes to money.
Now don't lose or mIslHy that z. r letter
I got. anG save that ST. Louis paper II YOU
have il yet. II might be used 10 my benefit
some day n Things don't turn Out bt1ler.
Write soon, buL don't reply 10 anything
in this letter.
Don't let Homer know anything about
this He Amt got as much nerve as 6
chicken.
=. s.-Put q slit in the center Of the fuse
q slit two inches long.
CHere followed q drawing OF q fuse viii
q diagram showing how the sui should
be Cut)
! will put q cap on each end, then double
il, SO II one don 60 the other viii
Now oonI make any mistake II you bring
this-one stick Of about seven-eighths thick
dynamite; eight inches " tRse and Two Of
three dynamite caps.
II you cant get ssven-elEhths inch thick
why, thicker around viii DO. The suCki
are generally about twelve inches long
II you break or cut one in the middle d
will make q smaller package.
From your own,
SHERMAN ". MORRIS.