The San Francisco call., 1908-07-30
Nurderer's Plot to Escape Is Re-
vealed When Moved TO
Death Chamber
Removes Bricks With Nail and
Plans TO Make Dash for
Freedom
.LSDesperate Effort of Doomed
Gas Pipe Thug Ends in
Failure

SAN QUENTIN PRISON, July g.
Feverishly burrowing with 4 huge
wire nail in the desperate hope Of
escaping from his cell TO the prison
Courtyard and then making 4 dash
. for freedom over the walls. daring
the gauntlet Of the guards rifles,
James Siemsen. gaspipe thug. sen
tsnoed to be hanged Friday morning.
was trapped today by deputy wardens
who came 10 place him IN the death
cell
The condemned man had worked
. with the cunning OF despair under the
cover of. night for several days. II he
had had another day he would have
made his way TO the outside OF his
cell There ne would have lain in
hiding until night. fell. and then he
would have cast al on the chance of
escape over the walls. The penalty
would have been instant death, for in
The glare Of the prison searchlights
his fight would have been detected
and his body ri6dIed with bullets in q
rWinklilE
the mortar with the nail in the dead
~ night these terrible hazards seemed
berUe- Than the tension OF waiting for
The coming ot the hangmau.
PUT MORTAR BACK
During the day he packed carefully
back in the creTtces the mortar he had
loosened When the guards came 10
bring him food he talked with them
about his approaching doom with ap-
cheerful. his keepers say, and the
scales showed when he was weighed
that he had gained IN flesh And then
Tle.Uinute he felt secure from inter
rUIstion back he would slip 10 the
heart breaking task
The big iron nail. found by the keep
ers in cleaning the wall. together with
the lcOsene6 bricks. which fell out
when shey were jarred. bore silent wit
ness 70 the way the desperate man had
worked GO get 10 the outer air. even
with the slim chance he would have
had II that had been accomplished
Scratched and worn bright and blunt.
the spike told the tale OF the doomed
mans hope. despite the uncOnQu
odds. Not more tiran a dozen bricks
IN all had been freed but enough
. pro ogress had been made TO give Stem
sen q good fighting chance with but
one more last desperate effort
=
1ion that : 10 be rigidly Investigated
by tire. prison authorities. Fears are
expressed that the nail might have
been slipped TO him by one OF his fel-
low prisoners. and that the escape
planned might have been part OF z
plot for general 5ailbreak-
The prisoner himself sUllenly refused
10 say where he got the nail when he
was questioned
Yes, I did try 70 dig out but amt
goiu' 70 tell you where got that nail. %
lie snarled- Commands failed 10 move
him.
8IURDERERS TOGETHER
siemsen and Dabner, who are TO be
hanged together. have now been placed
side by side in the death cells with the
death watch over them No further
chance OF escape VIII be given them
The two condemned men spend most
OF their time in the death chamber in
religious devotion. The older man seems
70 have given up all hope Of escaping
the gallows. but Dabner boasted today
that he had secured an attorney who
would carry 2 successful appeal 10 tSa
federal courts. Dabner heard OF the
fruitless visit Of his mother TO Cover
nor Gillett without any outward show
OF emotion
A story which was current about the
prison today. bur which is vigorously
denied by the prison authorities. was
20 the effect that Dsbner has made a
small paper manikin from twisted re-
IgioUs tracts he has been permitted 70
have. and that his favorfte occupa ton
is 70 make. this tiny dummy. dangled
from q piece OF string, drop through an
imaginary gallows trap made By sud
denly parting tie fingers OF his hand
held fst-s This he does ali dav long II
is declared, and when any one comes 10
see him be shows them with the mani
kin how he IS 10 be hanged himself