Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-01
ATTEMP7E JAIL
HRiAk At PRISON.
- ----------------s$
Abe Majors and Joe Sullivan Get
Ready to Leave the
Penitentlary.
KEY AND ROPE ARE FOUND
Blankets Torn III strips Discovered by
Guard johnson and Acting
Warden Urc in Cells.

owing 10 The watchfulnass OF Guard
johnson and Acting Warden Gie an
other attempt at escape sroT1 &the state
prison has been frustrated. d5As before
Abe. Majors is accued Of being the ring
leader and this time he3!has for his
partner another despeiateSconVie aoa
sullivan. Both nleil are ilnrdcrers and
both, judging from past records viii
stop at nothing to escane. aIilg And-s=
ing OF q rope made from town blankets
ana IL rough skeleton key III the cells
of the convicts was the first intimation
That there was a plot on foot.
Tho two prisoners ilr{uuestion nave
been locked i'll their cells for some
months as it was found unsafe 70
allow them the run of the prison yard
or the cell corridors The same re-
strictions were placed an9Deming
But although locked UP, the otler
prisoners in the corridors could stop
and converse with tbaiT comrades in
their cells: and in this way it was easy
to pass notes and attempt to cook Up
a scheme tomake trouble Majors ana
Sullivan took advantage of the oppor-
tllnity, and together Matched up plof
to get away But the passing of notes
could not escape the watchfnl eyes OF
Guard Johnson, who saw last sunday
What was going on, and imniedialeiS
notified acting Warden Ire. who is III
charge Of the prison in Warden Pratt's
absence.
Mr.. urc lost no time in&acting. and
| assisted with several guards made q
thorough search of Majors and Suiil-
| van and of their respective cells. Eile
| search revealed quantity of trolley
wire and a key wi.iie they had inI-
| promptu ropes made up from BLANKETS
| and oyeralls Just how the precious
twain intended to operate can not be
| stated. further than the stuff found on
! them and in their cells suggested pick
| ing locke and scaling The prison walls
! os:iae,l they had. the Spoftuttittig y, i. "
The men were at once removed to
4 cells where they could have no COM
| munication with any one, and later the
| hoard of corrections We're notified. The
board went down there this afternoon,
and its members are investigating. SUI
| livan. Majors and Deming Will be re-
moved as soon as possible to the new
! cell house where they can scheme away
| to their hearts content without ever
being able to accomplish anything IT
Is believed that the knowledge that
| escape from the new cell house Wohid
| be imposslble prompted the convicts to
make a desperate attempt to escape be
! fore the transfer.
THREE DESPERATE MEN.
sullivan, Majors and Deming are
| considered equal to the worst cases in
| any state prison. and require constant
| and careful watching. Being locked up,
and unable to circulate among the other
| convicts. they have had plenty of time
To think, and they have put in all
| their thinking powers planning possible
| and impossible means for escape. Ma
Tors is doing life for shooting Police
CAPTAIN Brown of ogden, while resist
ing arrest early in the nineties. while
| his brother was killed in attempting TO
| escape. Majors has always proven u
| troublesome prisoner. Not that he
would violate prison rules. for
he was careful not to do that; but he
| has lost no time III plotting an escape,
| and the October break of 'O6 was partly
| of his cococting. He failed to get away
| himself and the break came 10 naught
| He fulflls the western definition of "a
| GOOD Indian''-''good' only when dead;
and the officers Of the prison lind it
| necessary to watch him constantly
| Majors is regarded as accounting wild
! animal: all attempts 10 reform Him
| have failed. so there is nothing TO do
but to keep him shut up, away from
! his fellow kind, until death claims him.
|! Joa sullivan, one OF the men at
| tempting TO escape, is bad man and
| Is In for life for participating in the
| murder Of Policeman Charles Ford, on
the 18th of December, 100? In front of
| the Albany saloon on West Second
| South street, his partner in the crime.
and the man who is thought to have
Il
/ Toe Garcia. who was killed While re-
sisting Sheriff Emery and other Of
| ticers in Seattle a few months back.
Sullivan made his escape on the night
of the murder of Officer Ford ant
4 made his way to California and thence
by friends was aided in reaching PORT,
land, Or He was unprecedented 81
I. Portland and brought back to Salt LAX
i ana was placed on trial fol. his life for
/ the shooting of Ford and vas found
/ guilty of first degree murder by the
4 jury, with q recommendation to mercy
A however in the verdict. Sullivan was
sentenced to life imprisonment in the
utah penitentiary by Judge Armstrong
on April 9. 1908, and began to serve
4 his term on the same day.