Amador ledger., 1909-06-04
DETERMINED ATTEMPT
TO BREAK JAIL.
Domenico Manzo Nearly Gains
Liberty.

by a scratch Dominco Manzo, who
with A. Borello, is under sentence of
term of years in San Quentin for
setting fire TO the Summit House on
Sutter hill, and who has been kept in
the county jail under a writ of prob
aole cause, pending an appeal to the
district court of appeal, was detected
early Tuesday morning in an at
tempt to break out of the county
jail. ManzO and his partner in crime
were convicted over year ago of
arson. The issuance of a writ of pro-
bahle cause for appeal acts as a stay
OF proceedings until the appeal has
been heard and decided. That is to
say the convicted person is held in
the county Jail during the period
between the passing of sentence and
the decision of the higher court on
appeal. In this way the two men
have been kept in the county iail
mere at the county's expense, involv-
ing 70 cents per day each. In neither
case has the appeal been perfected.
In the case Of Manzo little has been
done in that direction. So that
with the utmost speed in pushing
the appeal, another year will no
doubt elapse before the matter is
hnally passed by the higher court.
And all this time, should the iudg-
msnt be approved, will be lost to the
con7lcts, as the sentence does not
commence to run until the defendant
Is delivered to the authorities of the
state prison.
Manzo is a big, powerful man
the executive of the criminal scheme.
while Borello was looked upon as the
arch plotter. Manzo has occupied a
cell near the main entrance to the
jail proper on the north side.
borello's cell is on the other
corridor on the north side. The two
are let out of their cells for several
hours each day for exercise. and dur
ing this time they have the oppor
tunlty to converse freely. 1t is sup
posed that the plot to escape was
made up between them, although the
facts seem to point that Manzo acted
on his own motion. and intended to
get away without Borello.
Between l and o'clock Tuesday
morning, Julius Piccardo, of the
firm of Vela u Piocardo, happened TO
be going in front of the court house.
There is an' electric light kent
burning during the night in the front
or ante room of the Jail. Through
the bars of the front window he
noticed mans form moving IN this
room. His suspicion was at once
aroused that something was wrong,
especially as the form seemed to
stoop immediately after being noticed
as II for the purpose of getting out
OF view. Piccardo did not go direct
ly to the sheriff's house, which is
within few feet of the jail, think
ing that the prisoner might have
some confederate on the outside as
guard. He returned to Main street
and told ii. e. Kay, a former deputy
sheriff. Kay and Piccardo thereupon
repaired to the residence of sheriff
Gregory, and called him up. Ihe
officer handed his weapon to Kay and |
requested him to watch, until he had
III oh ba
was soon upon the scene himself.
Opening the Jail door, Manzo was
not to be seen in the front room
where Piccardo had noticed a human
igure moving. There is a dark room
leading from this room, used for
storage purposes, and in this Manzo
was found lying on lot of sacks.
he was in an excited aud exhausted
with very rapid pulse. !
When accosted by the officer, he
,'sld he was about done for. Evi-
.ently he had just got through the
opening made in the iron door of the
all proper, and the eXertion put
or thin that effort had pretty we'll
yinded him. In the room were found
wo iron bars, each wrapped ronnd
With piece of blanket. These were
evidently the instruments used in the
attempted escape. The wrapping was
or the purpose of deadening the
ound when used for prying. One
1ar was about two feet long, inch
hick and two inches wide. with a
ight-angled bend at each end. 1t is
this bar was taken from the
heater or stove. The other piece of
ron was about the same length, but