The San Francisco call., 1910-12-03
BOTTLE IN BAY
MAY prove KEY
TO open JAIL
Prisoner at San Quentin Finds
Floating Message of ''GOOd
Luck to Finder"
Words Written by Editor at the
Press Club Excursion Re-
vive Hope of Liberty
Convict Sentenced for Compile
ity in Murder Protests
His Innocence

his Innocence
A CHANGE = note placed in a
"A bottle and cast into the bay
may prove to be the magic. key
which shall open: the doors Of San
Quentin. for one OF the. convicts in the
institution. It has been the means of
bringing ia the attention OF the public
the remarkable case OF William
Owens. under sentence of life impris-
onment for murder in the second
degree. It has given Owens an -oppor-
tunity. 10 present his. protestations of
innocence 1T has served TO demonstrate
that there is al. least one. man in the
penitentiary who may be suffering
punishment beyond his deserts. For
II Owens speaks, the truth, his liberty
has been declared forfeit for. a crime
- that he did not commit,
The brief message tossed carelessly
10 the waves has brought the story Of
Owens TO the prison commissioners
and. 10. the ears: Of Governor Gillett.
It was the first Tay-of hope that had
entered the life Of the convict since
his Incarceration. and he seized upon
il asa sacred Eight Of deliverance.
Bottle Thrown Into Bay
IF Owens. gains his freedom. he
must. render. thanks to the strong cur
rents Of the. bay. to a press club ex-
cursion party. but more than all else
70 William J. .Ahern. editor of the
Coast Shoe. Reporter.
Aherl IS a member OF the Press
club II happened tFat on the after
noon Of <Sunday-. Jply "A. 1903. the
club went upQn its annual excursion
n.the bay IN Captain Leale's steamer
aroline 'tbe-strip was. made from cove
to cove. After luncheon Ahern seized
an. empty olive bottle and playfully
announced that he was about to launch
message. to the world He wrote
upon his card Good luck to the
finder. showed it into the bottle and
hurle5. 1t overheard Nothing more
was thought. Of the incident.
About a week. later William owens,
regiztered as No 21O1S at san ouen-
tin, was at work near. the shore at
prison when his eve was attracted
by a bottle- Of aIpusual shape that the
waves washed in and out with the
Odd Design Attracts.
II was the odd design that interested
liUl. ABOUT the neck of the glass were
heavy .zrlngs' that prompted Owens to
invesega5e. Tfe picked it up and, OBJ
SERVING the card. extracted il. He read
it.-. Then he. ssmHed; for the first time
In four years.
AS he pernsed the lines and medi-
tated over the message, Good luck to
the fader' the prisoner felt a thrill
~ 5oy racing through his frame. For
four years he had known only the
prison and It's heavy sadness. Vaguely
he had fels that q kinder fate would
yet seek. him out It was the first
7vord Of good cheer that. had come.
To him it was not a tboughtless in
scription- It was a holy light that led
the way
Letter Sent to Editor "
That night he sat down and wrote a
letter 10 Ahern. whom he had never
seen, whom he did not know Into that
letter he poured the contents Of his
heart. stored with the woes Of afodr
long years.
Z have learned again the sweetness
of hope" he wrote. Il have again
the longing 70 be free to be happy.
to live"
The tenderness and apparent SINGER
ity Of the letter touched 'Ahern deeply
and he visited the prisoner at san
Quentin. There he heard his story.
Then he began an inquiry that led him
to enlist IN the eonvict's behalf. Wait
ing until the time he regarded as most
opportune. Ahern placed the facts be-
FORE TREY /. Ford Of the board Of
prison directors. The case has also
been presented to Governor Gnlett
Assistance Given Slayer
Owens was sent TO prison for life
from Mendocino county. He was
charged with completely in the plot
that led to the murder OF Frank Drake,
q logger. Owens was employed as a
pvoodsman at a lumber camp and had
associated, 20 some extent with a fel-
Cow workman, J. ". Finley. Drake
was a logger near by and was known
to have money in his cabin. Finley
went to- brakes cabin and demanded
the money. Drake resisted and Finley
shot him Finley obtained some pro-
Visions from Owens and fed.
Y Some weeks later Owens was ar
rested. but released. He was taken
into custody a second time and placed