The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1911-12-15
CONFESS ATTEMPT
TO BREAK JAIL
PRISONERS ALL in scheme LOSE
PRIVILEGES THEY HAVE
BEEN ENJOYING.

Louis Bolon, held in the county
jail awaiting transportation to Mon
roe to begin sentence in the reform
atory for having forged a check for
$25 and passing it at the Colfax Ma
tional bank, was found crouching in
large water tank on top Of the steel
cells in the county Jail Sunday night
when Deputies Eastep and Cole went
to lookup at 8 o'clock. Bolon has
since confessed that he had planned
to remain in the tank until the other
prisoners had been locked in the
steel cage for the night and then dig
through the south wall of the jail and
drop to the ground under the window
to the commissioners room. He be-
lieved that with the aid of the case
knives and forks he could dig
through the wall in one night But
his attempt to remain outside the
steel cage at lookup time was frus-
trated by the vigilance of the offic-
las.
The tank in which Bolon was
found hiding was not in use and only
few inches of water remained below
the faucet in the bottom of the tank.
AS the lights in the Jail are turned
out at s o'clock Bolon had provided
himself with an ingenious lamp
manufactured from large tin tobac-
co box, fitted it with wicks made
from underclothing and supplied it
with "Sidol," the oil used to kill
hn in ioi
the lamp made considerable smoke
it gave as good light as a coal oil
lamp without chimney.
The next morning found all the
prisoners sullen and in a defiant
mood. They were not permitted the
freedom of the front room of the jail
which they usually enjoyed during
the daylight hours. In his cell Bolon
pounded on the steel with his iron
bed and made a terrific disturbance
in a prolonged fit of rage. To keep
him still the officers handcuffed the
noisy prisoner and chained his hands
above his head. After an hour he
was released and showed meek dis
position. In the afternoon he con-
fessed the plot to the officers and re-
ceived the taunts of the other prison
ers. Pandemonium broke loose in
the steel corridor where the other
eight prisoners were confined.
Benches were broken and cat calls
resounded through the air. The out
break brought strict enforcement
of the rules and for several days the
prisoners have been without chairs,
benches and MANY of the comforts of
Jail life as we'll as the freedom of the
oU1er corridor.
A thorough search of the jail re-
vealed another homemade lamp, a
pair of shears, steel shank out Of a
shoe and a razor drawn up by a
string in the ventilator III Fortune S
cell.
Fortune is serving a six months
sentence for stabbing his boss with a
pocket knife while working with a
harvest crew near Lamont last Aug
ust. Until the recent outbreak he
has been considered model prisoner
and has been treated as trusty. He
has zone many odd jobs around the
sheriff's Office and has been sent to
the postoffice on numerous occasions.
He has been invited out to meals
with different members of the sher-
ifs force and had received many ia
vOrs and courtesies. In the face of
all this it has since been learned that
he took four bottles of booze" into
the Jail on Thanksgiving day and now
he is mixed up in the attempted jail
breaking. The good time" which
without a question he would have re-
ceived, has been forfeited and he has
lost his liberties and will have to
stay until April 10, the date of the
expiration of his sentence. Fortune
is an avowed I. w. w. and also
claims to be socialist According to
his story he was an organizer with
the l. w. WIS and while performing G
his duties as member of the organ
ization visited the Whitman county
Jail something over a year ago in
company with another member of the
organization to visit two of their fell
lows who were confined in the Jail at
that time.
Besides Fortune there are two or
three other long term men in the
county jail R. E. McKay, the insur-
ance agent who was convicted of lar
ceny by embezzlement was given a
six. months term in the jail and his
time does not expire until June IL.
J. O'Neil, who was convicted of steal
ing set of carpenter tools at Tekoa,
is booked to stay until March 8. In
all there were nine prisoners in the
Jail when the disturbance was start
ed Sunday evening.
Travelling guard Rogers from the
Monroe Reformatory came yesterday
and took Louis Bolon to Monroe to
begin his term of sentence.
County Sends Family to Florida.