The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-01-09
.CR|T|C|SES WARDEN
RUSSELL FOR TALK
ON PRISON PLOT
Warden Simpson Says Scheme Was
Exposed Before Five Desperate
Men Were Taken To Marquette
For Safe Keeping.
Impression Is That James Burke or
Late Billy" Burns Tipped on
Conspiracy.

JACKSON, Mich, Jan. 9.-Warden
simpson said today that the plot tC
effect a Wholesale delivery from Jack
son prison. was known before the five
desperate men, Cushway, Thompson
Burke, Kritze aud Boyer were takeI
to Marquette. He says the informa
ton came from someone on the "out
side," but II Is the general impres
sion that either Burke, who went tc
Lansing, Saturday. to endeaveor tc
get permission from Gov. Osborn tC
argue his appeal before the supreme
court, or Billy" Burns, who died in
Jackson prison, recently. tipped on
the scheme.
Mr. Simpson criticizes Warden Rus
sell, OF Marquette. for talking SO
much" His statement follows:
The principal fact that led up to
the discovery of the nitro-glycerin
was known by Deputy Warden Thomp.
son when | took charge as warden
That information we were acting on In
an effort to locate the stuff The in
formation covered the locality within
a certain vicinity of where II was
found and all but the exact spot which
only the man who buried the stun
knew of.
IF Warden Russell wants to talk
on this matter as to who are con-
cerned in the plot or under suspicion.
why, all right. | am not criticizing
him. What he wants to disclose
consider none of my business.
II want to say that the first infor.
nation we got, did not come from any
.rfc In To
prison. but came fro mthe outside.
am not talking as to the plot but We
are simply unraveling it the best we
can"
The investigation into the plot to
effect a wholesale delivery from
Jackson prison, Is being pushed to-
day under the personal direction OF
Warden Simpson. II Is proposed to
search every pne of the 500 or 1000
cells for more dynamite and firearms,
and the prison yard will be raked
thoroughly.
In addition to the Is ounces OF
nitro-giycerine, two drills. two boxes
OF 38-caliber cartridges, some dyna.
mite caps, and several feet OF fuse
that were found Saturday, three re-
volvers OF modern make and loaded
with the Is bullets which were miss.
ing from the packages found Satur.
day, were discovered yesterday by Of
ficers of the prison.
In addition to these, three fine steel
saws and three frames, large pack
age Of colored putty to be used on
the bars of the cells, a steel drill, a
large wooden mallet, two torches used
by plumbers, quantity Of nails and
candles and 80 feet OF strong rope
were found. The prisoners could
have sawed the bars, filing the spaces
with putty, and then could have made
dash for liberty in a short time
when the scheduled time for the es-
cape had come.
One of the five desperate convicts
taken to Marquette prison from here
little over a week ago, disclosed the
plot to Warden Russell. Of the former
institution. Four Of these men, James
Cushway, Charles Thompson, James
Burke and John KritZe, are known to
have been in the plot. Whether Harry
Boyer, the fifth man, was implicated,
is not known.
Burke is now in Ionia, where he
will be handy should the officials de-
sire to get further information from
him