Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-05-24
GENERAL DELIVERY WAS
PLANNED
CONTINUED from First Page).

the board made its investigation. 1t
seems that a number of the convicts
were engaged near the south and west
walls of the penitentiary during the
noon hour cleaning and washing their
beds, having removed the cots and
springs to the prison yard At that
time Guard Howell was in the south
east tower, Guard Brossard in the
northwest tower and the southwest
tower was left vacant, the guard hav-
ing gone to dinner.
The prisoners along the south and
west wall had evidently carefully timed
the guards and knew that one of the
towers would be vacant at that hour.
While engaged in cleaning the springs
of their cots they managed, unnoticed,
to nail two of them together. The cots
are six or seven feet long and combined
they make a very presentable ladder.
When certain there was no guard in
| the vacant tower they rushed to the
south wall Alters and one e. A. How
ard ran the combination and impro-
vised ladder UP against the wall and
started to climb up towards the top of
the wall.
Ignore Commands; Ladder Breaks.
Guard Howell Immediately command
ed the prisoners to halt and go down.
They ignored his command and con-
tinued to ascend Repeated commands
failed to stop the desperate men and
Howell raised his rifle and pulled the
| trigger. The cartridge missed fire. He
| threw open the chamber casting out
the cartridge and snapped the cham
Der shut. BY this time Alters had
| reached the top Of the wall. Howell
opened fire and Jones went over the
wall. Howard was pressing behind
him, desperate in an attempt to get
over but the cot ladder broke in tho
center and he was precipitated to the
ground inside of the prison wall. 1t
was this sudden change Of events that
prevented other prisoners from reach
ing the top of the wall.
Other Wall Attacked.
In the meantime number of the
other prisoners including Bereup and
Jones rushed to the west wall and with
the use of a barrel they ran another
improvised ladder up against that wall
and scrambled to the top, Jones and
Bereup clearing the barricade and rush
| ing headlong, when once outside of the
prison, towards the pump house By
this time Guard Brossard was able to
sight the fleeing men with his rifle and
opened fire from his tower.
Hearing the shooting Warden John
Shook rushed out with his rifle and
rounding the end of the prison wall
started to fire on Jones and Bereup
Guard Ray Peterson, brother of the
attorney general, was at dinner when
| the shooting started. He rushed to his
room, secured his rifle and following
| the direction taken by the warden,
sighted the fleeing prisoners and also
opened fire on them. They had come
within range of Guard Howell and he
too poured volley of shots in their
direction. Alters was wounded by him
| but continued running. Bereup had
not been hit.
Peterson Brings Bereup Down.
| Believing that the prisoners would
escape If they made the underbrush
beyond the Moseley farm, Guard Pet
erson, who is lighter than the warden
and fleet of foot, started on a run after
the prisoners. Warden Shook ordered
a horse expecting to round them up
Peterson gained on Bereup and Jones
and as the two prisoners reached the
Moseley farm. now the property of the
state, and came into sight on a rise in
the grounds, he drew a bead on Bere-
ups leg and fired. Bereup sank to the
ground fatally shot through the groin.
Jones also stopped and gave himself
UP. He was wounded by shot from
Warden Shocks rifle.
The wounded men together with
Jones who had been winged, were
rushed to the penitentiary and medical
aid summoned. 1t was soon apparent
that Bereup could not live. BY this
time members of the prison board ar
rived. Orders were given to look up
the prisoners and the regular regula-
lions Of the penal institution on an &C.
casion of this kind, were strictly fol-
lowed out Alters was captured at the
pumping station by Guard Gress.
Expected to Be Killed.
Before he died Bereup, although
weak and unable to make much of
statement said to the attorney general
and other members of the board pres
ent as wei las prison officials: 81 ex-
pected to be killed" He added that he
expected to die after the attempted
break had been made and the guards