The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-06-27

From out of the Boulder county
Jail comes STRANGE story of two
men-one a condemned murderer,
and the other an alleged white
SLAYER, allied together in a way, by
the common bondage of imprison-
ment, yet pitted one against the
other, because in the heart OF the
murderer was harbored d1aboH-
cal scheme that the conscience of
the other could not consent to.
The life of jailer was at stake
and the liberty of Roy Walsh, con-
victed murderer of Albert Johnson,
the object of the plot Included in
the plan was a daylight robbery OF
the bank at Victor, Idaho.
The jailer was Undersher1ff Leslie
knight of Jefferson county. The al
legged white SLAYER was X. w. Camp
bell. The latter, of no particular
qualities, rose to the heights of hero
ism in the dignity of the jail at
Boulder, for daily he guarded the
life of his captor against the plot OF
Walsh And, because he revolted
against the epithet 'stool pigeon,
he carried on his vigil alone and un-
aided until, obsessed by fear of
the dangerous man who was his fell
low prisoner and by the thought
that perhaps his efforts to block the
almost incredible plot might fail, he
told his captors. His story was re-
lated the day Walsh was removed
from the Jefferson county jail to the
state penitentiay
His Weapons
A sharpened knife, bottle of acid
a gag made of blankets and rub
Der belt were Walsh's tools, accord
ing to Campbell. That the plot
would have been successful were it
not for the presence of Campbell in
the jail is the belief of officers.
To understand the plan, mental
picture of the interior of the Boulder
Jail must be drawn. Walsh was con-
fined in a cage. In the cage were two
cells. A space of perhaps three feet
separates the bars of the cage from
those of the two cells. Before the
jailors entered the cage in which
Walsh was confined, they pulled a
lever which locked the prisoner in
his cell.
Back to Walsh
Undersheriff Knight would then
walk into the corridor and place the
prisoners food on a table. In so do
ing his back would be turned to the
second cell in the cage which at all
times was open, open since the day
Walsh fashioned key from frag-
ments of an ivory mirror and I'M
locked the door This was done
early this month. He handed the
lock and key back to the jailors at
the time saying, Don't put lock on
there, I'll only take it off again. Be I
sides if the cell is open it gives me
more room to move around"
Approaching the futility of locks
that were within reach of the pris ]
oner, no new lock was placed in the
second cell.
After he had accustomed his jailor ;
to having him close the cell door J
for him, Walsh was ready to spring !
his trap. Around his waist was rub t
Der belt, such as are supplied pris-
oners in the Missouri state peniten-
tiary. I
Could Shut Door. I
He attached his belt to his cell /
door. He strung it taut. When the S
jailor would pull the lever of the t
cell door, the elastic belt would pull
the door shut. Walsh, according to {
Campbell, had a dummy prepared /
which he intended to place in his Y
bunk. The prisoner presumed that {
when the cell door slammed shut the
undersheriff would assume that the t
prisoner was safely locwed behind i
the steel doors. S
"But,' tells Campbell, che wasn't h
going to be in that cell. He was go t
ing to be in the next cell, the one in
which Mr.. Knight had to turn his C
back. And Walsh would have his 7
gag and his knife. He planned on {
striking the undersheriff on the I
head, then gaging and tying him.
''Never Hang" r
"But, think if it came to a show :
down, he would have used the knife =
said to him once, Roy, you :.
wouldn't kill the old man He an !,
swered with smile, Well, what =
would you do? Just leave me get my
hands on that old--and he will
not get ahead of me this time. They'll d
never hang me alive" t
Walsh's gag was made from strips a
of blankets. 1t was braided expertly b
and would have effectively hushed