Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-14
LOVE NOTES AIDED ESCAPE.
Mexican Asked Sweetheart to Obtain
Saws.

CHICAGO, March IA C9.-Love let
ters and bribery of guards alike aided
three Mexican murderers to escape
from the Will County Jail at Joliet
early Saturday, officials believed to-
day, after obtaining confessions, seiz-
ing letters and discovering prison
kept diary. Three American killers,
companions of the MeXicans, failed
TO get away.
Two women and two men We're ar
rested in Joliet last night, charged
with aiding the escape. This brought
the number under arrest as accom-
plices to eight.
Among those held was tJuanita Gal
lardo of South Chicago, sweetheart
of Bernardo Roa, slayer of three per-
sons, who was the brains of the band,
and who is the only one of the sex
fet still at large. The police last night
made public two letters which Roa
sent to Juanita, in which the convict
urged her to bring saws to the jail
The girl acknowledged receiving the
letters, but denied she complied with
the request.
Asked Girl for Saw.
1--WE beg you to do us the favor of
buying us saw and bringing 1t to
us DIS SOOIl dS DOSSlblSS OCNduoC SOd
are the only one who has shown any
interest in saving our lives in this
manner" one of the letters read.
Another under arrest was Jesse
Gonzales, believed to have had a con-
nection with the plot, after police had
taken from him a. letter struggled by
Charles Duschowski, one of the Amer
leans, to Roa in the Jail just before.
the escape. Duschowski's letter said
that he would kill plenty and then
himself" to get out if furnished an
automatic pistol.
Several other Joliet residents of
Mexican descent also were under ar
rest, and Edward f. Gibbons, guard,
was held in technical custody to OBJ
tain his testimony. Police were seek
ing a guard who resigned recently.
This man was said by a fellow guard
to have had steel saws in his posses
sion.
Torrez Makes Confession.
The confession came from Roberto
Torrez. one of the two Mexicans cap
tured here early Saturday.
Torres confession, the police said,
revealed how 81 500 was given as a
bride to Jail guards.
Reliance on a gun rather than on
saw may have caused the failure
of the three Americans to escape,
Duschowski's letter revealed.
In it he begged Roa for six"
(gun), and said: 81 don't need to
door for me. get you out or
kill plenty and then myself : /" /
guarantee you / can put you in Chi
cago and myself, too, my friends"
The Mexicans sawed their way out
of their cell, armed the Americans
and fed. They were unable to release
their American comrades, however,
because the key to the cell was locked
in the Jail safe.
Girl Is DisilIusioned.
Juanita today was disillusioned
girl.
At the detective bureau they init.
mated that Roa's professed interest
in her was dictated largely by his be-
lief that she could obtain the steel
saws by which he could obtain free
dom.
Juanita at first was convinced that
Roa's protestations of love were sin
cere.
HE made up a song about me and
he used to sing with his guitar" she
said in describing some of her visits
TO the prison while Roa was there
ut went like this:
"'Nita, Juanita, ask thy soul if we
should part.
'Nita. Juanita, lean thou on my
heart"
And she repeated the lines of the
bld-time favorite.
Some one told the girl that the song
Roa wrote for her was q favorite with
his grandfather