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Show FWGERIES COMMITTED IN JAIL A California Com let WIi.m. Crot.r of Crime Ilil t Prison. By Mime nt range accident there has lieou discovered in San Qm-ntiu iri.--.on rt crime as odd and uncommon as any that Gaborinu's fri?lo brain ever evolved. In the ordinary prisons it is usually prcuincd that once a criminal has been nifurely lodged within the wails his career of crime is end."! for at l.'a-r th i term of his incarceration. Whi', ihU is not entirely true of the California p"ui-tentiary, p"ui-tentiary, it has heretofore managed to keep most of its occupants from tho commission of feloui'H of which other prisoners were tho victims. It remained for Convict C. It. V, a ,-h-man. however, to distinguish himself in a way that no jailbird before him ever did, and by such ingenious improvement of the opportunities offered him as to mark San Qnentin an ono of the most uncommon jiridons in tho world. There is a great deal of uiiinageri.il method in the administration of affairs at Sail Qui'iitin of the kind that carping critics call red tape. Among the many forms which are rigorously carried out is that of having envelopes, which are intended to carry communications to the deputy warden, printed with, his name und title in full ujion the face. When unythiiig of importance had to )h communicated to the deputy it was invariably intrusted to a convict to insure in-sure it wife delivery. j LSaehman, who is serving a long term ' for arson; Failing, life convict, and "Fat Jack" Kiiy, who hxs alxmt forty years' jienalty to pay for a felonious assault, as-sault, .ill had access to the deputy war-den's war-den's niu.il. These three prisoners enjoyed en-joyed tho privilege of reading all these imjiortaiit communications addressed to the deputy warden whenever it invited them to do so, and all because of those imposing and otilcial looking printed envelopes. A sujijily of the envelopes was easily purchasable. Whenever there was a letter intrusted to a convict messenger it fell into the hands of one. of the trio. It was quietly taken aside, tho envelojie torn ojxui, tho contents read and noted, and provided these critical readers found nothing objectionable iu tho tetter it was placed in one of tho extra envvlojies and delivered in dne form. In his mill, that is to nay the dejmty warden's jHii tion of it, Dachman one day discovered that an old man. Willi.iin j Fhelpsliy name, who is serving a life term for murder, had several hundred dollars un ili-jiosit in the warden's hands, j Iiacbnian had been sn'inli'ig his money in a roval, siiendthrift wav, and found bis exchequer in a low ebb. Hero was a chance to recoup, and to jilay a stroke worthy of bis genius and ojiportuniues. He gained the confidence of the old man, told him he bad influential fricuds and promised to get him pardoned. Then tho clever firebug sent for a lawyer and told him of the case and interested hi in in Phelps. Later -rj Bnchimui wive the Livyer ui. toiler l rht? wVi'Jen for considerable r-um of.vootiey, with Pholjis' signature attached, and also a noto of approval bearing an ofucer'd signature. The order was tak"ii to the warden, who wrote a check far tho amount, and was about to give it to the lawyer when an officer standing by fcugg---'ste;l that it would be wise to .send for Phelps and (see if it was all right. The ofhV.T w:w not suspicious, but simply fa-mibar with bis surroundings. Phelps was sent for und denied ever having wrirfea tho order. It was examined ex-amined aud found to be a forgery. Then the t,fBcer who h.l'l approved the order was MimiiMTied, and do.iied as emphatically emphat-ically that he had .signed the note of approval. ap-proval. This was also found to be 8 forgery. A little further investigation was sug-1 gented, and, allhotigh rather uiiprecte dented, w:us carried out, and it was' found that Baclmian was tho author of both of the forgeries. San Francitsco E-xaniiuor. |