History Watch: “Short Walk on a Long Pier”

History Watch

“Short Walk on a Long Pier”
The key to any successful prison escape is to have a solid two part plan.  Plan A is to figure out a way to get out of the penal institution you are in and Plan B is to figure out a way to avoid getting captured once you are out.  Most convicts do a pretty good job with Plan A.  They have used cars, boats, dug tunnels, dressed up as other people, and forged release papers to get out from behind bars. 

But as good as Plan A might be, complete success cannot be achieved unless you have a well designed Plan B.  Unfortunately most escapees have been lacking in this regard, which usually results in being unceremoniously returned to your cell.  This theory became a learning moment for San Quentin convicts Billy Jo Wright, 26 years and William Werner, 24 years.

Both of these young men were serving time in San Quentin when they decided to put Plan A into operation.  While at San Quentin, both inmates displayed good behavior and eventually they were assigned to a work detail outside of the prison walls as trustees.  On April 21, 1959, both men were assigned to a work outside of the prison.  On this day Wright and Werner decided it was time to be paroled.  They managed to arm themselves with knives and when the moment was right, they both ran from their group and headed down Main Street to the nearby Marin Rod and Gun Club Pier.

With Plan A accomplished, both men started to put Plan B into action.  Their plan was to run to the Pier, steal a speed boat and race across San Pablo Bay to freedom at the other end of the Richmond Bridge.  As the men neared the pier, they suddenly realized that their escape plan was a little flawed as there were no boats at the pier. In fact there are usually never any boats there, which left only some cars and a few people fishing. 

Both men were already on the pier when they came to this realization and with San Quentin guards in hot pursuit they ran out of options as they became trapped on the pier.  With freedom just out of their reach, they decided to run down the pier where they encountered Mrs. Louise Gschwend and her fishing buddy Douglas Harrison, who were about to have a very bad fishing day.  The convicts took Gschwend and Harrison hostage and held knives to their throats.

By this time San Quentin guards had arrived on the scene along with the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, the San Rafael Police Department and the United States Coast Guard.  A hostage standoff began with Wright and Werner demanding to be given a pass to freedom.  When they got a blunt no to this request, they then demanded to be able to speak with the press so they could express their frustration over the horrible parole policy used by the prison.  They also demanded that they not be prosecuted for escaping. 

The first request was granted and they were allowed to talk to a news crew from a distance.  Regarding the second request, law enforcement authorities conferred with Marin County District Attorney William O. Weissich, who wisely agreed not to prosecute, probably figuring that there was no punishment he could give to the two convicts that would be greater than what the prison had in store for them once they were back in custody.

Negotiations were slow and the men continued to hold the hostages on the cold and windy pier.  During this time Mrs. Gschwend fainted from the stress and hostage Harrison became an intermediary between the convicts and officers, passing information back and forth.  Finally after six long hours, both convicts gave up and they were taken into custody by San Quentin officials.  As in many cases before, this incident once again proved that without a good Plan B, you might as well not even try Plan A.
Attached are two photos.  The first photo is of hostages Louise Gschwend and Douglas Harrison, taken after their rescue.  Gschwend is holding a prayer book that she used to comfort her during the ordeal.  The second photo is of convicts Billy Jo Wright and William Werner being escorted off the Marin Rod and Gun Club Pier by two very angry San Quentin guards.

Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier – All Rights Reserved