New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-15
NEWYoRKERS IN SING SING PRISON

Were the management Of this penA institution
lodged in the hands of lis undsrI adustes, tho County
OF New-York would te entitled 20 controlling vo'cs-
Ont OF I. .026 male oonvicts now 10 the prson, col
convicted in this city sod l27 in kiags County,
Of TIE ll3 female convcts, 80 are from Manhattan
Island and from Bcookyn. The difference in the
ratio Of the cSsehcson OF female conyiets Is due to
the fact that there is bat fe nale prison ia the
State. while have two other male pri'ons. At the
rate OF ireresse for the last ysar additional cells VIII
5000 be imperstivey required both the Srg sing
prisors. Next week small depletion in the nu'nbe,
Of the inmates w take place, when twenty -four in.
sane male Or sousrs 10 b. removed TO the Asylum
lstely erected st Auburn for the accommodation OF
couvicts OF this class. There are several noted crim-
nals row at Sing Siug-two or three just commencing
their career in that Institution We give below ths
stest information concerning them, as well As few
additional particulars by way of refreshing the rec'-
eotons OF cur readers:
JOHN r. HOLMES,
Civil Ensnser snd Politician.
Residents of he First Ward have not forgotten Johc
B. Holmes q former civil engineer and Tammany
Hall politician of that section Of the city. Houesna
man of no mean acquirements. Several years ago be
WAS assistant engineer in the construction of the upper
portion of the Harlem Railroad, and previous to his
visit TO Srg Sirg, WAS leading spirit in Demccratio
Nominating Conventions snd Ward Committees
Recently be was candidate for the position Of Alder.
man from the Firs. Ward. He trst came into general
notice by brutal assault on policeman named
Gurey in Greenwich street, who soon after died troeh
the effects of the rough treatment received oa 20
2lst of November, 1857, Holmes was sentenced ~
Judge Russell TO Sing Sing for term OF htisen years
and six months for the crime of crgery IN the hfst de.
gree The facts were briefly these: He had, snort
time previously married young Enghsh woman,
goyerness, who was subsequently seduced ard per-
suaded to leave her husband. Just about this period
Holmes sold piece Of property, and thong, ms vie
had sigued the deed she had not Acknowledged tue
same in legal form. Before an acknowledgment vas
taken, she wa, spirited away by her be,rayer andkept
concealed and out of the reach of her husband. Tho
latter was eager 10 the sale just mentioned,
and accordingly made dlisent search for his VIE,
even eng aging Policeman, with liberal promise, 10
hunt for her. The policeman at length ferreesd out
tie lazy aud demanded $50 for his services TINS cum
Holmes found 1t impossible to raise at that Juscture
and the policeman, therefore, remained mum. but 90
anxious was the former TO close the eale OF the
property, that he procured woman to personate Mrs.
Holiness and sckno wledge the deed. For tins act no
was booked for Spg Sing, as above stated About ten
days ago Holmes attempted selfdesttuctcn by drink
laufanum a Onc-hHu-d-udh ouuVo pnio't 'A"' ~
with the label of druggst in the village OF Sing Sing,
was found empty in the office OF the stove'loundrj
where he was employed as bookkeeper. The suppo-
sition is that some outsider engaged In the
shop, procured the poison clandestinely. The
would.be suicide was found in stupe6sd
condition, and removed to the Hospital where
vigorous remedies soon placed him out OF dam
ger Holmes states that he driven to the rash act
l.. Is a. 1au aJa2p paaitinn and the emOAI-
rassed state Of his pecupiary affairs. When he went
TO prison. he owned real estate to the value Of
but recently, through the csreessness or vlsiny Of
somebody much of il has been sacrificed by foreclos-
ur,s and to pay taxes To add to his msfotunes, his
wife has procured divorce and married a second
time Before he took the laudanun, Holmes addressed
letters to several Of his friends complaining that soma
10 whom he reposed confidence had turned ,nst him
after he went to Sing Sing, and In view Of all his
troubles he no longer desired ~ live.
CHARLES b. HUNTINGTON,
walistreet Fnancier.
Most persons will hardly believe that Huntington has
alre ady paced two years in confinement st Sing Sing,
having been sentenced by Judge Capron on the 3oth
of December, 1856 for term Of four years and ten
months. He is not now aud has not been for some
time past, in the enjoyment Of good hesAh. For the
lsst year and half he has suffered severely from
acute rheumatism and during two thir IL Of that tins
has slept the Hospital. Bat this has not prevented
him from performing the duties Of bookkeeper IN the
office Of Mr.. Woodruff, the csbnet contract, which
position be still occupies Huntington has accumu.
lated quite library in his oiice-the contribution of
ends-and atterly devotss much of his leisure time
to reading. just now he is engaged in tae perusal OF
the Greek and Lstn classics, both original and trans
ated-be was educated at Geneva College-and has
also turned his stentiOn TO inquiry into the Eaths
Of religion. He b also something of q writer, hsyog
in manuscript several critques on the poets, which
will doubtless at some tiue 6nd their way into print.
Hs spirits arc depressed and why should they not be
There is every reason to believe that hs has preserved
nothing from the wreck OF bis fnsucering nearly
three ye ars of his prsonfe still remain; his health s
impaired, and his mind weighed down by conscious.
ness of social degradation 1t TO be hoped that du
rance vile will be the means of renovatng bis moral
nature and restoring him 70 society as worthy mem
ber Huntington stil thinks he not the only per-
con in Wall street connected with his financial exploits
who was entitled to O berth at Sung Sing.
rumor was formerly current, and is still
credited by some, that certain unmarried lady
eminent a dramatic ader, mistress TO Hnnng-
ton at the time of his arrest and occupied sumpuoas
quarters a. his expense up town. We are assured,
on good authority that the story is untrue. Its origin
may, perhaps, be accounted for in this way: In tho
meridian Of his career fnancer took 1t into hs
head that the house he then occupied In Twentythird
street hardly befted the circumstances Of nsboo,
ard he accordingly let it, it happened to the mother
Of the lady in question. This is said 9 be the only
ground Of the ruInor.
JOHNNY MILLER,
The Burglar.