Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-13

good behavior; and as they generally fin.
ish their work at about three o'clock in
the afternoon, the time remaining, previ-
Gus to the return of the other prisoners
from the workshops, they are allowed to
occupy in communication with each other.
This suggested the plan of procedure,
and accordingly "Scratch,n as he was
known at the prison, was taken from the
whip-shop, in which he had been placed,
and assigned to duty in the wings,
where he soon displayed his ugly procliv-
tiles by knocking down the prisoner with
whom he was associated in his labors. The
next part of the plan was to obtain
a trustworthy and competent person. who
should enter the prison ss a convict. be
placed on duty with Scratch" and bv
gaining his confidence elicit the desired
information. A suitable person was found
in a citizen of Fitchburg, who assumed
the soJriquet of "Semmes, and represented
himself as a relative of the pirate of that
name. On the morning of Monday. Feb
ruary 9Th, an interview was held between
Warden Haynes, Deputy Kimball, and
"Semmes," at the American House Mt
which all the necessary arrangements
were perfected. In the afternoon Deputy
Warden Mayo conveyed 1Semmes'' to the
prison, accompanied by Warden HAYNES.
just before entering the pr~ison-yard the
irons were slippedO on the detective, and he
was conducted into the Octagon, and sub
mitted to the usual preparations, losing a
splendid mustache by the process. He
was then committed to the charge of an
officer and given the usual tone day soli-
tary"-a discipline which the warden
had intended to omit, but which he found
1t impossible to de without exciting
troublesome curiosity. After undergo
ing the solitary confinement, the unpleas-
antness of which M. Haynes managed to
alleviate by introducing a few sandwiches
into his cell, the quasi convict was assigned
to the care of the wings, the fact that he
was an invalid furnishing a sufficient ex-
cuse for such Partially. For two or three
days after this advent into the wings
"Semmes' avoided Scratch as much as
possible. The other prisoners, having a
dread Of the mans ugly temper, also kept
aloof, leaving tho coast clear for any ad-
vances from "Semmes" who gradually ap-
preached him, until four or five davs
after "Semmes was assigned to his work,
Warden Haynes received a note from
him, stating hat he had gained the conf.
dence Of the criminal, and requesting the
warden to send hiE a letter purporting TO
have come from a brother, assuring him
of sympathy and promising assistance, as
1t might be of much use in attaining his
object. In compliance with this request
Warden Haynes sent ''Semmes' a letter of
considerable length, containing words in
different portions underlined, which, read
together, ran thus:
brother, have good courage, and keep
cool you shall have help. These Yam
KEGS shall rue the day that sent you to
prison. You shall find friends when yeu
little expect them. If money or men with
sharp wits can get you out you will be a
free man much sooner than you expect. l
have seen and 1 think l shall get the
right side of the warden.
1t should be conserved herethat Scratch
entertained q deep hatred for the "Yan-
KEGS, as he termed them. The object of
Mr.. Haynes, in his a~llusion to the "Yan-
KEGS" will therefore be readily perceived.
The letter was signed A." Brother Bill" and
duly postmarked and superseribed. The
following day Mr.. Haynes received a com
munication from "Semmes,n reporting
progress, on which ne sent a daguerreo-
type and a letter containing words under
lined as in the previous note, reading =
look in the back of the picture =
whore h. had Planod a letter in which lie
promised assistance as speedily as possible,
and expressed sympathy for "Semmes y
and hatred for the Yankees also saving
if he could get some reliable fellow who
would have nerve enough 10 stand by him
in an emergency, it would be better to Sc
cure n e. These letters were shown bv
"Semmes to " Scratch, who expressed
great admiration at the ingenuity of
= Brother Bill"
'&emmes' continued in this way to
gain the confidence of Scratch until at
last he held a conversation with him. but
was for a time only able to draw from him
the repetitions of intimations which he
had previously given, that he was guilty
of a deed without a name. Finally
"Semmes' looked Scratch squarely in
the eye, and asked him if he was guilty of
the Roxbury murder. Scratch quickly
answered, mo" and then added, aif /
was out of this id state, l wouldn't
mind telling. But how do l know but
there are detectives here in this very
prison; and if l tell, the detectives will
go out, and I shall be locked up. But [
will tell you what 1 will do; when we get
ready to go out of that window, 1 will call
Mr.. Hale the officer having charge of the
wing and put a knife into him. 1t being
deemed improbable that Scratch could
be induced to make any more explicit dec
laration of his crime, he was informed that
he had been observed to place a note I'M
derneath the window sash of the prison.
and that it would be necessary to guard
him more closely. He was then placed on
he same footing with the other prisoners
N regard to confinement, and appears to
have suspected, for the first time, that he
mad used his tongue too freely. The with
of the measure Of liberty which be
lad been enjoying seriously depressed
and he remarked that he "had said
much" and that she was a G-dd-d
when he left the whip shop" 1t is
unnecessary TO state that
Semmes was speedily released from
us voluntary imprisOnment-the eonvicts
'eing given to understand that he was
aiken out on a writ of habeas corpus. The
subsequently, found "Scrstch -
ying with his face buried in his hands.
'resenting an appearance of intense men
anguish.
On the 18th of Febrna-y the Warden
ad a conversation with Scratch in regard
0 his antecedents. He stated that he had
been in Massachusetts,, and knew
one there's that he was in New York
all of last May, and in Connecticut
uring the latter part of June. Where he
Tas the first partof that month he refused
D tell and when pressed upon that point
e said, What has that to do with my
eng in this PRISON. 1 know what YOU
re driving att" The warder SAVING ia
i'm that his question was a proper one.
Scratch replied, II know what you
amt. You think 1 murdered the Rox-
ury children" The warden told him he
suspected of that crime, and that il
be for his own interest to show
here he was during the first part of :
lne. he also told the prisoner that he :.
friendly to him, and would spend I
100 in enabling him TO collect the evil I
nee of his whereabouts during the /
,riod which he had not accounted for
prisoner cast his eyes upon the floor. /
ID began to tremble violently, manifest I
g the most extreme agitation, and talked =
a confused manner of his whereabouts |
all times except the fatal first part of ]
me. j
On Wednesday afternoon Sheriff Kim p
II of Fitchburg had an interview with
e prisoner, who then admitted mueba
lich he had in the forenoon denied to