Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1866-12-26
strange story Off Convict.

DOOIs open at f-AGSNulO a. n
Strange story of Convict.
Ed. Day, colored, convicted of burglary
at the last term of Court, was taken last
week to the Penitentiary, making his
third term at that institution. He seems
to be an incorrigible fellow, but claims to
have been more .sinned against than sin
ming. He claims te be the victim of a
merciless set of persecutors-an organized
band of thieves and counterfeiters. Our
readers will remember that We lately pub
lished two instances in which surgeons ex-
tracted needles from Days neck and
breast, while in jail awaiting his trial
-Four large button needles were cut out OF
his person, and the surgeons say he has q
great many more-perhaps ffty-in differ
ent parts of his body. But as the needles
do not seriously affect him, except when
they work to some especially sensitive
point, he does not like to have the sur
geons operate on him. We were present
on n occasion when he was being exam
ined BY a surgeon, and 1t was easy to
observe the locality of needles in his face
and neck When first asked how they
came to be in him, he o~bstinately refused
to tell; but taking sick, and thinking,
perhaps, he had not long to live, he yield
ed to frequent persuasions to divulge his
secret, under condition that it should not
be made public until he was out of the way
of his prosecutors. He claims that his
principal business has been to discover the
schemes and rascalities of certain parties,
and then to black-mail them to keep him
from divulging. Some eight or ten years
since the Treasurer's Office in Ashtabula
County was robbed. Day claims he was
made cognizant of the robbery, and EN-
ployed to carry several thousand dollars
to q certain party, but instead of doing SO
he appropriated the money to his own USE
This so incensed his confederates that
they determined to punish him. He was
taken and bound, and while in this help
less condition hot needles were forced into
his flesh, and he was forced to swear eter-
nal secrecy, under penalty of suffering a
like punishment if he did not keep his
promise. Two years ago last summer, a
party of counterfeiters in this place, en-
deavored to engage him to do some work
for them, DAY is a tOlerable %engraver.)
After finding out their plans be refused to
do the work. buttold them he wanted sew
eral hundred dollars hush money. One
night he was decoyed into a place on Main
| street, knocked down, manacled and car
ried to a certain point IN a back street,
and put to tortures that would shame the
eruelfes of the Spanish Inquisition. One
plan was to tickle the soles of his feet
until he would faint under the excrucia'
ting agony. After somewhat reviving
red hot needles were driven in his body.
legs, arms and cheeks. He says he knows
the parties, but is afraid to make theil
names public. How much truth there
may be in his strange story, we will not
pretend to say. The fact that his body is
literally a needle cushion, leads to the III
ference that some forcible means were
probably used to place them there.
This strange story o fcruelty and wick
edness is hard to believe as having occur
red in these days; yet there are certain
circumstances that in some degree eOrrob
crate his statements. Had a sharp, dis
crete detective obtained the confidence o
Day, he might have learned much tina
would have aided in unearthing gangs o
thieves and their nefarious schemes. W
have no doubt there are many men 8
large who are quite as deserving, to say tn
least. af Days fate, as himself. ALTHOUGH
he is probably a thief himself, he is a sor
of Ishmaelite among them, because of hi
blackmail leyies upon them. He says b
met sevaral members ofths gang IL
the Penitentiary, and that he was not FIRE
from their hate and prosecutions ever
there, and that the prison keepers Wer.
at a loss to know why he was concerne'
IN so many q~uarrels with the prisoners
He did not dare tell them, because h
did not suppose he would have been be
LEVIED. He is more than ordinarily SHARP
has a good common education, and rea
law for q while with John N. Langston
of Oberlin. He is q good penman, an,
saws COMMENTATORS used him to imitat
signatures to their bills. He learned tn
art of engraving no doubt to make hi
services more valuable in the counterfeit
ing business. When arraigned before tn
bar for his late sentence, he made q shOi
speech in his defence, in which som
points were made with considerable abll
ty. His attorney, however, did not cor
5 slider his case defendable, the proof of h
having committhd burglary being too po
tive to be eYaded. He goes to the pen
tertiary for three years, but he told tn
tailor before he left here, he did not e1
pect to live through the term. 1t Is har
TO realize what there is in life to render
desirable to him.
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