The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-12
SING SING.
Escape OF Eighteen COnvicts Last Year
How Their Release Was Effected.


How Their Release Was Effected.
The Poughkeepsie Eagle publishes the follow
ing letter from correspondent In Sing Sing:-
Eighteen convIcts escaped from Sing Sing
Prison during the year ending December i,
1868, leaving behind them the unexpired por-
tions OF their sentences, amounting 10 nearly if
not quite fifty years. But one Of the eighteen
has ever been retaken and returned to his old
quarters to serve out the balance OF his sentence
No doubt many of them are serving out term
of years in some other prison. number of
others have attempted to escape, but have
been detected ia the act. 1t is rather a diff
cult matter, with the mum Der of men that are
confined in prlson, to prevent some of them
from escaping, the majority of them the minute
they enter the place making 1t their whole
study how to escape. They will try all man
ner of lodges to avoid the vigilance of the
officers.
The convicts now confined in the prison
number about one thousand two hundred.
About onehalf OF these men are hired out to
contractors, who pay from fifty cents to sixty
cents per day Tor each man. There are only
three or four contracts now running The shoe
contract employs about two hundred men; the
SADDLE, buckle. aud foundry, under one firm,
employs enc hundred and fifty men; foundry
for casting pipe having about one hundI ed men;
and the cabinet shop about twenty-five. Tue
rest Of the men are employed by the State in
different ways, such as quarryn chain making,
burning lime, making lime barrels, cutting and
making convicts' clothes, and dong AN the odds
aud ENDS around the prison grounds. The larger
portion OF these men work out of doors, and
have better chance to escape than the men
who are confined IN the chops. Perhaps 1t would
be interesting to the reader 10 know In what
manner some of these men managed to regain
their freedom.
HOW THE CoNvICIs GOT AWAY.
''The first escape for the year 1868 was Joseph
Lee, May n. This mao was left out Ia the
evening amer the rest Of the men were lock ed
up for the night, to take care of thu horses,
without any guard being placed over him.
Beng alone, and seeing nothing very favorable
in prison lie, he mounted one of the horses and
IoOe 80 lar As Yonkers, where he left tn. animal
tied to the fence and then made for parts
unknown. Nothing more was ever heard OF
him.
"in June there were three escapes, the hrst,
James Stephenson, on the morning of the 9tn.
The man was at work In the quarry, and escape
by some means ubknO Wn TO the prison officers.
The other two. James Gordon and Charles
Phillips, escaped on the evening OF the 25.h.
These two men were employed IN the agert's
house as WATERS. They we're left out that Ven-
inc after the rest were locked up to prepare
i supper for Governor Frnton, who was paying
| Governors pres euce, aud no doubt wishing to
show the mode of seIf-psrdoning that was used
/ when q chance was offered, they quietly walked
| away, disturbed by no one:
| 'In July dye escaped. Thomas Cochran and
William Adams left on the morning or the "a
| they were at work IN the quarry. aud bV crawl
| ing on their hands aud knees passed the guard
| anO got away without difficulty. John Loufie
| and Stephen Larken escaped on the evening oi
the same day. These two men were placed 10
the mess rooms evenings 70 take care OF the nres
and see TO getting up steam for cooking oreaz-
fast In the morning. Being left Uithouts sguard,