The New York herald., 1872-08-30

any have not the funds 70 pay single keeper more
than we have now. keeper costs u.s. board In
cluded, about $1,000. SO, now, you may see that
the appointment OF many men would make quite
a serious hole in already small approximation"
"wel, then, the escapes must continue I"
"unless we find better keepers. But, then again,
you must remember the peculiar facilities for es-
Gaping from Blackwelfs Island. lt ls only quarter
OF mile from the city-an easy swim. Friends OF
the prisoners are calling all the time, who drop
them letters suggesting plans OF escape. IL Is often
easy to pass these letters without detection Then,
again, IL Is 40 easy for boats 10 hover round the
Island, watch their chance and get convicts on
How about putting the convicts into work
shopsfn
II believe
THE LAW FORBIDs
us TO do this. Then, again, with men and boys who
work for short terms as they do generally here for
u lew months In year. 1t Is almost useless estab-
fishing shops. BY the time they arc beginning to
learn anything they are out Some two years ago
we established brush factory In the Penlentiary
but found IL impossible to compete with city firms
And the men managed to destroy stock than
would have made profit. So we abandoned the
thing.n B.
General Bowen came into the room and Mr..
h nun he me- was 70
stammered out that he would probably make ver-
bal report In few days; that at present he and
Mr.. Fitch as to reOrganizng the entire system
OF carrying on the Pententiary. Nothing yet had
been agreed upon however. and in the meantime
CHANGING MANY OF THE KEEPERS.
the reporter having prScnred ncS pass 5hen went
sixth street to Blackwes Island, and had some
further conversation with Mr. Fitch. He agreed
entirely with what Mr.. Brennan said, but corrected
the HERALD reporter as to his previous statement,
that he dissatisfied with the present keepers OF
the Penitentiary. He stated that the previous
keepers he had been dissatisfied with, and those
had nearly all gone The new men he Was not able
to Judge OF yet 1t took fully three months to udge
only been on very short time he could not pro-
nounce on them rs yet.
OF 100 which had been working on Wards Island all
day quarrying.
was reported to Warden Fitch. 1t was that OF
Thomas Johnson, who was condemned for one year
April 20, 1872. He was one OF the Wards Island
gang which went up on the MinnehannOck early In
the morning. All the prisoners landed, and John
son and another man were told to carry
the Keepers provision chest In advance
up,r and Johnson was observed to act very
strangely. One OF the keepers kept his oye on him,
when suddenly he set of a across the
island. The prisoners here were just opposite the
Hogs Back one OF the % rocks IN Hen tate ana
carrying on. Keeper Fists started on a smart run
after Johnson, who by this time had obtained good
headway and was running with all his might
| ACROSS THE ISLAND
towards that part of 1t nearest the New York York
boat which was not lar of, came round as speedily
asst could, In the hope OF intercepting him. The ebb
tiae was running mn WIN WIN tremendous strengtn' a0%
However,, the keeper hoped that In such
tide the escaping prisoner would not at.
| tempt to swim across. and II he did 1t would
| be no very dinicut matter to catch up with him.
| Nor would 1t have been bad the escape been made
| in the manner the keeper had anticipated. Sud
| denly Johnson having reached the water's edge
| disappeared beneath the bank and for O moment
| was lost sight Of A second later and boat was
| seen to shoot out from the bank In it was the
! prisoner. During all this time
THE BOAT HAD LAIN CONCEALED
close to the bank and had seen It, In the boat
were two friends OF the prisoner, who rowed away
| with might and main. The guard boat continued
pursuing, and the guard In 1t fred four shots at the
escaping convict. He seemed to suddenly make up
his mind to surrender, and threw up his arms and
called out Don't fire ;" when Us bad luck or inten
tion would have 1t, the Minnehannock, which had
| Just left her dock, came steaming up be-
| tween the guard boat and the boat in
which the convict was escaping. This, OF course,
made the guard boat lose sight OF the other, and by
the time the Minnehannock had passed on Its way
the cOnvict's boat could be observed almost quar-
ter OF mile away and near the New York shore.
Pursuit then became useless and was given up. An
investigation will be made into the aflair by Warden
Fitch, and it is probable that 1t will go hard with