Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-06-27
HoLLoHAN's AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
A CONDEMNED MAN ON PRISON DISCI-
PLlNE-WHAT HOLLOHAN SAYS OF

iOl tuc luuIutIi WIN AlCAOlSOu, Oh MIS-. lamp
ley, has made statement, No. 2, giving some
particulars of his antecedent career and of his
experiences and impressions of prison life.
The object OF the statement No. 2, as ex-
pressed in the words of the condemned man,
is to relieve his character of an unjust odium
that circumstances having cast upon IT, and
at the risk Of dispeasing some persons" His
principal desire, however, is that his " last
ucerances should be in behalf Of those poor
fellows in prisons who need sympathy more
than himself" A large part of the statement
is given 10 details of the suferings of others ia
prison, coming under his own observations as
well as his own alleged bitter experiences. He
declares in the outset that he never was guilty
of any crime against the law before commit
ling the Lampey murder, and ascrbes his
descent to that terrible deed to alleged unjust
and severe treatment in jais and the peniten-
tary il this State-a very serious matter in
deed, if facts should bear it out, even in part
only. In the statement made to the Sun re-
porter, he says
" was born in Montreal, Canada East, in
the year l843. Ny father was farmer and
! worked on his farm until the late war broke
out had good common school education,
going to school three months in the winter,
and working the remainder of the year.
ran away from home TO join the United States
army, and assumed the alias of Hollohan. !
enlisted in 1862 at Plattsburg, N. Y, served
with credit in the battles, as already publish
ed, obtained an honorable discharge, and re-
enlisted and served at Washington, where !
was married, and where remained until May,
1868. On the 23d day Of May myself, non
commissioned officer, named Alison, and two
others, hired boat, in which went down
the Potomac river on a pleasuring trip as far
as Alexandria. We went ashore on the Mary
land side, opposite Alexandria, and embracing
portion of Prince Georges county When
we got ashore Alison proposed that we should
go up to farmhouse. about two miles in the
country; the residence of Mr.. Thos Sheriff.
- Mr.. Sheriff had q daughter who was
courted by Alison who, on paying visit to
her night, when about 10 leave, found the
saddle turned on his horse He felt that it
was done to ridicult him, and charged Mr..
Sheriff with it. who denied it augrily, and
they had falling out Alison proposed to
us that we should go up and scare Sheriff
little in return for the joke which Sheriff had,
rs he thought, played upon him. So we went
mp, and INDUCED in some sport, frightening
Sheriff, ETC., but not robbng nor hurting
him We asked him for money, but we did
not take away any, although the old gentle
man produced his wallet. One of the party
handed it back 10 him, abusing him because
il contained SO little money
. We returned to Washington, where, on
the 25th day of May, we were arrested by two
police officers on the charge of breaking into
and robbing Mr.. Sherff's house and assault
ing Sheriff and were taken to Marlboro and
lodged in Jail. The feeling against federal
soldiers was then very strong in Prince
Georges county at that time. was chained
down 10 the brick floor With irons weighing
sixty pounds. Ny ankles were surrounded
by wide iron bands, connected by stout log
chain, to which was attached another heavy
log chain, which fastened to a staple driven
into the floor, allowing me circuit Of about
two feet in diameter. | had no bed, and my
only protection from the hard, damp floor
was a blanket.
PRISON FARE AND TREATMENT.
Dollohan declares that he WAS kept on mis-
cradle fare, which consisted chiefly of the
"iights' of animals, corn bread and what
was called coffee. This he describes as miser-
able stuff, sweetened with molasses and float
ing with bugs. This, he says, caused him to
complain, when. he alleges, he was beaten
numerically with club while chained to the
floor. He specifies particular parties to his
alleged il-treatment. While making the
statement he showed the reporter an ugly
black scar on the front bone of his leg. which
he said he bad received at this time. Hollohan,
continuing, says:
1.-The doctor came over and dressed my
wounds, and said it was an outrage TO be
treated so. a great many people visited me,
some OF whom sympathized with me, and
some did, not. had my case removed from
Prince Georges TO Montgomery county, where
it came up on the 10th OF February, 1862 at
Rockville, Messrs. Fendall Marbury and
Woodbury. Wheeler appearing for me. My
counsel picked flaw in my indictment and
was discharged, and a t once re-arrested to be
sent back to Prince Georges county TO be re-
Indicted. When ] found this out ! attempted
to escape from the Rockville Jail by saving
of the bars in two with a wdtchmakers
file given me by prisoner. / did not sue
coed in getting away, but was taken back to
Prince Georges county and again putin irons.
My condition excited the pity Of grand juror,
whom heard remark, That poor man is
chained down yet" l was treated well at
Rockville.
INFLUENCE OF HIS CONVICTION.
6 In May Of 1869 my case was removed to
Charles county and heard under Judge Brent.
The jury convicted me and | was sentenced to
five years in the penitentiary. When the
judge pronounced his sentence | got up in
court and told him how [ had been treated,
10 which he replied that he knew ! had been
treated shamefully, but nothing remained for
him but to pronounce sentence, the jury
had found me guilty. To my conviction then
of crime of which | was entirely innocent,
believe that all my subsequent misfortunes
and present situation may be traced.
THE MARYLAND PENITESTIARY.
/" entered The Maryland State penitentiary
on the third Of June, 1869. | worked faith
fully for the State thirty months in the canning
and stone shops, until my health broke down
for the want of proper, nourishng food. My
treatment in the penitentary was then COM
parativey good. was never punished, but
there were some men whom thought were
unnecessarily punished"
Iollohan then goes on further to complain
of the prison fare in the year l869-'70, which
he SAYS was at times so bad that he and others
could not eat the food, and at one time, he
alleges, its condition ELECTED protest from
Dr.. Baldwin, the physician. He also men
lions that a man named Mcdonald was writ
ing an account of the state of things, when he
was pardoned out and nothing more was said
about it. He then recites several instances Of
prison severity, and goes so far in describing
;he punishments of one Geo. Gill, convicted
in 1870 of horse stealing, who, failing to give
satisfaction as a canmaker, is alleged TO have
received thirty-eight whippines, of from five
to ten lashes each, in one month, and who on
his deathbed called HOllohan to bis side and
said 'he had been whipped to DEATH specify
ing the names of the penitentairy officers to
whose door he laid his death. Hollohan
specifies others who was whipped, and adds:
= The women, too, when | was there were
barred to the waist and frequently whipped in
public. My wife came TO see me in the sum
mer of 1871. The prison authorities told her
that had been pardoued out. She went back
to Washington and in a few months after
died. Here Hollohan seemed vsibly affect
ed in the presence of the reporter, and clench-
ed his teeth as if choking down his emotion.
and said 90 | had to hear all this Both Of