The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-11-21
SHARKEY, THE CONDEMNED MUIR
DERER, AT LARGE.
He Escapes in the Disguise of {
Woman.
AN EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR.

Woman.
AN EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR.
William J. Sharkey, sentenced to death
for the murder of Robert Dunn, in New
York, and confined in the Tombs on stay,
awaiting motion for new trial, Wednes-
day disappeared lie had been receiving
visits lately from Minnie Jouidan. to whom
it is supposed he was bctrothcd. For the
last fifteen days also woman dressed in
black has been paying him continual visits.
Mrs. IVES Allen, whose husband is at
present in the State Prison, has been very
devoted 10 Shalkcy. and had also a visiting
acquaintance with other inmates of the
Tombs At no time have the suspicious of
the keepers been aroused as to just what all
these visits might mean, and even now they
are in the dark as TO the preliminary ar
rangements of the escape. Since Starkey's
sentence he has been lodged in cell 40 of
the second tier, and for four months past
has been locked in, never being allowed to
walk out the tier. His cell DOORS accord
ing to the rules, continually watched, and
as the cell isnear the keepers post at the cor
ner, is almost under the nose of that off
cial night and day. Every visitor to a
prisoner at the Tombs has a card of admis-
sion from the Commissioners of Charities
and Correction, which is exchanged at the
outer gate for pass. That secures release
at the inner gate, when the visit is over.
Keeper Dwyer carried Sharkey his break
fast in the morning, noticed nothing UNI
usual in the cell, and left the door locked
as usual. just before noon Miss Jourdan
visited SharIey, conversing with him. ac-
cording to rule, through the grated door.
Keeper Lawrence Phillips, on the second
tier, was ON duty at the time and through
all that happened just after. Mrs. Yves
Allen, dressed in light clothes and broche
shawl came in and also visited Sharley's
cell, standing with Miss Jourdan at the
door and remaining some time in converse
ton. Both retired, Miss Jourdan leaving
the prison, and Mrs. Allen going up to the
third tier to see one Tinsman, there con-
fined. Phillips then lost sight Of her.
She next appeared at the gate seeking
egress. Her card was, of course, demand
ed and, after some delay, she failed to pro-
duce it, pretending to have lost it. This at
once aroused suspicion, and the alarm was
sent back to the inner prison. The keep
/ pr qynp,ipnl anf.h COLL nd NJ,
empty, though the door was closed. 1t
was not locked, however. and there arose
an excitement that had by no means quiet
ed when the gates were closed at night
Strict search of the entire prison revealed
no Sharkey, and an examination of the
tickets OF exit taken at the gate showed
that Mrs. Yves Aliens was among them.
That let upon the matter all the light got
during the day When Sharkey made his
toilet, or when or how he left his CELL does
not appear Possibly he was dressing
when the two women blocked the door
of his cell, apparently in conversation
with him. What is known is that in the
disguise of a woman's deep mourning,
veil and all, he did get out surrender
ing Mrs. Aliens ticket to Keeper Falkner
at the outer gate. That Mrs. Allen wore
light suit adds to the mystficaton.
! Warden Johnston's investigation into the
circumstances is not completed. One of
the keepers, it seems, said to another as
Sharkcy in disguise passed him, "That
looks like man in womans clothes He
was ordered TO take look at him and see
| if it was so. Thereupon he followed
Sharkey either out of the prison into the
enclosure or out of the gate upon the steps,
but as he 'didnt see how he could tell
whether it was woman or not, concluded
that it was all right, and failed to push his
Investigations One of the keepers, 1t is
reported, said to the yelled fugitive.
PLEASE raise your veil, madam" accord
ing to rule. Sharkey raised his veil, and
his examiner saw what he thought was
woman's face. II was only Sharkey's,
clean-shavcn, but it passed. This was
soon after one o'clock. Warden johnson
and Finlay were behind the desk oppo-
site the gate at that hour busilv
engaged, and heard nothing Of the matter
until half an hour after when Mrs Aliens
case was reported. and the empty cell was
discovered. The report is that after leav-
ing the prison Sharkey walked to Centre
street, where he took an upward bound
Blcecker street car. The origin of this re-
port is probably the assumption that he
would hurry at once to Il hiding in the
Eighth ward. The Tombs has not been
for years in such ferment. What the au-
thorites would be glad to know, says the
New York V0rM, is, first where did
Sharkey get his disguise; second, when did
he get it? Third, who opened the door of
his cell p? AS nothing peculiar was noticed
about the makeup of Mrs. Allen and Miss
Jourdan Wednesday, it is inferred that the
dress had been carried in piece meal and Sc
creted, but just where secrcted does not ap-
pear Mrs. Allen is of course detained, but
there was no apparent clue to the third
problem.
The Java, Italia, Minnesota, and the
Bremen steamer New York, sailed after
the hour of the escape, and it is suggested
that Sharkey may have taken passage on
one of them.
1t is believed that Sharkey has not left
the city, and that his chances of escape are
very slim. He is in as bad odor with the
disreputablc characters with whom he used
to associate as with the police and the
clique with whom Robert Dunn was a wei
come favorite, as after his arrest circum-
stances were disclosed which proved him
to have betrayed the confidence of those
who trusted implicitly in him,