The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-08-05
JESSE PoMERoY.
Details of Hts Recent O,naning Attempt 70 e.
cape from, .jaiL

/ abstract of which has been puollshed IL
| the Herald, has been intens1hed oy an
| almost successful attempt of the young
| murderer to escape from the confines OF
the Charles-street jail. 1t IS scarcely
necessary to add, when the story OF thls
attempt is read, that the feelings OF
| sympathy which were active for tue
| young wretch have almost wholly dis
| appeared, and it is almost CERTAIN that
| he will suffer execution for, the cruel
! butchery of voting Horace Millen and
little Katie Curran. If he we're an IN
! sane person, as was claimed at his trlal,
| the malady has developed itself into a
! form heretofore unknown to the pro-
| fession who have made insanity a
| study. For boy of his age he has
recently shown himself to he genius
in cunning, and has, within week,
made for himself a reputation for fscul-
ties that are rarely found In one of his
years, and which afs proof positive that
he is not only in the full possession of
his senses. but has an extraordinary
adaptability for conceiving bold and
desperate schemes and plans for de-
feating Justice, and the nerve to attempt
their execution. Believing that he Is
to be executed, and that such an event
could only be thwarted by escape, he
has made one of the most remarkable
attempts at Jail breaking on record.
The circumstances are as follows Pom
eroy has for a long time been confined
in a cell which is on the second tier IN
the south wing, the door and window
facing toward Charles river. It is about
midway between the tunda and the
barber shop; the door and window can
be seen from the officers desk. The
cell is a large one, such as Is ased for
the detention of debtors, and contained
an iron bedstead, on which there was
the usual mattress and clothing com
mon to the others. 1t also contained
hard wood chairs, two buckets, tin
washbasin and an iron spoon. The
other articles of the room were books,
papers. and few small articles which
had been presented to the occupant.
THE DISCOVERY.
It is the custom of the jail to have
the cells thoroughly cleaned out twice
a week. This work is done by prisoners
under sentence, and in the presence of
an officer. Yesterday morn ng, while
cleaning out PomerOy's cell, piece of
white paper pasted to the front wall by
the top edge fell to the floor, when, 10
and behold, there was large hole in
the wall, with three bricks removed and
three or four others in such a condition
as to be taken out with few minutes
work. The displaced bricks were at
the right hand side of the barred win
dow, on q level with the bottom. The
wall at this point is about two feet thick
and bricks were removed from the In
side. His mode of loOsening the brick
was by several pieces of strong wire,
which were in the outer rim of his wash
basin. He had somehow worked this
wire out, and had broken it in pie ces of
various lengths, with which he dug In
the mortar, thus leaving the bricks free.
As stated, there were three or four bricks
beside those entirely out which were
nearly so. the plaster being dug out to
the ends. BY bending the wire a little
he could work on the back side OF the
bricks and thus loosen them. His other
instruments were the cover to a sardine
box, which gave him sharp edge, and
his iron spoon, which was much worn,
twisted and bent. One OF the rounds
to his chair. very strong, had been
wrenched off, and this was held as a
lever to pry the bricks. Its strength, as
well as Pomeroy's is shown by the fact
that one of the bricks was broken in two
pieces in the middle. The mortar and
refuse were carefully concealed in pa
per, which was placed under his mat
tress. There was, however, a cOnsidera-
BILE quantity, say pint, on the floor of
his cell when the discovery was made.
The break was in such position as not
to be seen from the outside. The win
dow edge was covered with an atlas,
braced up by another book against the
bars. The hole on the inside was Gov
cred by three sheets of white paper
pasted together, and the top sheet
pasted to the wall by soap. When the
workmen entered the cell to clean it,
Jesse stood with his back against the
break in a careless manner, and when
told to step aside the soap paste gave
way and, of course, exposed his scheme.
PUT A FILE INTO A BANANA.
1t may seem strange how Pomeroy
was allowed TO get possession of the
instrument with which to cut the iron
bars but after he was removed from
the cell another remarkable discovery
was made. Among the things found by
the officers were two letters from Pom
elov. one written to his mother aud the
other to his brother. These letters
we're quite lengthy, aud described in
full his plan of escape, going so far into
details as to give diagrams of the section
of the prison in which he was confined
the rotunda windows and everything
which was to be cut away for his escape.
In these letters he begs them for Gods
sake to bring him a file, and describes
the kind of one, as told about before,
Indicating that he had talked or written
about it previously. He wanted them
to put the file into banana, as fruit
could be passed to a prisoner without
examination. He even goes so far as to
state that he would have plenty TO eat
after escaping; that he should go to
Canada and become a citizen of that
country that he should travel by
night and that such thing would be
much better than wasting away his life
IN prison, even if his sentence should
be commuted, as he had 10 hope 1t
would be after the vote in the executive
council. He adjures both his mother
and brother not to divulge the plans he
has made even to each other, but begs
and impIores them TO get the files and
bring them to the Jail the next time
they come (Which was yesterday. Mrs.
Pomeroy called to see Jesse yesterday,
bat was not allowed In his presence
after what had transpired, nor has she
since been granted an interview.
REMOVED TO STRONG CELL.
After the discovery yesterday Pom
eroy was searched and placed in one of
the strong cells in the lower er of the
north wing, where he will remain for the
present. These cells are built of large
granite blocks which no one could cut
through in year. When his scheme
was known he appeared defiant, but
soon settled into sullenna ass and indifter-
ence, and said but little. In reply to
question, Pomeroy said he had been at
work in the break since Tuesday, the
18th inst, and expected TO make his
scape last mighty. Y. HerdJd'8 Bos-
ton Letter.
Post Office Points.
The following late rulings by the