Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-05-27
Five Sing Sing Convicts Steal Loco
motive and Make Their Escape.

A Poughkeepsie telegram of the 14th
of May, to the New York Times, says:
I" One of the boldest and most desperate
attempts to escape from Sing Sing prison
was made this morning, and it might
have ended 6isastrously to more than a
score of lives had it not been for the
presence of mind of Dennis Cassin, a
Hudson River Railroad engineer. just
north of Sing Sing prison, between the
extreme north guard-house and the first
arched railroad bridge as you go south,
is located the prison quarry, on the east
side of the railroad track. From it,
over the. railroad track to the prison
yard, on the west side, extends bridge
over which stone from the quarry is
trundled in wheelbarrows by the con-
victs. At 8:15 O'clock this morning an
extra freight train bound south ap-
preached the prison bridge slowly, NOV
ing not faster than three miles an hour.
The train was drawn by locomotive No.
SO, Dennis Cassin, engineer, and the con-
ductor was Mr.. Hauerwas. They were
slowly following the Sing Sing passenger
train which left at 7 80 a. m. AS the en-
CINE reached the prison or trestle bridge
five convicts dropped upon it from the
bridge, four of them running into the en-
gineer's cab and the other hurrying to
the coupling which fastened the engine
to the train. The convicts on the cab,
with drawn revolvers, ordered the
engineer and fireman to jump of, and
they did. Just before the convicts jumped
on the engineer had three gauges of
water in the boiler, and had shut off the
pumps; but as he turned to go, when
ordered, he showed the pumps full on
the convicts not noticing the movement
knowing that il they did not discover
the pumps were on that the engine would
not run far before she would become
choked with water and would have to
stop. The convicts then put on steam
and the engine started down the road
with them like lightning. Their escape
was detected almost Immediately and
several shots were fired after them by
the prison guard, none, however, taking
effect. Then commenced the pursuit.
The Superintendent of the railroad was
notified quickly, when telegraph alarm
was sounded at all points south of Sing
Sing. A dispatch was sent from the
Grand Central Depot to Station Agent
Revere, at Tarrytown, directing him to
turn the switch at that station on the
convicts on board go off the bank into
the river. Danger signals were also or
dered to be set on the down track and
prompt measures of every kind were or
1ered to prevent serious disaster by col
ision with the stolen locomotive. The
.rackmen in the vicinity OF Scarborough
saw the engine coming like lightning, or
rather saw vast cloud of steam, and
smoke, and water whirl by with deaf
ening roar, and gaZed with terror at the
'rightful speed the engine had attained.
At Tarrytown crowds of people were
gathered, expecting to see the ems
yine dash into that station and off
he switch into the river, but it did not
arrive. After waiting a short time Sta.
ion Agent Revere sent an engine up the
rack to look for the stolen property, and
ound No 80 with both cylinder-heads
broken, three miles north, and about
opposite the Aspinwall place. The boiler
vas full of water, and the steam down.
The convicts left the disabled engine a
lalf mile further north, and fed to
Aspinwall's woods, having first stolen all
he clothing that could be found in the
Engineers and ireman's boxes on the |
ender. Soon after Engineer Cassin
,ame running down the track, and once |
more recovered his engine. Their names |
lre as follows: Stephen Boyle, sentenced |
Feb. A, 1869, for twenty years; Peter Nc
ienna, sentenced Sept. 30, 1878, for life;
William II. Hawley, Feb. 25, 1874, for
i've years; Charles Fowler, Feb. 10, 1874,
or four years and six months, and Will
am Sullivan, ALIAS Big Mike, March 8,
1915, for five years. 1t Is not positively |
inown how the rascals procured the re-
,olvers, but il is thought their friends
brought them up from New York and
ecreted them in the quarry, where the
,onvicts could get them"