Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-05-21
A Bold Dash for Liberty.
The Daring Escape of Five ConvIcts from
Sing Sing.

The Daring Escape Of Five ConvIcts from
Sing Sing.
The story Of the escape of the FIVE Sing
Sing convicts, on Friday, who captured a
locomotive to aid them in their flight is a
most exciting one. just north OF Sing Sing |
prison, between the extreme north guard
house and the FIRST arched railroad bridge on
the 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 wheel
barrows by the convicts. Early in the
morning an extra freight train, bound south,
approached the prison bird ge slowly, moving
not faster than three miles an hour. When
the train reached the prison grounds it was
barely moving, and just as the locomotive
reached the bridge four convicts made a
break aud dropped upon the engine from the
bridge. The keeper was unarmed, and al
though he stood almost by the side of the
four he was unable to prevent their escape,
Two of the convicts who were nearer the
railroad than their companions reached the
locomotive first. One of the men sprang up.
on the locomotive, aud pointing cooked
pistol at the engineer, shouted, "Get of Of
here aud be Id quick about it, too"
Before the engineer could reply or get pos
session Of any Of his heavy tools or defend
himself the other two convicts with loaded
revolvers, jumped upon the locomotive and
the engineer aud fireman were compelled to
leap off to save their lives.
Just as the engineer and fireman struck
| Al - E,1.,,
cut in the hill and ran upon the bridge.
When he was Immediately over the train,
about ten feet from tie tops Of the cars, he
stopped and grasped the edge of the treste
work and swung for some seconds, seemingly
uncertain whether to run the risk of drop
ping between the cars or not and as he was
swinging over the moving train, one Of the
guards in the north guard-house, who had
seen the break but had been unable to quit his
post to assist the keeper, seized rifle and
fred but missed him. In an instant he
stepped from the guard-house again with two
more rifles and fred two more shots at the
suspended victim. The third shot deter
mined the prisoner and he dropped, landing
on the seventh or eighth car from the ten
der, and 10 less than minute he was in the
cab with his four fellow convicts. At least
dozen keepers and guards saw the convicts
running towards the railroad, and several of
) them FASTENED to jump on the train. But
the prisoners drew the bolt that attached the
locomotive to the train, and, throwing the
throttle wide open, started for liberty or
, death. The heavy pressure OF steam that
was forced into the cylinders threw the loco
motive forward with jerk, and as the loco
motive few down the track past the prison
aud the guard-houses, nothing was visible
but moving cloud of steam.
The guards heard the firing and knew
that something unusual was going on, but
, when the locomotive passed them they could
only see the steam, and were afraid to fire
, lest they might hit the engineer and fireman,
! whom they supposed to be still in the cab.
. The engineer knowing that the dying fire
must soon check the locomotives speed, fol-
lowed down the track at a run, aud the fire.
man hastened to the rear of the train Ia
= signal any train that might approach. A
= : dispatch was speedily sent to New York
u informing Superintendent Toucey that the
engine had been captured by the convicts.
The Superintendent knew that at Tsrrytown
FIVE miles below Sing Sing, a switch runi
9 parallel with the main track for some dis.
u lance, and ends abruptly at the end of the
wharf, within foot of the waters edge
: He knew, too, that the convicts probably
g knew nothing about the management Of 9
i. locomotive, aud that if they sped down the
e track at an usual rate, with no knowledge o.
d the whereabouts Of other trains, many lives
y and much property must be lost. The Super
d intendent did not hesitate a minute, there
: fore, but telcgraphed to the station master
q in Tarrytown to "open the west switch and
d throw 80 into the river"
L Soon the engine came speeding down tn,
h track, and the amazed station master ran tC
y the switch, unlocked it, and pulled the ba
IT that must throw into the North river ma
70 all who were on behind it. lie relocked the
't switch, and, standing by its side, calml.
L awaited the crash. The speed of the loco.
!, motive decreased before she was out Of sigh
a of the Sing Sing keepers, but the prisoner
h we're beyond the reach of the keepers guns
% and they gave no thought to the manage
ct ment Of the locomotive. The fireman haC
I'd left his coat and an extra cap in littl,
closet on the side Of the tender, and one o
as the convcts put them on, carefully folding
Or his striped vest, and laying it and his cap ii
as the coal backened closet. Still the locomo
ID tive was running more than twenty miles al
or hour to meet her fate in TarrYtown. Tn
te convicts' ignorance Of mechanics saved thei
to lives. They knew not how to increase tn
Of engines speed, and when the locomotive wa
10 within mile of the open ditch in larry
t. town, the locomotive stopped.
le The convicts then leaped to the ground
* and leaving the engine standing on the track
er dashed off into the woods Of Sleepy Hollow
I'd In the prison no timo was lost in organizing
OF band for pursuit. All the guards an
keepers who could be spared were detailed
aud many of the villagers Joined in the chase
IL The news then spread through the countr
40 that five convcts had escaped on lOcomC
motive, and the standing reward OF $50 70
or the capture Of an escaped convict incite
many Of the inhabitants Of Tarrytown I
of arm and follow. The search was continued
ID al! day, aud at night guards were poste
on throughout the adjoining country, but u
Of further trace was found of the escaped con
lal victs. There were not five more desperat
at men in the prison, the keepers say, tina
the five who escaped on the locomotive
r. Saturday the chase was vigorously prOsecu
m cd, but as yell there is no news Of their cal
nd ture. When last seen they we're going eas
h. ward