The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-20
From the New York Times !
A DARING ESCAPE.
Five Sing Sing Convicts Seize Locomotive
PouGHKEEPsIE, May II

PoUGHKEEPsIE, May IA.
One of the boldest and most desperate at
iemp,s to escape from Sing Sing prison
was made this morning, and it might have
ended disastrously TO more than a score of
lives. had it not been for the presence of
mind of Dennis Cassin, Hudson River
Sing prison, between the extreme north
guard house and the first arched railroad
bridge as you go south, is located The prs-
on quarry, on the east side of the railroad
track. From it, over the railroad track to
the prison yard, or The west side, extends
bridge over which stone from the quarry
is trundled in wheelbarrows by the con-
victs. At s 10 o'clock this morning, an
extra freight train bound south approached
the prison bridge slowly, moving not faster
than three miles an hour. The train was
drawn by locomotive No. SO, Dennis Cas-
sin, engineer, and the conductor was Mr..
llauerwas. They were slowly following
the Sing Sing passenger train which left at
Z 80 a. NJ, AS the engine reached the
prison or trestle bridge five convicts drop
ped upon it from the bridge, four of them
running into the engineers cab and the
other hurrying to the coupling which fas-
tened the engine to the train. The con-
victs on the cab, with drawn revolvers, or
dered the engineer and fireman to Jump
off, and they did, when the convicts put on
steam and the engine started down the
road with them like lightning. Their es-
cape was detected almost Immediately, and
several shots were fired after them by the
prison guard, none, however, taking effect
Then commenced the pursuit. The super
intendent of the railroad was notified quick
ly, 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 a. Tarrytown. direct
ing him to turn the switch at that station
on the river side, SO as to let the engine,
with the convicts on board, 90 of the
bank into the river Danger signals were
also ordered to be set on the down track,
and prompt measures of every kind were
ordered to prevent serious disaster by col
lision with the stolen locomotive. The
track men 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 deafen-
ing roar and gazed with terror at the fright
tul speed the engine had attained. At Tar
rytown crowds of people were gathered ex-
pectng to see the engine dash into that
station and off the switch into the river,
but it did not arrive. After waiting a short
time station agent Revere sent an engine up
the track to look for the stolen property,
and found No. SS with both cylinder heads
broken three miles north and about oppo-
site Aspinwall Place. The boiler was full
of water, and the steam down. The con-
victs left the disabled engine half mile
fin bar nth NJ al A L..
having first stolen all the clothing that
could be found in the engineers and fire.
mans boxes on the tender. Soon after
engineer Cassin came running down the
track, and once more recovered his engine.
lie makes the following statement;
THE ENGINEERS STORY.
My fireman's name is Edward Garretty;
passed along through Sing Sing with my
train very slowly, as l had been notified
that the Sing Sing train was ahead any
body could have jumped on when my en-
gine reached the trestle bridge, which runs
over the track from the prison quarry,
saw some one jump on the step of the ten
der on the east side; the stranger proved
to be convict in full uniform; he hurried
up to my side as | sat on my box, and
pointing revolver at my head, shouted
loud, "Get off here !" didn't like the looks
of things, and turned to get off, when a
convict came hurrying over the top of the
tender, and he too had a revolver in his
hand. 1t was all done in minute. He
rushed up to me with his pistol pointed at
my head and yelled quickly, sect off"
"Get Off" "Don't stopW l got off. Then
two other convicts seemed to jump from
the bridge on to the engine. and one of
them had pistol. NTH one was al the
coupling and pulled tine pin which detached
the locomotive from the train. The four
on the engine had my fireman wedged In
up to the boiler. lie turned to jump of
on the side, but the convicts planted the
muzzles of their revolvers up to his head,
and one of them shouted sect out of the
window get out quick !" The fireman went
right through the window, and he says he
could feel the muzzles of the reyolvers
against his back as he passed out Just
before the convicts jumped on the engine
| had three gauges of water in the boiler.
and had shut off the pumps but as turn
ed to go when ordered, showed the pumps
full on, the convicts not noticing the move
ment. / knew that if they didn't discover
the pumps were on THAT the engine would
not run far before she would become chok
ed with water and would have to stop |
was afraid of nothing after they got away,
except that they might run into the Sing
Sing train and kill some of the passengers
Without doubt they pulled the throttle valve
wide open when they started, and let her
slide. Then, in all probability, she took
water very fast, and from the looks of the
engine, the water was thrown all over her,
Till finally the cylinders got 40 full that
both heads were blown out or broken, and
that necessarily ended the trip. She ran
about three miles, and must have run about
three miles, and must have run the first
mile and half like lightning. As soon
as l got on the ground ran back to the
telegraph office and had word sent along
the line south. and then ran down the track
after my engine, finding her three miles
north of Tarrytown with both cylinder
heads broken and the steam down.
NAMES OF THE DEsPERADoEs.
The convicts who were engaged in this
bold affair are classed among the most des-
narata annundrala in tho onuntry Thai,