The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-03
RAILROADING OUT OFQUOD
ANOTHER LOCOMOTIVE STOLEN BY
SING sING PRISONERS.
An Engineer Compelled TO Run his Machine
under their Orders, and stop when they
Desired TO stop-Four Convicts at Large.

Deeffcd 10 StOp-fOuf NOnNtcts w h"rHcs
At about 0 o'clock yesterday morning
six Sing Sing Prison convicts Initiated the ex-
plot OF several prisoners who, about year AGO,
boarded a locomotive In the prison yard and
compelled the engineer to run the guard posts.
A gang OF convicts were at work in the cut"
lime quarry In the rear OF the female prison on
the hill, I'll sting rock and loading It the cars,
to be carried TO the kins on the wharf. while
Keeper Devoe was experimenting the work,
James Carpenaer, james Farrell, John Quinn,
and John MHfbhy asked permission to go to the
physiclans ONCE, II being the regulation hour
for treatment. They had comv. lined OF
sickness for several days. and the keep
er told them to 90. The four convicts
walked down the hill, through the lime yard,
around the cabinet shop, Into the prison
yard, and DIR. Smith saw them, with several other
conyicts. waiting for him but they soon dIsap-
peared. In the yard. near the bake house and
mess room, they we're Joined 10y Frank Wood, a
waiter In the shop, and Francis De9an, a yard
man. They walked around the corner OF the
mess room building though they intended to
return to their work by more direct route
through an archway under the main prison. This
archway Is about In the middle Of the window
pierced stone shell Of the prison. 1t was for
meriy driveway, but has lately been used as q
pass eeway for convicts returning from their
work In the quarries, to the mess room. OPP
posite the outer opening runs n limestone wall
that encloses the tracks OF the Hudson River
Railroad. The tracks are sunk about ten feet
beneath the level OF garden At the eastern side
OF the prison. The wall nearest the prison Is
raised about lve feet from the ground, and the
opposite one is flush with the pathway.
WHAT THE KEEPERS SAW.
The six convicts waited patiently under the
archway until a whistle announced the approach
OF a train going south. As the locomotive
showed from under the tunnel under the hill,
about Hfty feet distant, the convcts sprang
from their hiding place, ran across the pathway
| between the prison and the railroad. sprang on
to the wall, and US the locomotive passcd at
| their feet, four Of them jumped on to the coal
| IN the tender and the other two on To the hrst
| freight oar. Keeper jackson. who was sittins at
his window In the reception room, saw con-
that something was wrong, and, ringing a bell.
| the keeper sent Jimmy" and IOinmy,' two
i4nvot Tna msssensers, gers. afteE Wsrdsp & nonnss ana
| the Yard, and a. he looked southwark a hand
kerchief waved Ia the air, anu tue report OF two
The convicts, as soon as they gained foothold
on the door o. ne tender, 81 ane into the GAG
| Daniel Town, the fireman, by the coat collars,
and the muzzes OF two pistols were pressed
against their forebeads. As the train ran into
the tunnel, one Of the convic $ climbed over tue
back OF the tender and stood on the bumpers.
SCOT. In the darkness the engineer released
himself and went to the left-haDd side of tue
| cab As the train emerged from the tunnel The
| convict on the bumpers pulled the iron pin from
the coupling and jumped back into the coal.
the slie Of the car and waved his baud Co a
| guard on the hillside n warning not to shoot.
A guard a, tn the end end 1f & the board Ience that
| boundaries OF the prison grounds saw the con-
| yicts. and us they passed him be aimed al them.
but seeing the engineer no Old not snoot. As
tue train passed, tho guard saw two men In
pr,son gsro stsndiLs on tho bumbers be-
tween two freight Cars. lie
| YIRED TWO SHOTS
at them, and tue signal was given to the
guard on the hill 10 ore two more.
| do~n the track AVA from the tram. The eu-
| glneer ran The locomotive past the little depot
of SCARBOROUGH, and then around a curve Ia the
road toward Isrytown ABOUT two miles. Near
clunD OF woods on the bank tue couvicts
stop, aud there they Jumped from the
car. Tnen he reversed steam, aud start
Cd back Tor bis tram, Nnen no
dozen guarus frOU tue PRISON. VINO had run
down the rack aoout u hHif mite unnl inc
{ una the twn conyicts, who ~eie oet~een the
cars, aud ne prisoners were taken back To tne
anu were t.ken to the spot " hero the oobvic. 9
haJ 81 been seen, ana Warden fouugs teie-
graphed " ali the 81 joining 70 wins anu Ia super
In .enuent alliUv, aud desp- tohed numOer Of
keepers and Ru5rus 10 seAron The woods and
roads OF tue highlands.
Tue a.eu WHO escaped are James Carpenter,
senIen gu Sept IL. 1875, for nye years, IOr Dur
giLry j es fatreIl, sentenced NOV. B lbIs,
Tor leu years, Tor buralsry; Jonn tina. ssn-
fenced Oct. l. 1870. for nfteen vears, for man
slauant 10 the nrs. degree; Frank Wood. sem
james Murphy, sentenced April Q, lo15, Tor Two
Year. auu 80 ,nOnsus, -ud fianeis Doxaii. SEN
fenced ior nineteen yo .rs and SIX u"nths Tor
rooooIy io tue nrst degree. were ths conviots
who we're captured. Tney say tn the escape
Was not prom col a ed, Out 8 effected on the
sDur Of tue mOnsnt. Inis IL dscreui.ed by tue
warden. Where IN y got the oiosbins anu hre-
hinis Is nIysteiy. warden founRb this tina. as
| long "a tho euglusers commune pWltgh IL
aod run slow near Inc prison, tue eonviots will
Ths raliroad men say that the track was being
rep Il. ed, abd that the tram was oDigod 10 run
slow while passing through the tunnels.
| A suspicious looking craft, with two leg o.
nation" sails, anchored on Nyack on Ihursd y
afternoon apd yesterday morning driited up the
sprang up sailed Acruss 20 Sing Sing, aud thence
along tho snore To where tue pr'soners spfans
tackled down the river against a head ~ind and
tide, toward the city. ine TRAIN Was an extra
freight tram from Albany.
THE ENGINEER's STORY.
Mr.. william Powell. engineer OF iooomotiv,
l05, gives tue following account OF It's capture
| by tue cOnylcts;
on Thursday evening " ith n long tram OF freiRn
cars. Meran slowly, anu did not reaoh sinl
Sing until after o'clock yesterday morning
We switched on on side Track so as 10 ALLOW
the passenger train frOm Poughkeepsie to pas,
US. Before We 81 rten gravel train also passeC
by. going south, and then We whIstled lnc
started on after IL. Ihe Convlcts must hav,
been well Informed III the going anu coming O
trains, aud our whistle warned them TO gel
ready. We worked up speed lOTy, and when
we were passing the PRISON We must have been
going al tue rate OF about 10 or 10 mites All nOur
" lhe lrst inlimation had OF any DR wrOu.
was the unusual number OF prisoners lOunglul
about tue yard add tue Offset walls between the
two tunnels, ana the absence OF guards. jus
As the locomotive was opposite them they made
Ia sudden dash lOr the tender and tue roof OF th'
cars. They came tumbling down like "a hOck 81
sneep, aud tue first thing i knew three meT
, were Ia tue Cob with me- and fourth had un
ioOsed the coupling betwe, the locomotive and
l the cars. | instantly closed the throttle ant
smut Oh steam, but one OF tue gang. who evt
dently Understood the management Of a loco
: motive, threw open the valve as quick as h'
struck the Gao, and then the locomotive wen
spiuning into the tunnel Get CUT Of here
damn YOU eaid one, "a DrawnY, red-whiSkereC
man, presenting a long navy revolver at M
head, we're going 10 run TINS tram for a~ nile.
AS we passed into the smoke and darkness
OF the tunnel ran out Of the cab aud he'd on u
} tho siue fu tuest from the prison, for foareS
that as soon We issued from the tunusI th
+ guards would nre upon US. the conv,cts fore
saw the same danger aud dropped To tue MOO
, | 10 cover their bodies with the sides ~ the Gao
The tall fellow with the rod Viii kers selzod IN
0 fireman, Daniel A. Town. by tue neek aud
Lhrusting him upon the seat,
USED HIN Az COVER
1 for himself. Suddenly the revolver that he bel.