The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-11-10
How Stokes Went out OF Prison

| a DlsP ATCH from Auburn gives an
interesting account of the liberation of
EDWARD 5. Stokes. For nearly six
years Stokes, the slayer of Col. James
naah' u, mas been trying to fight his
way out OF prison. He knew that he
was entitled to short time through the
communication law, but yet he doubted
that tkey would free him AS he had been
told that some trick would be PLAYED.
ana he be detained in prison. A ha.
peas corpus was in waiting to serve
upon the warden of the prison. War.
oeh Durston is shrewd politician. and
a man who understands the battles of
men with money. He went 70 Stokes
on Thursday, and said j: s.You are to
be discharged on Saturday morn
ing. 1t seems thereupon Stokes sent
70 MS brother Horace and ordered an
elegant suit of clothing. Diamond
STUDS Sparkled on his shirt front a
heaVy gold chain, with watch attach
ed. was conspicuous. The clerk of the
prison put his usual questions to him
concerning his pedigree, and then find
ing that there were no black marks
against him, the clerk authoritatively
announced that the law was satisfied
and that Edward S. Stokes was a free
man. The warden neglected to offer
him Il suit of clothes as the law di.
reefs. He handed him over 1880, the
sum which is given to every convict
discharged. Stokes took the money
and laughed. He said with the air of
man who meant to be earnest: 81
would have come back after that had T
forgotten it. Then he was told that
Gilbert Clinton, his uncle, had sent
him check for $sl75. "Can you cash
it!' asked Stokes. Eyes, Ed" said
the warden and he handed Stokes the
money. $50 long," said Stokes, and
he, his brother Horace and Col. Mutt
man entered a coach and went to a
neighboring hotel.
Snow was falling. Lawyers of all
grades swarmed around the hotel en-.
trance. Unlike the day he was taken to
Sing Sing prison, none were in humor
to say unpleasant things in his pres
ence. He laughed, however, as he
heard one man say, "Well, he's a
good-looking fellow if he did kill his
man.
He said that he felt good, and he
joked considerably. Yet he had one
solid subject to fall back upon, and he
never tired Of it. He said that the
prison officials of Sing Sing and Auburn
are OF the most UNANIMOUSLY corrupt
men in the State, and that he paid
Rodney D. Crawley. State prison in.
spector, 50, 500 that he (Stokes) would
not have been transferred from Sing
Sing to Auburn. To this statement
Stokes is willing, he says, to make affi-
davit. 81 was robbed in all the pris-
ons | have been in since the Fisk trag-
edy, but in no place was the system
more complete and exasperating than
in Auburn. | was handcuffed and
ironed to Jimmy the Kid. | had no
coat or vest, and when | reached Au.
burn blood was trickling from my
ankles into my shoes, and [ was shak-
ing with ague. | begged to be put in
the hospital, but instead was doused in
a cold bath, and for three weeks was
utterly unable to move my limbs.
Then | was sent into cigar-shOp No.
2, place known as the resort of pris-
on bummers. / never did minutes
work while in prison, | never took
a mOuthful of prison food, and paid
for everything | bought, and might
have lived cheaper at Delmonico's :"
Stokes described the paralyzing jacket
used in Auburn prison in defiance of
the act of the legislature, and 400
men shrek for mercy, and hope that
the State authorities will hear them
and investigate the prison.
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