The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-15
ESCAPING FROM PRISON.
The Sing Sing Prisoners who Stole n Loco
motive and Esoaped--The Engineers
Story, .ra. H.. o. ...r H.H.U..r ...


The Sing Sing Prisoners who stole n Loco
motive and Escaped--The Engineers
story. .us. 1rE g.r- i.tE. .I.t.
The prisoners at Sing Sing have q
great notion of taking possession of
passing locomotives and escaping in that
way. Recently some of them tried it
and the engineer, William Powell, tells
how it was done: ........-
We left Albany at about half-past ten
O'Clock in the evening with q long train
of freight cars. We ran slowly, aud did
not reach Sing Sing until after eight
o'clock the next morning. We switched
off on side track so as to allow the pas
senger train from Poughkeepsie to pass
us. Before we started a gravel train
also passed by, going south, and then
we whistled and started on after it.
The convicts must have been well in
formed in the going and coming in OF
trains, and our whistle warned them to
get ready. We worked up speed slowly,
and when we were passing the prison we
must have been going at the rate OF
about fifteen or sixteen miles per hour.
The first intimation L had of anything
wrong was the ususual number of
prisoners lounging about the yard and
the offset wall between the two tunnels,
and the absence of guards. Just as the
locomotive was opposite them they made
sudden dash for the tender and the
roof of the cars. They came tumbling
down like flock of sheep, and the first
thing knew three men were in the cab
with me, and fourth had unloosed the
coupling between the locomotive and
the cars. L instantly closed the throttle
aud shut off steam, but one of the gang,
who evidently understood the manage
ment of locomotive, threw open the
valve as quick as he struck the cab, and
then the locomotive went spinning into
the tunnel. Sect out of here, said
one, brawny, redwhiskered man, pre-
senting q long navy revolver at my
head, "we're going to run this train for
awhile" ..E .s.-.J J.f4 .tsL.t 4.
As we passed into the smoke and
darkness of the tunnel l ran out of the
cab and held on to the side furthest
from the prison, for 1 feared that as
soon as we issued from the tunnel the
guards would fire upon us. The con-
victs foresaw the same danger and drop
ped to the floor to cover their bodies
with the sides of the cab. The tall fell
low with the red whiskers seized the
fireman by the neck and, thrusting him
upon the seat, used him as cover for
himself. Suddenly the revolver that he
held close to the head of the fireman
was discharged, and the ball whistled
through the side of the cab and just
grazed my face. Thinking that the fire.
man had been shot, ran back into the
cab, and shouted Who's in this cab,
and what do you want9" 1 made a
movement to close the throttle just as
we came out of the tunnel, but the large
man put up his pistol and said: "Look
a here, boss, none of that; we're run
ming this thing now" Then there was
q discussion as to whether 1 should be
put off or not. 1t was at length settled
by the big man, who said : "Yes, let
him run the machine, and take her
through as we want" Then the four
men stripped off their prison garb, tear
ing it into rags in their haste, and thrust
it into the red hot-furnace. They all
had complete citizens suits underneath.
Two were armed, the big man and an
other fellow, who carried a derringer.
The locomotive had attained terrific
speed. She rocked and crashed on, and
expected that she would leave the rails
at every moment. 1 was also afraid of
running into the gravel train just ahead.
told the men so, but they refused to
let me shut off steam. Then / explained
to them that would be soon in Tarry-
town, and that there switch would
throw us off the track and they would
certainly be captured. At this they
consented to stop at curve about four
miles from Sing Sing and two miles from
Tarrytown.
They sprung off the locomotive and
dashed up the hill through the woods,
catching at the brush and often falling
fiat on their faces in their hurry. AS
they reached the brow of the hill they
turned and shouted Will meet you
on Tenth avenue and make this all right,
boss" Before they went off they took
my hat and stole the coat and vest of the
fireman, with seventy-four cents in the
pockets. They disappeared in the woods,
and L went back for the train. Over
sixteen in all attempted to escape, and
most of them would probably have sue
ceeded if the locomotive had not been
uncoupled SO quickly.