Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-03-11
JERRY, THE RIVER THIEF.

The History of a River Thief Briefly
Told---His Conversion, and his Good
Work Among his Former Compan-
IONS
Jeremiah McCauley was one of the
roughs of New York; he is now re
formed preacher. "Jerry" is of Irish
birth, aud came of criminal stock. His
father was n counterfeiter in ireland,
aud fed to this country fugitive from
Justice. Jerry had no schooling in his
boyhood, and was wicked trickster
from his earliest years He was harshly
treated by his own people and the world,
aud he took revenge ON both. His first
memories are of finging things at his
grandmotheI's head when she was pros
trated in prayer, and of getting cursed
by her for these unseemly Interruptions
AS a lad in this city, he was as great a
rogue as one of his years could be. He
associated himself with two other lads,
who earned what they could, aud stole
the rest, to supply their daily wants.
They had boat in the river, plundercd
the vessels which they boarded in the
night time, sold their ill-gotten goods,
aud, with the proceeds, reveled in the
vilest dens of the city.
He soon learned the arts which gave
him notoriety as a prize fighter, and
rose rapidly through various grades of
vice and crime till he became terror
and q nuisance. At the age of nineteen
he was arrested for highway robbery.
He says he knew nothing of the criminal
act of which he was accused, but was
nevertheless convicted, pronounced
guilty, and sentenced to fifteen years in
Sing Sing. When handcuffed, he had
a burning desire to wreak vengeance on
those who were responsible for this in
justice, and his ride up the river in the
cars to Sing Sing was the saddest hour
of his life.
"Fifteen years." says he, "fifteen
years of hard labor in prison to look for
ward to, and all for crime 1 was as in
nocent of as the babe unborn" When
he passed behind the heavy stone walls,
and was shut up in his cell, he had time
for gloomy reflections. Yet, when put
to work he SO demeaned himself for two
years that all the keepers and guards
spoke well of him. He then suffered
from illness for two Or three years, and
became at times uneasy and intractable,
for which he underwent severe punish
ment, that only hardened him and filled
his heart with murderous intentions to.
ward the man who put him in.
He had been in prison some five years,
when, upon entering the chapel for re-
ligious service one Sunday morning, he
was astounded to see on the platform one
of his old confederates in sin-Orvillt
Gardner, better known to fame a!
"Awful" " Gardner-who, having turnet
from his evil ways, was carrying thu
glad news among the people who hat
been his criminal companions. Jerry
and "Awful" had been associated il
many dark deed and wicked pleasure
and when Awful talked to the convicts
with tears in his eyes, and told them i
was only little while since he himsel
had taken off the stripes which the,
were then wearing, Jerry was completed,
overcome. He returned to his cell
drearier on Sundays than on other days
and, as the prisoners were marched
through the hall, they took with then
their "plate of dinner" and went off t,
pass the day in solitude.
There is Bible in each cell, bu
Jerry, who had learned to read durin,
his imprisonment, had showed the Bibl
up the ventilstor when he was first in
carcerated. He took it out, beat th
dust from it, began to read it, and foun,
it intensely interesting, though he hat
supposed it to be dry, dead thing, f
only for priests and saints. He was fas
cinated by it; and night after night
when daylight was gone, he stood up a
his grated door to read by the dim hgh
which came from the corridor. He wen
through it all twice, and was particular
astonished at the book of Revelation
which he wished to believe, but coul
not understand. At last, one night,
tried to pray, but could not. He struf
Rlod to do it, but could not. He thre,
himself on his knees, iSmped up agair