Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-15

An attempt 10 escape was made quite re
recently, when prisoner, detailed TO work
in the cook room, went down in the base
ment for some potatoes. Not returning,
the alarm was given, all the prisoners were
at once locked in their cells as precautiOn-
ary measure. and search was instituted
| IL proved fruitless; not a sign of the Miss
ing convict was seen. At the end Of three
days the officials bad about decided that
| further search was useless, and that their
man was outside the walls. Now, when
| person has been three days without food, he
naturally begins to have quite an appetite
and our prisoner who had crawled under
the bottom OF the potato bin, having scOOped
out place for his body, thought. a. moth
ing had turned up. that he would himself
do so. And 80 he put in an appearance be
fore the wondering gaze OF the officers, sat
isiied that three square meals q day for
days work was a pretty good thing after
all.
On entering tie workshops, where the
prisoners are engaged in the manufacture
of ladies and chidren'l shoes Tor Boston
firm VINO contract for their labor at thirty
| Eve cents per man Il day, We were struck
with the Industrious appearance OF the
works, and the close attention paid by the
wOrkmen to their several occupations. Not
a word Is allowed to be spoken by them,
the Discipline being much better than in
most corporation and manufacturing eStab-
lishments; and we TAIL to see why the State
of Vermont should furnish the labor OF one
hundred and fifty ablebOdied men at a
price that nets loss to her Treasury, and
which does not pay the expenses of keeping
this institution, when the same amount OF
labor done for corporations outside Is worth
from one to two dollars day. There are
one hundred sides of pebble-grIin leather
cut up daily, making $50 pairs or TWEEN
ty-twO cases of shoes, each day.
Charles Potter is smoothing the in-
steps of shoes Graveling l. cutting
heels Miles cunning ingenuity il
being exhausted on the combination
and fitting OF shOetaps instead of
| chrOnOmeter-lOcks and sale-keys. Parker,
alias Sellers, who, st. Aibans people will re-
member, put up at the Weldon House. last
Fall, and put out one fine morning Tor
| Canada, after passing forged check for
his board bill, is making his mark stencIling
shoe-boxes. This youth represented himself
as Harvard graduate, and stated that his
father was proprietor of the well known
| Parker House, of Boston. lie appeared
rather "iast" IN his habits, and apparently
was Flush" in pocket. After reaching
Canada. he came over to Derby Line. and
repeated his programme, giving check
signed 81. d. Sellers" in payment for
! board bill, the result of which was his con
finement in lrasburg jail. His forte is
to walk of without CITING notice of his in
| tentIOns, and one night he, in company with
several chums. made hole in the Jail wall,
and graduated from the county institution
| The sheriff thinking the class hadn't com
| pleted their term. after considerable search,
discovered the students. who probably were
looking Tor botonical specimens In the
woods. Sellers on his return II jail. had
his trial for passing the 81. ID. Sellers
check. As 1t was difficult to prove that his
name was net a. it purpOrted to be, and 50
not a forgery, he was not convicted. But
| on the count for Jail breaking, the Judge
| thought he ought to have told the Sheriff
of his love for nature, before he leaned up
against the Jail walls, which naturally gave
way from the pressure and let him out.
| The court, in view of this breach of trus.
| and of the wall. decided that two years and
a half would be good discipline for the
prisoner, and so \. B. Parker. alias -. D.
Sellers" etc, made tour to Windsor.
Your reporter sent out for the subject of the
above remarks and he appeared for an in-
terylew lie didn't wear quite as fine
| clothes rs when We saw him in ST. Adams,
but they are very substantial. p. alias ).
| says his parents live in Philadelphia,
whence he started out, about the opening
| OF the Centennial, on a tour of pleasure.
| Coming from Montreal to St. Adams last
| September, he found himself out of funds,
and as ''iOrlorn hope" be forged check
for some 800. lie regrets imposing on
the confidence that Mr.. Lavender repOsed in
him. and is one of the few among the $50
prisoners that think they arc serving Just
sentence. lie says his folks don't know of
har h,,,t II l. /.
his long absence satisfactorily when he re-
turns. Well, We dom know but he can, for
he has iilustriOus examples set before him
For instance. Boss Tweed went abroad for
his health, which so was delicate, all at once.
James Gordon Bennett went over to Paris,
perhaps to look up Stanley. Oakley Hall
had client who called him to London, but
some say ''she" sailed with him. As Sellers
was handy with a pen, he can say that the
Porte. being in financial distress. cabled
him to come over and sign bogus Turkish
bonds, to sell credulous British capitalists,
for genuine ones, which might seem like
bull DOING" the British Lion. But the
Porte could stand it if Seller could
On the prison register your reporter
noticed the following record
Murder. John ?. Phair. To be hanged on the fir,
Friday in April. Isl.
Committed February 5th, ISIS, Rutland County, |
April 9th, Eepricyed.
May 4th, Reprieyed to lst Friday in April, Is79 |
The remarkable history of this most re-
markable case is familiar to the public, and
We can but add our testimony and the re
suit OF our observations to that of others |
which have gone to make up very strong
presumption of innocence for John r. !
Phalr. As We passed the massive iron door |
that separates the Office from the corridor |
and entered the prison proper. We saw a !
man OF medium height and rather broad |
shoulders, with large features, a pleasant |
face and mild brown eyes, sweeping the |
floor OF the cOrridor-nOt with his eyes but |
with a broom. lie was introduced to your |
representative as John p. Pbair
Phair said that Just before the reprieye /
reached him. and only twenty-four minutes
OF life seemed left to him. he had made up
his mind 10 die manfully, conscious OF his
innocence of the crime charged All he de
SIres, or can ask now, Is an even chance and
fair show to prove his innocence lie
feels very grateful to the press for their I'M
partlallty and kindness in permitting him
to be heard through their columns His
quiet and unaSsuming lemeanOr and good
naturei cOuntenance. added to a pleasant
voice, impresses one very fayOrably, and he
Is the last man in all the army OF prisoners
that person would pick out rs a criminal,
much less murderer.
Phair general appearance and his con
yersatlon rather progresses one in his
favor. lie speaks with evident sincerity
and frankness, and impressed inc as being
person OF fine scnsibilitlcS, and good educa-
ton. That he is of this genial and social
nature, have evidence from several of his
fellow workmen now in the employ of the
st. Albars Foundry Company During the
Fall OF 1871, and the Spring of 1872, Phair
was IN the employ OF this company as
lathe-man. earning some two dollars per
day. His regularity and attention to du-
ties was such that. during six months he
worked here. the tlme-bo0k shows that he
was absent only one DAY and one hour. l
Pnair was invariably good natured, and his
habits were excellent. A roommate saws
he was total abStIiner from all intozicat-
ing liquor, and always refused an invita-
ton to drink. lie boarded at the St. Al
bans House, and was quite regular in his !
attendance at tho Congregational church.
Inc new evidence that has appeared, favor !
able to his innocence, is familiar to the
public, and that the Legislature will grant Il
him new trial Is very probable. Ii the
facts can he established, then un J
John p. Phair will walk out of
prison free man. {
The sanitary condition of the prison, and =,
he health of the prisoners for the past two
FEARS. has been excellent under the skilful
treatment and supervision of the prison
physician, DIR. Henry Furness to whom, ,
With Superintendent Spencer. and Warden
'erkIns. your reporter Is indebted Tor cour-
eSIes extended on his visit to Windsor IL
'rIsOn. C. F.