Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-12-11

True Narrative of the Three Days
Horror in the Alton Prison.
Springfield (Ill.) Register.

In the year 1854 there was convict
at Alton named Hall, who WAS serving
q life sentence for murder. He was a
desperate man of wiry frame and his
imprisonment made him insane with
rage and hate. He was such man as
Raude, but Rande was not born then.
This man was set to work IN the black
smith shop, and was watched with extra
care, but he managed in some of those
ways only known to the cunning Of
criminals to make short knife of a
WORKOUT file, and he used the skill of a
genius in hiding it about his person.
His cell, like all others, was strongly
built of blocks of stone, the door being
of oak many inches thick, and bound
with iron bars. The prisoners bed
shut down against the door, which
opened inwards, so that the door was
fastened from within when the prisoner
was abed. Through the door, which
opened into corridor, was hole per-
haps eight inches square, which was
strongly barred, and the only other
opening In the cell was in the outer
wall of the prison, where narrow slit,
also barred, admitted light and air.
Ihls little window was very near the
ceiling, and by reason of its narrowness
and the thickness of the wall a person
on the outside, even mounted on a
ladder, could net get sight of the pris-
Oner. All this was well understood by
Hall, whose insane cunning had de-
vised a desperate scheme to escape
from the prison and humilate the war
den. At 10 o'clock one morning, while
at work, he signalled the guard, whose
name was Crabb, that he was sick,
and IN accordance to the rule Crabb
started with him to his cell. While in
the corridor, as the guard was opening
an iron door, Hall struck him down
with short bar of iron, which he had
secured at the blacksmith shop. and
dragged him into the cell. He then
bound him with strips from the bed
blanket and closed the door, shutting
down the bed against it. The guard was
stunned by the blow, and did not re-
cover his senses for an hour, but as he
did not return to the shop, search was
made and the warden was quickly IN
formed Of the event. Hall, armed with
his knife, was keeping watch over the
wounded guard, and was secured in his
cell. He commanded the situation. He
declared that he would kill the guard
unless he was granted free pardon,
but after some reflection, demanded,
in addition, that he should be furnished
with a loaded revolver and be per-
mitted to walk with the guard out of
the prison to q carriage at the gate,
and that Col. Buckmaster should drive
the carriage in such direction as he
would then indicate and as far as he
might choose and permit him to es-
cape. He further announced that if
any attempt was made to take him he
would fall on to Crabb and murder
him.
His terms were absurd, Of course, and
the warden at no time thought Of COM
plying with them, but the situation was
horrible, and there seemed to be no
means OF getting at the desperate that
did not render the death of Crabb GER
tain. The people Of Alton were soon
aware Of these facts, and the town was
in an uproar. The guard was very
Weil-knOwn and pectable citizen, and
he had family. The prison gates
were crowded with anxious men and
women, and everybody's ingenuity was
tasked to devise way of saving Crabb's
| life. The news was sent over the state
and country and attracted its allowance
Of attention. Communication was kept
up with the convict and the guard
through the door, before which Buck
master stood for the greater part of three
days with a pistol in his hand, watch
ing diligently for a chance to kill the
convict. But Hall managed to keep
himself covered by the body Of the
guard, and his vigilance never relaxed.
He said he had been trying to get the
warden instead Of the guard, but he had
been compelled to accept the smaller
game; Whereupon Buckmaster offered
to take Crabb's place if he might be re-
leased, and he agreed tC go into the cell
stark naked; but Hall wisely declined
to change his prisoner. 1t was useless
to attempt to poison the convict. for
the guard ate the same food,
and the little window through
the wall did not afford
view of either. When this desperate
situation was understood Gov. Bissell
sent pardon to Col. Buckmaster, to
be used at his discretion, but the war
den resolved not to use it except in the
last extremity. No labor Or pains were
spared to catch the convict Oft his
guard, but he seemed to feel neither
fatigue nor fear. When every other
expedient had failed the warden re-
solved to force the door, and according
ly when the cell was opened to admit
the supper of the men. he introduced
crow-bar and thus kept the door open,
and with the aid of another guard rush
ed in and grabbed Crabb out. At the
first moment Of violence the convict
fell on Crabb with his knife, but failed
to kill him, though he wounded him
dreadfully. When the guard was re-
moved Hall closed his door and refused
to surrender. He sat down on the
floor out of pistol range and was be-
yond the reach of the warden. Buck
master called upon him to surrender in
vain, and as his body and limbs were
Id - Il !