The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-07-24
An Unmanageable Prisoner.

A correspondent of the London Times,
writing from Geneva, Switzerland, tells
about a prisoner in Jail at Vaud, who
seems to be an unusually 3" hard case:"
The name of the prisoner is Christian
Wyss, and he appears to have been an
evil-doer from his youth upward.
Though still under forty, he began his
career of crime more than twenty years
ago, being sentenced in 1858 to u term of
Imprisonment for robbery committed
at Vevy. In 1868 he was condemned to
eight years. solitary confinement for
robbery with violence and a murderous
was arrested. During this imprison-
ment he made ferocious onslaught on
turnkey with n chisel, of which he had
surreptitiously possessed himself, and
nearly killed the man. No sooner was
Wyss released from prison than he re-
sumed his evil courses. Two years
thereafter he was brought before n Grim
inal court at Payerne on n charge of
breaking into the house of the pastor of
Ressudens, whom he half strangled and
left for dead, and, though he recovered
for n time, he did actually die not long
afterward of the injuries inflicted on him
by his assailant. For this offence Wyss
was sentenced in 1873 to thirteen years.
solitary confinement. Before the year
was out he attacked another turnkey,
this time with knife, and though the
poor man was hurt to death he survived
his wounds few weeks, a circumstance
which, indicating as ii did possibility
of ultimate recovery, induced the mag
istrate by whom the murderer was
tried to take an indulgent view of
the case and add only two years to
his sentence. After this event, and see
ing that Wyss, who is not only u crea-
ture of ferocious temper, but of great
strength and almost herculean proper
tions, continued to threaten his iailtrs,
and made several attempts to escape, the
authorities resolved to provide him with
a prison of his own. A separate cell of
solid masonry was, therefore, built for
him. Light was admitted by single,
heavily barred window, and the door
was of such strength us seemingly to defy
the prisoners utmost efforts to break
out. In this door was arranged a small
wicket, through which Wyss was fed
| like a wild beast, for no one ever entered
| his cell, where he rem ined day and night
| heavily ironed. But one day when a
guardian OF the prison was conveying to
Wvss his matutinal supply of food he
perceived that the door had been tamper-
ed with. An alarm was forthwith given,
and investigation made. 1t seemed that
the prisoner had managed, nobody could
tell how, to break piece of iron from
one of the bars of his window. This, by
dint of hard work-using the floor ofhis
cell as a whetstone-he had ingeniously
shaped into sort of chisel. with which
he had forced back one of the bolts of
his door, and would, doubtless, had he
not been found out in time, have forced
them all and regained his freedom. 1t
required almost regiment of gendarmes
to secure Wyss and carry him to another
cell, there to be kept chained to the floor
until his own den should be once more
ready to receive and, as his custodians
hope, to retain him. If, before his time
be out, Wyss should commit any more
murders, it is very likely, in the present
temper of the Vaudois people, that he
will be hanged.