The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-27
THE DEAD CON Wet.
Agonizing Scene at the Home
of His Mother.
BAD COMPANY LED HIM AWAY
The Prison Warden O, His Treatment and
the Possibility Of Revolt

Friday as he about to head mutiny OF his fol-
low convicts. detailed in Saturdays HERALD. left
the of the tragedy at three O'Clock yesterday
afternoon and his mother residence at No.
$3.50 East Thlrty-third street toward live o'clock.
To say that the body quietly and unobtrusively
brought back the very ami versary of the young
mans birthday, to her who gave him birth. would
convey faint hint of the distressing that
preceded and accompanied it's reception. As the
lonely underaker's cart drove up rapidly with the
coffin containing barrett corpse. along First avenue
and into 1hrty-hrst street amid pouring rain, the
stables opposite the respectable looking tenement
were at once lined with u curious, though logged
locking crowd. Screams Of anguish and fear again and
again repeated. were heard enanang from the second
door of No. $50. and not many minutes elapsed
before the entire street crowded with people.
who knew, as IL instnctivey, that the remains
brought to the door of n"ighbor those Of
John Barrett the convict shot dead in Sing Sing
Prison by one of his keepers. The peting rain did
deter the residents of that vicinity from crowd
ing the sidewalk. When the time came to lift the
coffin from the cart lads ranging from nineteen to
twenty-t stood by silently, without stirring even
q muscle in their we'll developed bodies Isn't you
fellows going to give me lift" said Mr.. Barrett
the father of tho dead boy. lie was endeavoring
to get the remains up stairs quickly as pos
sible. There not q word Of response; hesita-
ton. plain, downright hesitation. was marked on
the faces Of these lads. every of whom, though
crowding around the cart appeared listess. as If
celebrating whether the handling of the coffin
would at ali place him in an unenviable position.
"This is my son. this is, said Mr. Barrett.
wouldn't OF you fellows help me?" and the
touch of human nature conveyed in that single
word son." soon brought all the arms and mus
Gle required to the coffin These lads did not even
wait for the closing words of the fathers sentence
old -
up two flights of stairs into the presence of the
mother.
A DISTRESSING SCENE.
To describe the tina, here followed surpasses
the power Of the writes. Tho surroundings alone
were enough to throw most stoical human
being off his guard. There we'll dressed. we'll
preserved woman bordering on the ffties, accom-
panied by as bright lad ever attended the public
schools of New York. crying bitterly and holding on
tightly to his mothers skirts Next to her were two
ladies endeavoring comfort her. while she herself.
regardless strangers who panied the remains
ravcd. moaned, and ranted like veritable maniac.
She threw herself upon the coffin. almost lifted up
tho head of her dead boy in her arms and kissed it
again and again. Even the husband. who had not
lived with his wife during three long years. and who
had carefully guarded the remains since their de-
parture from Sing Sing. could not bear to witness
tho mothers terrible grief This is his birthday
poor Johnnys birthday. Oh, Johnny! JOHNNY
This is the day to come homo to me!
Oh, God! Oh God! how 1 stand this"
and the writer unable any longer to
view tho mothers anguish left the room. Fortu-
natey brave women. who had known Mrs. Barrett
while she resided i'll Thirty first street. happened to
| como in. They had known Johnny too, but never
had been made acquainted with the fact that he had
been sent to Sing Sing. though when arrested he
sided under the very roof that covered their domi
cile With the aid of persuasion and talk these
women succeeded in quieting the domeaIor of Mrs.
Barrett and made her sit down. Tho undertaken in
meantime had perfected his arrangements laid out
the remains i'll respectful manner II Barrett
had died in noble cause. ana the two candclabras
which add such . conspicuous glow to mortuary
scenes, not wanting. Matters settled down
finally to calmness that permitted others to enter.
and there, over the body OF John Barrett, the in
surgen leader of sing Sing Prison. stood his father
and mother-those VINO had given him life-in silent
contemplation OF the events which had preceded his
untmely end
To inquire what these events WERE considering tho
apparent comfort which surrounded the Barrett
habtston. naturally led the reporter once more into
tine room OF the dead. There poverty. no
untidness visible any where A clean fresh looking
carpet decked the floor OF the front ROOM and the
furniture. tar from being dilapdatcd conveyed the
idea of home comfort aud cieanlipess The walls
were ornamented with pictures aud mirror which.
with their immediate surroundings. at once gave
evidence that actual want not known in the Bar
rett family. How then, did this boy. who had owl
IDENTIFY received decent public school education.
come to such fate? This was question to solve.
and to solve it the reporter, sad his duty had
to converse with his mother.
MOTHER AND THE FATHER.
cit company, sir, bad company. which led him
away from ne. said Mrs. Barrett. IL never knew
that he arrested until told OF it months
and months after, and then went up and visited
him at Sing Sing lie was noble boy. lie did all
he could Tor me. Aye, alter my husband lert me.
Johnny took care OF me. opened an oyster saloon
in THE avenue ne-r Forty-sccond street, and Johnny
always with me. He stuck To me right
through. All / know about his bad company
liz this that one evening when he had caught
u
unwel. anu one OF his companions came in ana gave
him a slungshot, asking him to keep 1t safe. lie
did aud put it in his pocket Singular to say, the
very first man VINO this AFTERNOON cndeavored to
comfort this man who handed him the
slungshot. He has been two years i'll state Prison
and has just been released. Oh my Johnny he
not bad boy. He did not deserve this terrible
fatc.' Tho mother was here overcome with grief
that the reporter desstcd from conversing with
further.
In another room the reporter then spoke at
siderable length with Mr. William A. Barrett. the
father OF the convict. lie described the troubles he
had experienced during his marital lifc but whom
closely asked ~ to his children he sai There Is
Sophie. VINO Is hard working girl, who brings her
earnings home to her mother every week regularly;
there Is Aox, the schoolboy, whom you have seen.
and Johnny. tho poor follow. now dead, and--also
another son, named William. who" lengthy
pause hero cnsucd. and the reporter asked, well.
about Miliamy
MIR Bhnnlrr-No no; will not toll you where he
is what he Is doing This may hurt him. I'll not
say u single word about him. Say about me all you
please give whatever rucord you care to give me.
but leave that dear boy alone. You may say that 1
have been teacher ut larry town. have In the
Post ONCE in the Custom House and am hat
ter l cannot live with my wife; have not been
living with her for the last three years. You l
am n person of some education and cannot endure
life with her aud you may say so.
NRvER COMMITTED BURGIARY ALL.
"As to johnny. poor Johnny. continued the
father. '.he committed the burglary for which
he WAS committed. He was u barkecper at the
Compton House. on Third avenue. There he made
acqaintanccs that did him no good. He got in with
a gang and that vas the last of him. This gang
broke into Cheap Schn place. stole lot OF shirts
and other apparel and kept It, You already know
how Johnny got hold Of tho slungshot which
handed him by OF his friends and how 1t
came into his possession. One day no wanted
to go picnic lie borrowed shirt from this gang.
ana while walking along the Bowcry. accompanied
by these fellows. with this shirt he was arrested
by detectives who follow them rhc shirt was
identified by the party from whom 1t had been sto-
len, the sung shot also found in his possession
and / myself at the trial urged him TO plead
guilty. so as to mitigate the sentence. Tho result