Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-12-17


THE fact that Jesse Pomeroy, the notorious
boy-murderer, has within month made an
other effort 10 secure that liberty which out
ragged law denies him has been made public,
but the methods employed by him to secure
his release have thus far remained unknown.
They will be better understood after the cell I'm
which he is confined has been described. 1t IA
on the ground floor OF the Concord State
Prison, in short wing extending westward
from the main building between the
west wing proper and the kitchen. II Is
twice tho size OF those for prisoners Of the
ordinary character, measuring ten feet by
eight on the floor lines and being eight feet in
height and 1t is lined with boiler iron flyo-
eiRhths Of an inch in thickness, except at the
window and door apRoe. The former space is
filled with thick hammered glass and heavily
barred; the latter ia so thoroughly grated that
no prisoner can, unless person on the outside
be exceptionally near, commit any OF those
crimes that are all too common with felons of
desperate character. The cell Is precisely like
those in which Whelton, Brown and several
others who are considered unsafe are confined.
They are all separated from the outer air by
their rear wall, and lighted from large windows
that open from the wide corridor upon which
they face. -T
The boiler iron with which they are lined is
fastened In the rear 10 brick wall eighteen
inches in thickness, in which are imbedded
stout steel rods that form cage, whose bars
are less than six inches apart, by bolts an inoh
in diameter, their heads being an inch and a
half across. These bolts are near the door and
the ceiling, and upon the upper row Pomeroy
operated successfully. BY some means, At
present unknown, but scarcely uncertain, he
obtained several saws not more than three
inches In length. With these he cut on the
A.
from the plate piece measuring
about eighteen by twelve inches, which
he could remove Rt any time with
the shears that he uses in brush making.
His operations were discovered long before
he had completed them. The night watch
man heard him saving weeks before no was
warned TO desist, but he was allowed 10 pro
oeed In order that he might sec OF how little
use Il Is for him TO try 70 effect his own re-
lease. When at length he was told that he had
gone far enough, he said TO the Warden that
be would escape some time. To this General
Chamberlain replied: "Th0 minute you put
your head into the yard there viii be- q bullet
put through IT," q remark that seemed 70 dis
courage Pomeroy more than the discovery OF
his work had done.
His method Of oonoealing his operations was
as ingenious as his perseverance in It was re-
markable. As soon ~ he had removed a bolt
head he fashioned 1 substitute for It IN soap,
which he placed upon the wall. He was allow
cd a can Of paint and brush TO keep the I'M
terror of his cell fresh TO the eye, and by the
use Of these he would color the soap SO that Il
could not be told from that which It was in
tended TO represent, The cut in the plate was
nlled with the same material and stained In
the same manner, thus preventing the deteo-
ton of the unsoundhess Of what might be con-
sidered an almost impreEnable interior.
Warden Chamberlain says OF Pomeroy that
he is not insane; that, ON the contrary, he has
got the most level head Of any convict In the
prison, and that his perseverance In attempv-
ing 20 escape Is as wonderful as his shreWd-
ness Is remarkable.-BOstO Journal.
Between 5000 and 1000 important
patents expire this year.