Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-07-18
AN INGENIOUS sAII-BREAKER
A Young Criminal Cutting His
Way Through Two Walls and
Breaking His Handouts.
New York World.

years, a mineral water bother, wa
locked up in the T~hirty.ffh stree
stationhouse Tuesday evening on I
charge of felOnious assault He BIZ
Frank Scully, of l94 First avenue, on
the nose, and then, srming himself
with q knife, chased Sculiy through
the streets. Sheridan made persistent
and desperate attempts to escape from
the stationhOuse and his efforts were
of a remarkable character. he was
put in cell 3 and he was the only pris-
ouer under lock and key in the sta
tionhouse Tuesdayevening. The Gus
tom is to leave the doors Of the unoc-
cupied cells opened. Acting Door
man Sammis, however, had secured
the iron gate OF cells 4 and 6, which
were on either side Of Sheridan's cell.
Sheridan, who is slim, unloosened the
wooden board in his cell which was
used as a bunk and tore out one ofthe
iron rests that supported it. Sheridan
then began to cut his way into cell 4
with a piece of iron, as he supposed
the door Of the cell was unfastened.
He made q paSsageway through the
twelve inch brick, cemented partition
wall and succeeded in forcing himself
into the neighboring cell. He was
disappointed but not discouraged
when be found the door of cell 4 So.
cured. He then began to cut through
the wall between cells 4 and 3. He
bad nearly succeeded when the noise
Of the hanmering attracted the atten-
ton Of DOOrman SsmmiS. Upon going
into the corridor Sammis was aston
ished to see Sheridan in cell 4.
Il could hardly believe my eyes,
said the doorman to the reporter.
when | saw Sheridan in that cell. [
knew that | had locked him in cell 5.
What are you doing in tkere?" |
asked, and he replied, Il am in here
Just because you put me in here" and
| told him he was a liar. | summoned
the sergeant, and on opening cell 5 we
saw the paSsageway he had made.
When We took Sheridan into the eer-
ridor we were further surprised to see
another hole leading from cell 4 into
cell g."
Sergeant Walsh and Doorman Sam
mis-, after handwriting Sheridan,
placed him in another cell, and fifteen
afterwards discovered that he
had broken his handouts.
We'll, you are a good one" said the
Sergeant; WHO are you, a Jack Shep-
pard?"
Sheridan laughed carelessly, bat
mode no reply.
Let me take hold Of him." said
Sergeant Mcdonald, and III bet |
will fix him"
Sheridan was again handcufed after
bis arms had been pinioned behiu1
him by a stout rope.
II had hardly got back to my desk"
said Sergeant Walsh, when the door
man came rushingin saying. that fell
low is loose in his eelll We found
that he hal worked his back like a.
against the bricks and had severed
the rope. He then:did a contostion
act by pushing his legs between his
hanacuffed arms and was trying hard
to break the iron bands"
What did Sergeant MeDosald
say2' asked the reporter.
He could not s-y anything; be
was dumiounded. He, however, sug-
gested that Sheridan should be tied.
bound and chained, and that the door
man should stand guard By the cell
all night. This suggestion was car
ried out. Sheridan was taken to
Yorkville Court this morning and held
for trial. We we're glad, | can tell
you, to get him out Of our hands"
Sheridan could have escaped easily
had he reached the corridor. All he
had TO do was TO climb through a win.
dow and raise a grating leading 10 a
courtyard, thence BY sealing fences he
could have reached the street. He
told DOOrman Hammis that be (Sam.
mis- would have been laid out" with
an iron bar if his attempt to escape
had been ~iEterfered with after he had
left the cell. Sheridan added that he
had learned bow to break prison from
cOpyicts in the peDitentiary. "FiTe
minutes more" he remarked, "aud
| would have been down to Second
avenue"