The Benton weekly record., 1882-11-30
EsoUVENIFss OF CRIMINALS.
Stories Told of the Old Goliec-
tiOn i'm the City Prison.
Prisoners Inn Their Cells Nw aa@s a3aaaa
arrive aas Get En@saesshem OF KNIVES
a@ma PhesOAs-EA6ta Co Esc@pe ANA i8
-eo Kkal-A saw i'm Piece @g
pie

There is remarkable collection OF od~
dlties in the Toinbs prison. For years the
officials have made it Il practice TO retain
implements and articles associated with
the prisoners Oh used i'll attempts to es-
cape, and the collection has grown go that
ii now more than fills u number Of large
cabinets, which Warden Finn has caused
to be ranged along the walls OF y small
room in the northeast corner of the build
ing. It is not All attlactive looking col
lection, and is devoid Of color, depending
for it's interest upon such associations as
may cling about the articles in it. Ihe
| prison attendants often turn the relies
over AS they cha, about EEe incidents con-
nected with them. One OF the Oldest eul-
uoyees was in the room when reporter
entered lie was swinging "a long iron
hook idly ell his finger. The hook had
shaft about eight inches long, and was
rough and scaly with rust.
This thing had history" he said,
lit war in the wall OF 7S some years ago,
but had escaped notice because it WAS pref
ty high up and was whitewasl1ed. One
| morning about daylight one OF the two
prisoners who were confined III the room
walked up and missed his partner. He
looked around la til: dusky CELL and final
| " saw his mate up by the window. He
called to him to come down, but got no
answer. Then he looked closer and there
was his mate hanging from this hook stone
dead. He had got small piece OF cord
from his bed, made moose OF it, climbed
up the gas pipe until he could catch the
other end OF this hook, and then he let 90
his hold and stlangled to death. We kept
the hook to remember him by
''There Is q stery to this, too,' lie con-
tinucd, taking down q common case knife
| which had been ground sharp on both
edges. A man named John Carpenter
| was about 20 be taken into court one morn
ing. The guard gave him notice and went
out. When he returned five minutes la
ter Carpenter was lying on the floor Of bis
cell with this knife up to the hilJ III his
body. He got the knife from woman
| who scrubbed his cell the day before, and
sharpened the blade himself on the stone
easement. [ don't know whether you re-
member Carpenter or not. he was the
| man who entered St. Francis Aavier's
Church one morning while early mass was
being celebrated, crept stealthily up the
aisle, sprang like Il cat OIL q young woman,
and stabbed her brutally. He misteok
!. her, who was an honest laundress, for his
wife, whom he charged With being un-
| faithful 70 him. The laundress lived, and
Carpenter might have got off with light
|sentence.
Lying Oh shelf in a neighboring case
was large tablespoon, the handle Of
(which had been ground down until it re-
sembIed the blade OF dull chisel. It was
used by Poreello, an Italian murderer, to
open the veins iii his arm. He was diseov-
cred while bleeding treln both wrists, and
was saved BY d hospital surgeons treat
menf. The attendant toek out a pair OF
handouts and ratified them over his An
gers.
ssIhese we're broken by q burglar" he
said, who was brought here from Ludlow
street jail. He was as powerful man as
4 ever saw. He was brought down II the
van. and broke these oil the way. His
/ idea was to make 4 dash for liberty when
taken out Of the van, but he slipped up on
his calculation because the van was driven
into the prison before the door was open
ed. Ii took heavy twist to snap these
bracelets.
s"rhen pepper-boxes,' said the keeper
taking down brace OF form cable self:
/ cooking pistols, has ahistory. There Was
i d man by the name of Stevens here fol
i poisoning tlis wife, and another keeper
were watching him the night before thu
day he was to be hung. That very day
before we went Oh duty, q very obligint
friend Of the murderer went 70 the warde1
MIR. Sutton, it was lhen--and said t1a
he feared Stevens hada weapon in his pos.
session. A thorough search OF the cell ant
the person of the prisoner was made, bu
we found nothing. The next morning
!, negro named Sengis gave some informa
tion away that was valuable. The tW
me,l. with the assistance Of the obliginI
friend, had arranged a plot to escape from
the prison, They occupied adjoining cell
I, and passed the pistols through the sna
!, grating IN the upper part OF the cell
). Their plan was to shoot me when cam
around at j O'Clock q. IA, get the key
tro1zs MY belt, and light. their way out
: The prison chaplain had noticed ca
!, waiting il, Leonard street the previou
night. Everything was arranged, Al
s there might have been trouble but for ID
timidity OF the negro. Stevens was hun
!, and the negro sentenced for life. TIL
was ii. 1880. He had i ourious history
/. that negro. He murdered his fsther-iI
!. law iii what il called the AshWay, !
Thompson street, and escaped 10 New O.
i leans, where no was put Oh the auctio
block aud sold into slavery. He dreade
|. the life Of u slave 50 much that he SCI
). North and offered 30 give himself up {
]. trial. III was while his ease was before Il
) courts that he entered into the eonspirae
with Stevens The negro subsequent