Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-01-11
A LIFE OF CRIME.
A Daring Burglar and Thief Found by
Accident-Frank Rellly's Of Law
Breaking.
Seven {aiis Not Strong Enoukh to Hold
Him-His Desperate Breaks
for Liberty.

New York Herald. Clara Bevine,
Woman living in Tenth avenue, near
Thirty-sixth street, went to Jefferson
Market last Wednesday to make a COM
plant against Frank Clark and another
young man who had beaten her during a
fight in the house on New Years day.
When she returned little girl who lives
in the same house asked her chow much
Frank got"
'sTen days." replied Mrs. Divine.
"What only ten days" exclaimed the
little girl in amasenent, "oiily ten days
for him, and that when he's wanted for
breaking Sing Sing, too"
IN THE "TEN-DAY HOUSE."
On Friday Mrs. Devine met Detectives
Valley and Mcconnell, of the Thirty
seventh street station, in the street and
told them what the little girl rad said.
They at once went to the house and ques-
toned the little girl, who, although she
had repented of her exclamation and was
disposed to be silent, told the detectives
enough to send them scurrying down to
Jefferson Market prison, fearful lest CLARK
should have got out by paying his fine or
by breaking Jail. They found him in the
"ten-day house" however, waiting with
composure for his term to expire. He
turned out to be Frank Reilly, criminal
of long experience and much eminence,
and especially known to detectives and
dreaded by jailefs as CHE Of the most
daring and skillful jail-breakers in the
State.
The detective did not consider the "ten-
day house" OF Jefferson Market strong
enough to hold him any longer. and
therefore asked Justice White to commit
him to their chse.r:sv. :sv. Accordingly he was
discharged on Mrs. Devine's complaint
and resrrested by the detectives, who took
him before Inspector Byrnes at police
headquarters.
AN OLD JAI-BIRD.
There search of the records led to the
discovery that Reilly was the Frank
Donovan who escaped from the Presby
terian Hospital in the early part of Decem-
Der, and was also the Frank Harrison
who escaped from Sing Sing on November
l4th last in company with Charles VIII.
son, who was serving term for burglary.
Reilly was sent to Sing Sing on September
25th last for five years for robbing man
of $40 in Bleecker street He and Wilson
escaped by saving the bars OF window
opening on the stairs leading to the re-
fectoly. After getting out OF prison
they walked TO this city. Scarce
lv three weeks. ,elapsed when Reilly
again got in troiible He and some COM
panions resisted a policeman in the
Twenty-third precinct who tried to arrest
them for disorderly conduct. In the row
Reilly got dubbed and was subsequently
sent as prisoner to the Presbyterian n".
pital, wnere Policeman Fitzsimmons was
set to watch him. Toward midnight Fitz-
simmons fell asleep, and Reilly, whose
wounds had been bandase'ls got Zip, stole
the ofdef'y's clothes from under his pill
low, as he says, and, after dressing himself,
made his way to a second-story window,
from which he dropped to the ground.
He could find no shoes in the hospital and
had to walk three miles through the
streets in his bare feet before hereached
| the house of friend who furnished him
| with shoes. Policeman Fitzsimmons was
| dismissed the force in consequence of the
escape, though it was not known then who
| the prisoner WAS.
BAck TO siNG SING.
1t was decided to send Reilly back tc
| Sing Sing, and new pair of handouts o
| improved pattern were procured especially
to secure him. Detective James jackson
of Sing Sing prison, arrived yesterday
and identified him. In the afternoon h,
was taken to Jefferson Market, CAREFUL,
watched by, Detectives Valley and Nc :
Connell. He is slender, of middle hight
and intelligent looking, but his face ha
the sallow hue which comes of long i'm
prisonment. He wore the coat he stol
from the hospital orderly. ''The orderl,
said he lost new suit of Clothes" he re
marked, rather centemptuously, "hut yol
can see what the coat is. It's not wort
S6. Now, / left behind in the hospital
| new suit that cost $50, besides a new shir
| and new hat. He didn't get the wors
of the bargain by any means" Refill
would moi say where he got the money
buy his new clothes.
The case was explained to Justic
White, and Reilly was turned over to De
tective Jackson to be taken back to Sin
Sing. "Id rather do the ten days, Judge,
he said, with laugh, referring to his ser
tence for assaulting Mrs. Devine. The
he was taken to Sing Sing.
A CRIMINAL CAREER.
Reilly has been known under grei
many names. lie is now thirty years ole
and was only seventeen when he fir
came in collision with the police. Tn:
was in 1870, when he was arrested in Mo
risania for burglary i'll White Plain
ing trial he noticed that the inner door
the prison was open at dinner time an
the outer door was shut, while at 9th,
times the outer door was open and the il
, ner door closed. By the simple expediel
OF hiding himself between the two doc
; at dinner time he found himself frt
mah. The following year he was r
: captured and sentenced to Sing Sing I,
five years. Two constables started
drive with him to the prison. Whe
| about half way Reilly suddenly slippt
, the handouts off, darted out of the coac
. and disappeared in wood. For two da
country folk, and then Reilly was -four
. hidden in a swamp, half-starved. Aft
serving two years at Sing Sing he W
:. transferred to Clinton prison, from whit
!. he almost succeeded in escaping havii
| got out of his cell and being in the act
: breaking open the door to the roof wht
discovered. He had torn his bed-clothil
into strips and braided them into rol
= with which to let himself down.
9 WALKED PAST HIS KEEPERS.
/ In the latter part of 1874 his term Z
: pired, he having been granted commut
f ton for good behavior, and he returned
e New York, where he speedily became eI
: broiled with the police. In that same ye
: he was arrested for trying to rescue ty
= burglars from the police, and was sent
the Blackwell's Island penitentiary for
year for disorderly conduct. He stay
there exactly two hours, walking out pa
: the keepers without being questioned
r anyone, and coming back to the city ,
: the same boat which took him to the
II land. The next year he broke out of t
4 Yorkville prison, where he was confin
4 for stabbing a United States deputy IN.
;. shal, by spreading the bars OF his cell wi
e lever made out of a joist. This city W
y then too hot for him, so he went to Phi
II delphia, where, in February, 1876, he al
v some of his companions were caug
q breaking into warehouse. One of t
e burglars fired at policeman, woundil
n him. The other policeman returned Il
g fire, and Reilly received four bullets in
# body. After spending five months in
O hospital, he spent two years in the Ea
/. ern penitentiary. On his release he +
h turned to New York, and between Is
$ and 1882 he served two terms for burgla
d at Sing Sing.
n THROUGH TIE ToNBs WALL.
4 1t was after being released the seco
It time that he made desperate attempt
e break out of the Tombs, where he "
:, awaiting trial for assault. His cell was
o the eastern side of the second tier.
had common pocket-knife, and frie
gave him a broken GLACIERS knife, viii
served as a chisel. With these tools
dug through the wall under the dra
:, pipe in his cell, and one night was disco
q cred by keeper in the prison yard.
! was taken to new cell, and when he "
: sentenced to Blackwell's Island Ward