The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-12-05
The Sullivan Execution.


of her home, to which she was returning
from an errand in the village of Yorke-
town.
Howard Sullivan, a colored lad of eigh-
teen residing at YORKTOWN, was arrested
on suspicion of being the criminal, and af-
| terward, upon his own confession, and
plea of guilty in open Court, was convicted
of murder in the first degree. The details
of the horrible tragedy are still fresh in the
minds of our readers, and doubtless well
known in every household in the county.
On Tuesday last, three months and four
teen days after the crime was committed,
Howard Sullivan suffered the extreme pen
atty of the law upon the gallows. The
particulars of the execution and the previ-
Gus attempt of the prisoner to escape we
give below, prefacing our account with the
earnest hope that we may not, SO long as
the MONITOR is published, ever again have
so dark history to present to our readers.
We have given from time to time an ac-
count of the jail life of Sullivan since his
sentence, and spoken of the equanimity
with which he seemed to look forward to
his impending doom. 1t would now APP
pear that his composure was partly i'll
duced by the hope of escape, plans for
which he has evidently revolved in his
he endeavored to put into execution. His
quarters in the jail were on the upper floor
of the wing of the building, next to the
county offices, and directly over the female
ward of the prison. 1t is a large room,
with high ceiling and barred windows and
iron door, used as the hospital ward of the
prison when occasion required. In the
middle of the ceiling of this room was an
iron grating, for ventilating purposes, open
ing into the loft or space between the cell
ing and the slate roof of the building. In
addition to the means of security afforded
by the doors and gratings, Sullivan had
attached to one of his ankles by chain
of heavy links, about three feet in length,
an iron ball Of twenty-five pounds weight,
which was deemed sufficient to prevent his
escape.
1t was the intention of ex-Sherif Coles
who remains warden of the prison until
March 25th, to place guards over the
prisoner some days previous to his eXecu-
ton, and on Thursday of last week, sus-
peeting from Sullvan's demeanor that
something was wrong, he set guard or
death watch as it is commonly called, in
sullivan room. James Cook and Will
liam II. Clifton We're the guards. To this
move Sullivan angrily objected, saying
that he did not want anyone i'll the room
with him, as it would be
IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO GET RELIGION.
His circumstances We're unheeded and
finding them futile he became quiet. Sun
dry hints We're dropped, leading the officers
to believe that some plan of escape had
been frustrated, but SO cunningly had the
prisoner worked, that no clue remained.
On Saturday night Charles ii. Richman, of
Pilesgrove, spent the night with Mr..
| Coles, at the Sheriff1s residence. The
next morning he had an interview with
| Sullivan, whom he had known from boy
hood. In the course of the conversation
| he told him of the suspicion that he had
| planned to escape and assuring him that
all hope in that direction was now unaVail=
able, urged him TO disclose the cireum-
stances, which after some hesitation he
did, revealing facts sufficient to make the
Shcrifi7s hair stand up as he thought how
nearly he had lost his prisoner.
Sullivan had succeeded in relieving him
self of his ball and chain attachment at
pleasure, by prying open one OF the links
near the ankle with bolt from his bed
stead, which he removed by the use of the
| fire-shovel as a screw driver. The broken
link he hid in the stove pipe and supplied
its place by piece of fine wire, which he
obtained from the stove pipe where it was
used to hold the pipe along the ceiling of
the room. With this he deity repaired
the break in the chain, so that it would re-
quire close inspection to notice it. In his
room was a large dry goods box, serving as
table Relieving himself of the ball and
chain on Wednesday night of last
week, mot Thursday, as many Of
the papers have it, he drew the box
to the centre of the room under the
ventilator grating, placed his chair upon it,
and, by the use OF Stat from his bedstead,
pried up the grating sufficiently to allow
him to climb through the opening to the
| loft under the roof. Here he removed the
states of the roof making an aperture large
enough to admit his body and with the
help of knife obtained from some source
| as yet unknown, cut the lath to which the
slate was fastened and was able to pass out
| to the roof He had brought with him
one of the blankets from his bed, torn i'll
strips and tied into rope with which to
make his descent to the ground. Finding
however that it was nearly morning, he
concluded to defer his exit to the following
night, desiring to reach his fathers house
at Yorktown under cover of darkness, and
accordingly returned to his room, care
fully replacing the grating after seereting
his blanket-rope in the lott, and replaced
his chain by the Use of the wire. This re-
treat was fatal to his plans, for the next
day the guards We're placed i'll his room
and he found all hope cnt off
If his statement is to be relied upon, he
had released himself from the ball and
chain several days before the last ventur-
ing upon the roof, and had been upon the
roof more than one night His scheme
showed an ingenuity and perseverance of
which an older and more experienced jail
breaker need not have been ashamed. Mr..
Coles said to him aftcrward Howard, it
was pretty well done; | give you credit for
it," which must have been poor satisfac-
ton to the young man. Mr., Fliteraft, the
iailer says that he lately noticed Howard
sitting with his feet crossed, but did not
suspect that it was for the purpose of con-
cealing the broken link in his chain. Find
ing
ALL CHANCE OF ESCAPE GONE,
Sullivan settled down to the conviction
that he must die ON Tuesday, and his aim
seemed to be to show as much nerve as
possible ON the scatfold. He soon profess
sed to have ''got religion, and Rev, w. >,
Zane informed our reporter on Monday
that so far as he could Judge the prisoners
spiritual condition was satisfactory; that
he seemed to be truly penitcnt, and to feel
that his sins, though great, were pafdoned.
One noticeable thing he mentioned, that