Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-08-11
AN INGENIOUS S C
One of the Latest to Take Quarters in the
Penitentiary.

One of the Latest to Take Quarters In the
Penitentiary.
JoLlET, ILL.,, August l0.-During the
past week the city Of Chicago has been dis
posing OF a large number Of her fine work.
ers in crooked circles. No less than sew.
enty prisoners were sent from there to the
Joliet prison during the frSt FIVE days Of
August, end yet the Cook county Jail is said
to be bulgiDg with prisoners awaiting their
turn for trial and q trip down the road.
The roster Of the gang that came knocking
at the prison doors on last SATURDAY was as
follows: VIM. II. Parker and Jack Welsh,
two years, larceny; Frank Murphy, alias
Cooper, four years for same crime Tom
Honors, a brother of the noted Plug
Honors, three years; David Coleman, t~o
years, both for robbery; Daniel kenafck,
alias Hensfee, a New York crook, Ed. Gels
man. Ed. Dean, VIM Crawford and George
Fisher, two years each for burglary; Henry
Smith, alias Hart, Of Indianapolis, 7.
Meyers and George Boston, alias Boston
Thomas, with sentences Of three, four and
eight years respectively for burgla'
ry: Henry james. alias I'd. Gather
a noted fifth = term burglar Hnd
thief, ten years; Charles Clark, alias Kelly,
burglary, twelve years, and Fred Johnson
his pal, for same term; Billy Hutchinson,
seventeen years, for killing his mistress,
Kitty Hall, both OF whom wer' ex-convlcts
George Thompson, alias Wilson, seventeen
years for burglary; Elihu B. Case, vi years
for violating the pension laws; Dennis
Foley, two years for forgery; George Fd!'
~lerton, alias Treen, five years for forgery
ihe latter was recently released from a
three years term in the Michigan prison.
George X. Osborn, On ingenious counter
feiter. who established q mint OF his " at
Humboldt Park, H., received ten years.
One OF the most daring criminals in the
above list is George Thompson, alias Wilson,
and expert burglar and jailbreaker. In
1881 Thompson came down and served q
four-year sentence for burglary A few
DAYS after his release from prison he rob
bed the house Of Mrs. Mary Bell, on West
Washington street, Chicago, was arrested
and tried under the "habitual criminals
act, which resulted in the seventeen year
sentence noted above. Years ago ThomP
son, whose right name is Charles Anderson,
broke into the house OF City Treasurer
,O'Hara, Of Chicago, making a large
haul. he was captured, but while in
Jail managed to put q dummy TO bed in his
cell, Just before locking-up time, and made
his escape through the Jail roof By removing
some OF the chimney Gaping and reached
he ground by swinging himself down on
the WindoNropes. He was next heard Of
at Aurora, ILL.,, where he was captured in
The act Of blowing q safe, and was placed in
Jail at Geneva, III. While there he burned
a hole through the planks Of the ceiling
With O red.hot stove poker and escaped By
getting out under the Judges seat in the
court room. Later Returned up in Chicago
wearing blue glasses, pretending to be su-
perannuated, and limping. he was identified
BY his Roman nose, arrested and sent back
TO the Geneva Jail, from which place he was
removed to the Sycamore Jail. the better 10
secure him. The Sycamore jail had lime
stone walls, but they crumbled before
Thompson's ingenuity, for he applied a pan
Of hot Goals to one spot-many times
slackening the lime and making O hole
through which every man in jail crawled,
Eve making their escape. Thompsons
only hope Of freedom now is, that the So.
prene Court will declare the 'habitual
criminals act, under which be was convict
ed, unconstitutional, and in that case many
Of the worst criminals in the West would
49,