St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-01
KATE JUDD,S ESCAPE.


old Roman.
KATE JUDD,S ESCAPE.
The smartesa Woman That Ever
Broke Jail.
Hartford Times: ssKate judd" one of
the best looking, most modest-appearing
and altogether seductive, but desperate
and ingeniously wicked young woman
ever sent to prison, has once more
broken jal-this time escaping from the
granite walls of the Rhode Island state
prison at Cranston, near Providence. She
got away on Sunday, Oct. II, and has
evidently got off, indeed, this time. She
was not like the other women, permitted
to sleep in the dormitory, but was confined
in private cell and closely watched by the
matron. She was not allowed to march out
of the dining-room with the other women,
but taken to a separate CELL where her
clothing was removed after she had got
ready to go to bed, and kept until it was
required next morning. Kate was bolted
into her cell while the matron went to sup
per. Coming back, the matron found the
cell door open and the bird flown. The
main door of the building leading to the
yard was also found open. A piece of lat
tice-w work which had served as walk to
one of the prison out-houses in the yard was
ound to have been used for a ladder to en-
able the fair prisoner to get up on the top
of the 16-foot-high stone wall. 1t reached
within four feet of the top, and she had
scrambled up and got otf-placing stout
stick between two capstones on the wall to
hold by, and to this fastening rope, by
which she had let herself down into the
arms of some probably some
former prisoner whom she had made her
friend-for she won all hearts-and he
doubtless drove rapidly off. OF course she
had aid. or the bolt of her cell door would
not have been shot back, and the prison
officials feel sure they know the
woman prisoner who did that. Kate had
also mysteriously obtained skeleton key,
with which she silently and quickly opened
the main door into the prison yard. Her
outside accomplice had probably conveyed
to her, in some way the rope.
Kate had always said she would get out
and no prisoner was so closely watched.
She once got partly out, but was caught
hiding i'll bin Of potatoes in the cellar.
Another attempt was very near success.
Once she hid case-knife at the table, took
it to her cell, and in some way succeeded
in making it into little saw, with which
she very nearly succeeded in saving off the
iron bars of her cell-she had quietly and
very patiently cut them two-thirds through,
when her little game was detected. At an
other time she dug hole nearly through
the solid wall.
This remarkable young woman-she
must now be not quite 29-was SEN
fenced in the spring OF 83 to term of
twenty-five years in states prison, for set
ting on fire and burning down in March,
1888. the house in which she was employed,
a fashionable Newport cottage on Bellevue
avenue, owned and occupied by Mr.. John
G. Weaver. In her trunk (about the only
thing saved) was found $1,000 worth of
silks, satins, ETC., belonging to Mrs. Weaver
and her lady friends in the family. Kate
(who is said to be native of Canada) was
we'll known to the Boston police. Before
the Newport performance, and when she
was living in the family of Mr.. Stanwood,
of Topsfield, Mass, the house was fired
much as Mrs. Weaver's was. The woman
was suspected, and quantity of Mrs.
Stanwoods clothing was found in her
trunks. While serving five years in the
Lawrence jail for this offense she aroused
the interest of one Deacon Ambrose, a phil
anthropic visitor, and as she constantly de-
clared her innocence and behaved well. he
recommended her, on her discharge, to
Mr.. Osgood as domestic, though it does
not appear that he acquainted him with the
girls history. She left his employment in
short time with some suspicious accom-
paniments, and the developments in the
place where she next found service were
such that Deacon Ambrose was taken to
task for recommending such person. A
fire was set at this last place, and quantity
of clothing was missing, and although moth
ing could be found in the girls trunks the
Boston detectives were vigorously following
her up from Amesbury. In fact, detsc-
tive had intended to be at Mr.. Viewers
house on Monday. the day before the fire.
The next morning, while the ruins were
still smoking, Detective Chapman and Mr..
Risteen of Amesbury. who last employed
the girl, arrived in Newport, and Kate was
brought before them. The recognition was
instant, aided perhaps by the fact that she
was dressed in one Of Mrs Risteen's miss
ing robes. The next day Kate confessed to
having burned another Newport cottage,
for trial, and put in Newport jail.
1t proved afterwards that she was engaged
for four weeks upon the foot-thick brick
wall which separated her cell from the va
cant one next east. chipping out little frag-
ments of brick and mortar. and daily enlarg-
ing hole which was to release her. On the
evening of the 9Th of March, while the
taller was getting water for another prlS-
oner she slipped through the hole she had
made, So by 911 inches in size. into the
entryway and down cellar. Then, when
all was still, she made her way up found
the KEYS, released another prisoner, George
Rounds. burglar, whose acquaintance size
had made in jail, and both escaped by the
back door. Both were captured. and Kate
got her sentence-but it seems that no
Rhode Island prison can hold her. A re-
ward of 500 is offered for her.
''Kate judd is a woman Of perhaps 5
feet inches in height, of slender build,
weight about 1870 pounds. and IS attractive
in face and appearance. She has black hair
and large. oval, blue eyes. Her appearance,
and retiring, modest style that she affects
or possesses, while also having the ability to
look straight in the eye of the person to
whom she is talking, win her friends and
sympathy, which evidently was turned to
the best of use in the escape Sunday after
noon. A prominent distinguishing mark Of
the young woman is small blue spot about
the size Of half a pea on the back OF her left
hand.